Customer Reviews

Residential Lighting: A Practical Guide

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I've read a few other lighting books over the years but found that Whitehead's approach is superior for creating moods in rooms. My wife and I prototype interiors in our home and the results from "A Practical Guide" have been outstanding. We move and change the lighting with temporary luminaires and various wattages to explore the various possibilities before using them in real designs for clients.

Beware - after buying into his concepts you will be frustrated by the lighting almost everywhere you go.

- jim

As a partner in a residential architectural firm in San Francisco I've become intimately aware of the impact good lighting design has on a project. Through the years I've been through many books, lectures, and showrooms to gain knowledge.

One of my favorite sources is Randall Whitehead. If you've ever seen Randall speak about lighting, you already know his passion for the lighting design industry. If you missed his speaking engagements, fear not, because he has produced a new book that is as entertaining and as informative as his speaking engagements. HIs current book "Residential Lighting, A Practical Guide" is my favorite to date.

In one book, he has combined the technical aspects of the myriad lighting products available on the market, with solid design principals (in text and illustrated form) along with photographs of successful and unsuccessful installations. All this, broken down into exterior and interior applications room by room, makes up one great resource! Now, I can grab one book to determine the best lighting solution for a given situation. What a timesaver!

This book is a must for anyone faced with deciding how best to light a space. And, when it comes to our homes, everyone of us is a designer, whether we like to admit it or not! The formidable decisions existent within the lighting aspect of residential design has just been made a lot easier, thanks to Randall Whitehead.

Randall Whitehead has done a terrific job of explaining what light does and why in a way that is surprisinly entertaining. I can see that this book was written for interior designers and architects, but as a homeowner I found the information easy to understand and very practical.

The other books on the subject tend to be dry and overly technical to the point of being a big snore. This book is unlike any textbook I remember. It is funny while giving you all the 'how to' stuff. There are great photos, cartoons, and drawings throughout the book. Don't miss reading the descriptions of the "before" pictures. You will be laughing, while nodding your head in total agreement.

Anyone who wants to know more about lighting for homes and gardens should read this book.

As a designer, I can't say enough good things about Randall Whitehead's Residential Lighting, A Practical Guide. This is his follow up to his wonderful Lighting Up! A Practical Guide which has been a staple of the design community for seven years. All the best parts of the earlier book have been retained with the addition of more than 200 photos in both color and black & white.

The chapters have really been packed with up-to-the-minute information about many of the new technologies that are now becoming the norm, such as light emitting diodes (LEDs). There are also a whole new series of enlightening sections in the back of the book with great tips on how to run a design business, how to get published and how to deal with clients.

Randall's way of writing is very entertaining and I feel it has revitalized the often dry category of textbooks. His funny, casual method of doling out information really helps make this book a pleasure to read. His energy and humor is infectious as he lets readers in on the secrets and practices of good lighting for homes and gardens. What also sets this book apart from other texts on lighting is how he approaches the subject first from the aesthetic side then gradually lets the reader in on the technical reasons how lighting design works.

This is an inspirational reference guide for all aspiring designers... as well as for established design professionals like me. Even savvy homeowners will latch onto this book as the insider's guide to the secrets of great lighting.

As a Design Instructor and Lighting Professional, I can attest that Randy Whitehead's book is an invaluable asset to both the beginning design professional or the savvy client. Photos, diagrams, intelligent definitions-high light the the text. The good humor and obvious talent that Randy Whitehead exhibits makes this book an enjoyable and easily accessible resource.

As a design instructor, I have found earlier examples of this author's books to be a dynamic addition to lecture presentations.

It would be a great addition to any library.

This is an excellent practical and technical book for learning about and designing lighting for a home. It's aimed at the professional, which I appreciate as an intern architect. Part of my job is to design sophisticated lighting schemes for custom homes, which takes a lot of experience and knowledge. This book has really helped me to pinpoint the different kinds of lighting needed for each space and how to place it and specify it in a professional way for the greatest effect. Most architects take years to learn this, but I'm getting a crash course by having this resource. It's not a fluffy coffee table book, it's a technical manual that teaches HOW to properly understand and design lighting for a residence. I highly recommend it.

I own five of Mr. Whitehead's books and I use them all frequently. All are incredible sources of lighting inspiration and I share them with my clients to SEE why I am so passionate about good lighting.

What makes this book particularly exceptional is the combination of the practical necessities of lighting with helpful high-quality photographs. Like a great cookbook, I find that the graphics really drive his points home and provide the "ah-hah" that text alone cannot provide.

As an Interior Designer, I know that good lighting design is not only rare to find, but tougher than most people realize. It looks easy when it's finished, but only when faced with the "blank canvas" of a living space do most clients realize how difficult lighting design truly is. The Practical Guide presents the fundamentals necessary to analyze and solve most residential lighting situations and helps designers show why going the extra step to implement a lighting plan is essential for a successful interior design.

I have had the opportunity to attend a couple of Mr. Whitehead's professional seminars. It's usually not long before he has the room in stitches with his lighthearted, to-the-point style. Mr.Whitehead writes in a similarly engaging manner. He is not afraid to express (and defend) his opinions, even at the risk of stepping on a few well-shoed toes.

I am building a large new home and bought this book to understand and develop a lighting plan. It provided a lot of useful information and was enjoyable to read. The only reason I did not give it 5 stars was that I found the author really trying to push his "green" agenda of using compact fluorescent instead of incandescent lamps (bulbs). That would have been fine if he pushed it but represented the facts fairly regarding both. There is very little information in the book on "color rendering index" which is how a light source allows you to perceive colors. I find it hard to believe that the author does not understand the importance of this, or if he does, why he chose to devote so little information to it. Perhaps it is because that is the one area where incandescant is far superior to fluorescent, having a CRI (color rendering index) of 100.

Even so, I am still happy that I purchased the book and found it useful but, I think you must get another book with this, or you will have important gaps in your lighting information. I highly recommend "The architecture of light" by Sage Russell. He gives much more detail on the different lamps and the actual science of how light works. He also explains color rendering index and its importance.

Bottom line, this book is great if you can afford another book along with it to fill in the gaps.

Jesse Helms couldn't define pornography, but he knew it when he saw it. Lighting to me is a lot like pornography was to Jesse -- I know it when it's good, but it's still tough to define. Until now.

Mr. Whitehead's book attempts to define a framework for good lighting by breaking it down into its applications and components. The book is neither a coffee table picture book nor a mathematical treatise on photon emission sources. It falls right in the middle. It is a practical guide that is useful to a broad audience. No math. No fluff. (Well, ok, a little fluff.)

In fact, the line drawings are far more useful than the photographs. They convey an understanding of lighting in a way that Jesse would have found useful. Lighting is notoriously difficult to photograph and the line drawings illustrate the core principles.

Mr. Whitehead writes in a light, engaging manner and is not afraid to express a few strong opinions. I appreciate that.

This is the best book that I have seen on the topic. The practical advice is well balanced with technical information. A must-have for any Designer's Resouce Library.