I will start this post by saying the electrical part of the Kvell house project definitely became more involved than initially anticipated. We knew some of the wiring in the house was very outdated as we were aware we had a combination Knob-and-tube and Romex.
Examples of the difference between knob-and-tube and romex:
Knob-and-tube is an early technique of wiring a home used commonly from approximately 1880 thru the 1930’s. Its a single insulated copper conductor that were run thru wall and ceilings connected to porcelain insulating tubes that were supported on nailed down porcelain knob insulators. This type of wiring is not grounded or rated for moisture.
Romex is a trade name for a type of wiring that has a non metallic sheathing. Previous modifications to the electrical at Kvell house used Romex. We thought we would have to partially rewire but the Romex proved to be gnawed at by our little mouse house visitors!
I suppose this is Just like many other projects we find ourselves on.. “if you give a mouse a cookie” your just going to keep giving…
But, we had some altogether interesting, scary and cool finds moving thru the electrical phase:
Thankfully, we are finally to the point of having all new wiring, new switches and new outlets throughout the house that should keep any one who resides there safe for many years to come.
On To The Fun Part – New Light Fixtures!
Behind the scenes, I have been busy deciding on and purchasing the new light fixtures for Kvell house. Lighting as a design element both takes and deserves a lot of thought.
Lighting to me plays an incredibly large roll in design. From how the fixtures themselves add to the aesthetic of the space, to the mood the type of light you choose creates in a space and how you control that light in your space for the different activities that occur there. Whenever I design a space there is automatic thought to lighting it correctly.
I look at all of those factors and then move through my selection process with a plan in mind to create all of my layered levels of light along with that “showstopper” part of the design using unique fixtures.
Why Lighting Is So Important
Think about this: A human’s natural instinct is to gravitate toward light. It’s called phototropism. There is a very large scientific basis to lighting design and how to do it properly.
Regardless of science and not wanting to bore you with the details.. lets go with, personally, I just plain feel better in a well lit space, so I naturally use it in my design planning!
This can go many ways as lighting sets the mood and plays into the function of a designed space by directing our movement and activity level.
Lighting can be a costly venture, but it can also make or break your space. It’s a lot harder and definitely more costly to “go back and fix” lighting in a space after a project is complete. We consider lighting as part of our planning and pricing in clients budgets and I urge clients to keep this at the top of their priority list. It’s a rare occasion they disagree, especially living in the Roc where we are gray and dreary more often than sunny and bright.
Layering light gives our clients the best options to use their space in multiple ways. Considering that light has intensity, color and texture there are many things to think through when you are designing a space.
We will be layering light in the Kvell house and as we move from room to room in future posts I will review how and why we place our fixtures. We will be using a combination of LED recessed ceiling fixtures along with mostly LED based ceiling and wall fixtures to create both mood as well as work zones for us to be able to effectively work.
Hope you like the direction we are going! Stay tuned for our first room – the upper bath-to be started and complete soon!