I feel like I haven’t featured any cool recycled lighting projects or artists lately. Fortunately I stumbled across artists Joe O’Connell and Blessing Hancock from Tuscon. Continue reading “More Recycled Chandeliers”
More Recycled Chandeliers
5 New Devices on Apple HomeKit
Apple first announced HomeKit, its wireless protocol for home automation, almost an entire year ago at Apple’s developers conference in June 2014.
Finally it looks like the first batch of hardware partners will be launching their iOs HomeKit-complaint devices. Continue reading “5 New Devices on Apple HomeKit”
Kook by Karim Rashid
His designs are famous for their natural soft lines and attention to detail. His work is globally recognized, as it speaks a universal language of beauty. Karim Rashid, a Canadian Industrial designer, is the designer behind the concept kitchen Kook for Rastelli Cucine. Rastelli Cucine is an international kitchen company launched in 2014 by ARAN Cucine owner Renzo Rastelli. Kook was first displayed at EuroCucine 2012 by ARAN Cucine. 
“I take a minimalist approach in my kitchens, preferring to create a clean striking surface that is punctuated by splashes of strong color. For the Kook kitchen I wanted to create an innovative design to turn even the most challenging culinary endeavors into pure aesthetic pleasure”.
Rastelli Cucine showed Kook again at Salone del Mobile 2014. Rastelli Cucine strives to create contemporary inspiring designs that are ergonomically, environmentally and emotively superior. Collaborating with designers like Kiram Rashid enables Rastelli to promote the best of Italian Design standards. 
The Kook Kitchen is strong in both design aesthetics and functional storage. The extra deep work surface incorporates a cooktop and a sink with matching cutting board that conceals the opening for a continuous surface. Motorized shutters hide kitchen clutter behind the angled face. Glass shelves are lit with LED edge lighting and a colored LED lit strip accents tip-on style lower cabinets. 
Ovens are placed in tall cabinets with pocketing Corian glass panel doors for concealment when not in use. The dishwasher is fitted with an angled front to match the slanted profile of the cabinetry. The refrigerator starts at counter height with storage below. 
I prefer the Kook Kitchen with the taller elements – blame it on my North American desire for storage. I’d specify the units not to be unfitted because dirt can collect in the gap between the units. 
Kinetic Lighting Control and All White Bulbs for Philips Hue
Philips’ hue lighting system is gaining two new components, a hue lux remote-control white bulb, and the hue tap, a clever little switch which makes controlling your favorite Hue light scenes even easier. And, since it’s kinetic-powered no batteries are needed.
The new hue tap is built on Philips’ hue wireless lighting system, which has grown from the original iOS app-enabled, color-changing LED bulbs to an ecosystem of smart lighting accessories.
The tap is the first official product from Philips to bring hue lighting control out of the app and into the physical world.
Philips Hue tap needs no batteries as it operates using kinetic energy – simply through taps from your finger. As a result, it has a remarkable zero watts of power consumption and needs no main power source. Meaning it’s not only smarter, but greener and hassle free.
“Hue tap is the perfect solution for users who want to control their personal wireless lighting with yet more convenience. It is more than just a modern take on the wall switch – it combines easy-to-use traditional lighting control with the smart, intuitive, fun world of Philips Hue.” -Filip Jan Depauw, Senior Director, Philips Lighting
Philips Hue tap control requires the hue bridge found with all starter kits for Philips hue and Friends of hue products. Hue tap will be available this fall for $60.
Interestingly, Philips will open the hue tap API to third-party smart home developers. That potentially means easy installation of a multi-function switch that could be mapped to multiple different home automation products, addressing a common request in the growing smart home market.
Philips has also introduced a new bulb called the hue lux, and it’s dimmable like the other hue bulbs (and other smart bulbs) but doesn’t do the chameleon color changing of the original bulbs. The lux bulb has a max lighting output of 600 lumens and temperature range from 2000-6500 Kelvin. Philips estimates hue will last 15,000 hours while drawing up to 8.5 watts at full intensity.
Hue lux works on the same ZigBee protocol, meaning users can incorporate the lights with third-party sensors, that the original color-changing hue bulbs use, but changes through white light intensity instead.
Philips says lux will go on sale this fall at a price of $39.99 each or $99 for a two-bulb starter kit that includes the hue wireless bridge.