“The fixture schedule came back with the boxes marked and the dimmer groups named. Install day had no surprises.”
Nisha M.Interior designer
Interior lighting design and install in Santa Fe
Plan the light first, then wire the house to match.
We draw the lighting plan, mark every box on it, then install it. Ambient, task, accent and decorative light each get their own circuit and their own dimmer.
The plan
Four layers, one plan
We draw every room as four layers. Each layer is its own circuit, so you can bring a room up or down one layer at a time.
Layer 1Ambient
The light the room stands in: recessed, cove, or a wash up onto the ceiling. It sets the level everything else works against.
Layer 2Task
Light where hands work: under cabinets, over the range, beside a reading chair. Placed on the plan before the cabinets are ordered.
Layer 3Accent
Light on a surface: a sconce by an arched doorway, a wash on a nicho, a small spot on a painting.
Layer 4Decorative
The fixture you look at: a chandelier or the pendants over the table. On its own dimmer, so it never has to be the room's only light.
On the sketch
The plan, room by room
A plan sketch shows where each layer lands. This is how we would mark four rooms.
Kitchen
Strips under the cabinets do the work. A low recessed layer keeps the room soft after dinner.
Task: under-cabinet strips on their own switch
Ambient: recessed, dimmed separately
Decorative: pendants over the island
Living room
A room with a view needs less overhead and more at the edges.
Ambient: indirect light up into the vigas
Accent: picture lights and nicho lights
Decorative: lamps on a switched outlet
Bedroom
Light low and from the sides. Nothing aims at the pillow.
Accent: a sconce each side of the bed, each dimmed
Task: reading lights switched at the bed
Ambient: a low wash, off by default
Dining and open plan
One room, several moods. Each one is a scene on the keypad.
Decorative: pendants centered on the table
Ambient: a cove that can be left dark
Scenes: dinner, cleanup, late
For designers and architects
Drawing a lighting plan? We build from it.
Send the reflected ceiling plan or the electrical sheet. We mark it up before the walls close.
Our markup lists every box location and what blocking it needs, the dimmer groups, the controls schedule and any fixture the structure won't take. You and the contractor see the same sheet.
Fixture schedule markup
Box locations and blocking
Dimmer and keypad schedule
Lead times on the fixtures you spec
Services
What we install
Recessed and cove lighting
Downlights, indirect cove and light thrown up into vigas or beam bays. We mark each housing against the joists, beams and ductwork before anything is cut.
Pendants, chandeliers and sconces
Fixtures hung to the heights on the plan, on boxes that can carry them, centered on the table or the wall instead of the nearest stud.
Under-cabinet and picture lighting
Strips under cabinets, lights over the range, and a small light on a painting or a nicho. Each one is wired to a switch that makes sense in the room.
Dimming and keypads
Dimmers matched to each load, and keypads that set a scene in one press. Every circuit is named on the plan, so the plate by the door reads in plain words.
Ceiling fans with light
A fan and its light on separate switching, hung from a box made for the weight. The light dims on the same layer plan as the rest of the room.
Fixture swaps in older homes
Replacing fixtures in adobe, plaster and older frame houses. We trace the wiring we find, check the boxes and tell you what the work needs before we start.
The visit
From drawing to switch plate
Step 1: Walk-through
We measure, look at the ceilings and the panel, and ask how each room is used after dark.
Step 2: The plan
A marked sketch with each layer, fixture height, box and dimmer, and a written estimate to go with it.
Step 3: Rough-in
Boxes and wire go where the plan says, before plaster or drywall closes the wall.
Step 4: Fixture day
Fixtures are hung, aimed and wired to the circuits on the sketch.
Step 5: Dimming at dusk
We come back after dark to set the levels and the scenes with you.
Sample reviews
What designers and homeowners say
“They asked about the beam depth before they asked about fixtures. The cove went in where we drew it.”
Gareth H.Architect
“They came back after dark to set the levels. The living room is softer than it has ever been.”
Hilda L.Homeowner
Sample reviews.
Service area
Santa Fe and the towns around it
Santa Fe County
- Santa Fe
- Eldorado at Santa Fe
- Tesuque
- La Cienega
- Nambé
- Pojoaque
- Galisteo
- Lamy
- Madrid
- Cerrillos
- Edgewood
Rio Arriba County
- Española
Los Alamos County
- Los Alamos
We don't take jobs in Albuquerque or Taos. Walk-throughs and dusk visits are easier to schedule close to the shop.
Questions before the walk-through
What does the plan cost, and is it credited to the work?
The plan fee is written on your estimate before we begin, and it depends on how many rooms we draw. If you hire us to install the plan, the fee is credited toward the work. If you take the plan to another electrician, you keep it.
Do you pull the permit?
Where the work needs one, we pull it and schedule the inspection. Not every fixture swap needs a permit. We tell you which yours does before the estimate.
Will you have to open my walls?
Sometimes. New cove or recessed lights in a finished ceiling need access, and adobe walls take surface runs or chases. The plan shows where, so a plasterer or painter can be booked before we start.
Do you do emergency repair?
No. We design and install lighting on a planned schedule and the office keeps weekday hours. For sparks, a burning smell or a hot outlet, call 911 if there is fire, and if it is safe, turn off the breaker. Then call a local licensed electrician for urgent repair.
Ask for a visit
Tell us about the room
We reply on business days to set up a walk-through.
Phone(505) 555-0101
Hours
- Monday – FridayToday
- 7 a.m. – 4 p.m.
- SaturdayToday
- By appointment
- SundayToday
- Closed