Filed under: Lighting
Does an area of your house feel dark and closed-in? Here’s a bright idea: add windows to the room to let in natural light! This will also make the space feel larger and much more open. Although skylights are a great way to do this, a window in your wall can be a nice design element to incorporate; plus if you are surrounded by a beautiful landscape, windows will let you enjoy it from the comfort of your home, regardless of the weather.
All About Milgard Windows
When selecting new windows during your remodel, one manufacturer to consider is Milgard Windows. In fact, this was the company of choice for our recent Los Gatos remodeling project. What makes them a good option? (more…)
May 24, 2013

Pendant Lights
When it comes to lighting your home, there are lots of options for homeowners to consider. In the past we’ve discussed LED lights and skylights, but there’s another option that can fit into a wide variety of home designs: pendant lights.
What are pendant lights?
Simply put, pendant lights are fixtures that hang from the ceiling. There is usually some sort of shade over the bulb that provides a design element in addition to lighting the room. They come in many different sizes and styles that can be mixed and matched to fit the homeowner’s style perfectly. Our Saratoga remodeling project chose to use a couple of different designs for their pendant lighting, as you can see in the photo. (more…)
January 15, 2013
By now, it’s no shock that we love LED lights. As we shared in our last post about lighting your home, “they last longer than incandescent bulbs and compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs), are free from toxic materials like mercury, can deliver the same amount of light using just 10-15% of the power as conventional technologies and have a higher color rendering.” So why not put them outside your home as well?
As you think about your front and backyard landscape, consider how lighting will play into the atmosphere. Incorporating LED lights into the design will give you an eco-friendly option that works with any style – there are literally tens of thousands of sizes and styles of exterior LED light fixtures available. (more…)
May 16, 2012
A bright room can help a home feel open and alive. One change a lot of homeowners want to make during their remodel is the addition of more light throughout their house. Depending on the space available, there are a few practical ways we like to recommend:
- Skylights – As we’ve mentioned before, skylights can add a sophisticated architectural element to a room. (more…)
March 29, 2012
A kitchen island is a common way to keep the room open while providing the functionality of additional kitchen cabinet and countertop space. Adding lights over the island is a natural way to make the room feel brighter; they’re also a great way to make a design statement that lasts years after your kitchen remodeling project is complete.
At CAGE Design Build, we’ve noticed a trend towards homeowners selecting kitchen island lights that stand out in the room. Common styles include drums and small mini pendants. Lamps Plus is a great resource for finding the right island lights when remodeling your kitchen, from a Swag Style Red Balls Giclee Shade Plug-In Chandelier or Possini Euro Design Bubble Cascade Rectangular Pendant to the Uttermost Chalet Mini Pendant Chandelier or Jezebel Radiance™ Lily Light Teal Sky Blue Pendant Light. (more…)
February 22, 2012
Do you spend a lot of time in the kitchen? Under counter lighting can be a great way for you to see what you’re doing without shadows getting in the way of keeping a close eye on the task at hand. Although this type of lighting won’t illuminate the entire room, it can be a fantastic way to brighten up a specific area. (more…)
December 16, 2011
Did you know the lighting in your home can account for 20% of your household’s annual electricity usage? As we always try to help homeowners remodel their home in a way that conserves energy and saves money, we like to recommend Lutron switches as an eco-friendly home lighting option. (more…)
November 10, 2011

Have you ever thought about how convenient it would be to control all your home’s electronics in one place? Or have you had that feeling in the pit of your stomach when you’ve left for vacation in a hurry and can’t remember if you set the alarm and turned down the thermostat? A system like Savant might be perfect for your home redesign!
Savant transforms your Apple® iPad®, iPhone®, iPod touch® and traditional HDTV into your very own personalized control portal for your home’s appliances, home theater, whole-house audio, lighting schemes, climate control, safety & security, energy management and more. (more…)
August 2, 2011
How do you light the rooms in your home? A Solatube Daylighting System is one functional design option to consider, especially if you have a tight area in which a standard skylight isn’t an option.
What is a Solatube Daylighting System? This eco-friendly, maintenance-free solar tube captures light through a dome on the roof and channels it into the home through an internal reflective system.
Here at CAGE Design Build, we work with Sunlight Concepts when clients want a Solatube Daylighting System. More efficient than a traditional drywall skylight shaft, the Solatube fits between rafters and can be installed without structural modification. On the ceiling inside the home, a diffuser spreads the light evenly throughout the room. (more…)
June 2, 2011
How did you select the lights in your home? Lighting is an important design element to consider during the redesign process. Most consumers want an option that is cost effective, energy efficient and produces strong light throughout the room, which is why we’ve started using LEDs as a standard in all our work at C.A.G.E. Design Build.
(more…)
May 17, 2011