Restaurant LED Lighting Excels at Savings, Style and Color

"In a restaurant -- where people must look as aesthetically pleasing to each other as the food does to them -- the quality of light is crucial - the type of fixture and the kind of light they produce," says Re:Vision's Jeremy Avellino, an architect/designer and former builder.

For now, he has chosen compact fluorescents (CFLs) that cast a surprising bluish light. They'll use nearly one-quarter the energy incandescent bulbs would and will last 10,000 hours or more.

CFLs produce varying shades of white light, identified by color temperature measured on the Kelvin scale, according to the Environmental Protection Agency's Energy Star Web site (www.energystar.gov). Lower Kelvin numbers mean the light has a warmer color; higher numbers mean the light has a cooler cast. But not all manufacturers list color temperature on their packaging.

Most CFLs on the market offer soft or warm light (2,700K to 3,000K), comparable to an incandescent, that will enhance warmer room colors such as red, yellow and orange, the Web site says. At higher Kelvin color temperatures (3,500 to 6,500K), CFLs will emit more white to bluish-white light that enhances cooler colors (blue, green, violet).

"Our eyes have been tuned to incandescent bulbs for years," Avellino says. "After you get used to compact fluorescent . . . people look better."

But even in mid-renovation, decisions are being reconsidered at the White Dog. The CFLs are an interim step, to be replaced ultimately with light-emitting diodes (LEDs).

LEDs are Environmentally Sound, Use Less Energy, and Last Longer

LEDs are the next wave because they are more environmentally sound, use less energy and last longer than both CFLs and incandescents, Wicks and Avellino say.

LED Colors are Endlessly Creative!

And the light they cast allows for any number of tones and moods. "You can totally name your color," Wicks says.

LED Lights for Exterior AND Interior

Though she is starting to use LEDs in exterior lighting, as the technology advances Wicks plans to use them inside, too - they are easier to dim, an important feature for a restaurant.

Don't Stop with Creative Rays -- Create Environmentally Friendly Fixtures, too!

For environmentally aware designs, he uses life's flotsam and junk: old brass instruments, discarded crystal candy dishes, colanders, antique glass jars, car and motorcycle parts.

Being ahead of the game in repurposing what's available is what led developer Tony Goldman to Muller's door.

Goldman Properties helped create New York City's SoHo district and Miami's South Beach from once-trashed warehouses and old hotel spaces. In Philadelphia, he's taken on a once-worn-out area of South 13th Street between Locust and Chestnut.