Outside the box

Fine custom homes are designed and furnished with a great deal of specificity. But when it comes to the placement of light switches, logic doesn't always follow. Many people live in a house for years, yet are never really sure which switch or dimmer does what.

Lighting designer Jim Marvy of Simply Marvy Lighting Design says a good lighting design and well thought-out controls will have a dramatic effect on how your house will look, and even how you feel.

"When you hear horror stories about lighting controls, it's not the controls to blame. It's the design," he says. "A good design is instinctive and spontaneous."

Marvy designed the lighting for this house, putting his philosophy into practice with the Lutron HomeWorks lighting control system. This system allows you to pre-set specific lighting scenes for different rooms or zones within a house.

On arriving home, for example, a Welcome button on the keypad will automatically set the Soft scene for each room. Or you can choose Path to light your passage through the house. Other keypad settings include Evening/Entertaining and Late Night modes, which will automatically light the house to suit the occasion. In the kitchen, a Cook button will light up work areas. There is also a Good Night button to shut off the whole house, except the bedroom.

"Lutron HomeWorks provides virtually unlimited lighting options, and has a built-in astronomical clock. This allows the lighting to be controlled in conjunction with daylight hours," says Marvy.

Keypads throughout the house are simplified for ease of operation, with buttons in the same, logical positions on each pad.

Marvy says the house is also equipped with Lutron Sivoia window treatments. Roller blinds are built into a cove above each window. The blinds are linked to the Lutron HomeWorks system, which automatically allows the bedroom blinds to close at sunset and open at a pre-set time.

For more information on lighting design, contact Simply Marvy Lighting Design, 4533 Timber Woods Lane, Minnetonka, MN 55345, phone (952) 474 1923.

For details on Lutron products, contact Lutron Electronics Company, 7200 Suter Rd, Coopersburg, PA 18036, phone (610) 282 3800, fax (610) 282 6437. Website: www.lutron.com.

Story by: Trendsideas