Everyday automation
Automation that knows when to leave you alone
At Stanley Street, the work was in the details: motion that respects manual dimming, lights that actually switch off and a gentler path through the night.
Read moreProjects + experiments + blog
Ideas worked through.
Projects, practical experiments and notes on making spaces feel right and work well.
Lighting + value
The $27 downlight that made the specification
A $27 fitting made the shortlist because it met the brief. The interesting part was deciding what that brief should ask of it.
Read moreLighting design
Stop Putting Downlights in a Grid
Start with what the room needs to do. The ceiling can wait.
Read moreAudio + integration
The Bose split soundbar
Small Bose speakers, modern connections and one ordinary remote. The parts, mounting and control decisions behind a compact audio retrofit.
Read moreApproach
I Design the Light and What Happens When You Press the Switch
The fitting and the behaviour are one design problem.
Read moreEveryday automation
Have the washing finished by eight.
A Bosch washing machine, Home Assistant and a simple goal: load it before bed and have the washing ready in the morning.
Read moreApproach
The Lighting Plan Nobody Owns
Competent people can deliver their own part while the overall experience falls between them.
Read moreControl + access
A smart intercom should make answering easier
Getting an apartment buzzer onto a phone sounded useful. Trying to answer the door showed how much depends on the steps between the alert and letting someone in.
Read moreControl + automation
A Good Smart Home Still Has Light Switches
Guests should be able to turn on a light without being onboarded.
Read moreRenovation
The Decisions You Must Make Before the Plaster Goes On
A planning checklist for the details that become harder to change once walls close.
Read moreLighting design
2700K, 3000K and Dim-to-Warm: What Actually Belongs in a Home
Why white lights look yellow, neutral or blue, what the numbers on the box mean, and how to choose for your room.
Read moreControl + automation
Why Your Motion Sensor Keeps Turning the Lights Off While You Are Still There
No detected movement is not the same thing as an empty room.
Read moreControl + automation
Five Lighting Scenes Are Usually Four Too Many
A provocation about useful choices, not a numerical design rule.
Read moreControl + automation
The Problem With Smart Bulbs in Permanently Powered Fittings
Powering the electronics is only half the control design.
Read moreControl + automation
Home Assistant, Apple Home or a Proprietary System? Start With the House
The platform decision comes after the everyday brief.
Read moreLighting design
How to Light a Bathroom Without Making It Feel Like a Clinic
Practical light at the mirror and a calmer room around it.
Read moreLighting design
Kitchen Lighting Is Not One Row of Downlights
Preparation, dining and the end of the evening deserve different light.
Read moreRenovation
Where LED Drivers Should Live
Concealed is useful. Inaccessible is expensive.
Read moreLighting design
What “Dimmable” Fails to Tell You
A label is not a description of the low end.
Read moreConsult + rescue
How to Rescue a Lighting Plan Halfway Through a Renovation
Find the decisions that are still open before replacing everything.
Read moreApproach
Why the Electrician’s Quote Is Not a Lighting Design
Installation scope and the intended experience answer different questions.
Read moreControl + automation
A Smart Home Should Fail Gracefully
Design the ordinary failure cases before they become surprises.
Read moreControl + automation
The Case Against Touchscreens for Everything
A screen is useful when the task benefits from a screen.
Read moreLighting design
Lighting Artwork Without Lighting the Entire Wall
Choose the beam around the work and the way it is seen.
Read moreRenovation
Can an Existing Home Be Automated Without Rewiring Everything?
Often there are useful options. Start by finding out what is already there.
Read more