Honore Street Residence

What It Was

A spec house west of the loop in Chicago needed the fixtures intended to illuminate the owner’s paintings to actually light the works of art and not create glare or light the wall instead.

What We Did

The lights intended to illuminate paintings were too close to the wall, and ineffective. Lightswitch tried to avoid opening up the ceiling, but ended up moving the fixtures out from the wall a foot and a half in order to light the paintings properly.
Lightswitch also used some simple and inexpensive solutions, like ordering switch and dimmer plates in colors similar to the wall paint, to make the lighting hardware less obvious. The owner’s frustration with the multitude of switches and dimmers was eliminated by putting all the lights on the first floor on one system. Single buttons turn on programs for “Welcome,” “Morning,” “Evening,” “Entertain,” and “Off.”

Why It Worked

The artwork in the house looks beautiful with the lights adjusted and properly focused. Lightswitch simplified the lighting controls, enhancing the experience of light by eliminating the aggravation of having to look for switches and then guess. The lighting now complements the homeowner’s rooms instead of dominating them.

Interior Designer: Michael Abrams, Photographer: Scott Shigley