Kathy Pryzgoda's Lighting Design

Light Studio LA lights up the Design Within Reach Store in Stamford

2011-10-30T10:37:00.000-07:00

Kathy Pryzgoda (Principal Designer, Light Studio LA) was back on the East Coast this week celebrating the stylish Grand Opening of the new Design Within Reach Store in Stamford, Connecticut. DWR Stamford was "a glow" with excited patrons on Wednesday night.

Light Studio LA collaborated with the New York-based architecture group Sayigh + Duman. The new design included a vignette design with platforms and floating ceilings representing each room in the home.

An elegant lighting system of energy-efficient spotlights was integrated into the floating ceilings adding subtle illumination to the modern design.

"Points of LIght" Seminar by Kathy Pryzgoda Debuts November 3: Professionals and Students Welcome!

2011-10-13T13:54:00.000-07:00

“Points of Light” Seminar

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 3rd, 2011 6:00-9:00 PM AT LIGHT STUDIO LA in Culver City

Perhaps you’re an architect or interior designer with a project that includes lighting design. You want it to be great, but… There are so many choices to make. Or maybe you’ve just begun your design career and working in the “real world” seems so much more complex than school.

Either way, the three-hour Points of Light Seminar will take your lighting design capabilities to the next level.

Highlights of the specific skills you’ll take away:

How to get started planning your lighting design
Understanding your role as the designer and successfully managing the team that includes your client, the architect, the general contractor and the electrician (including 3 insider secrets you must master BEFORE meeting your contractor)
Modern ways to get “that look”on various budgets
How to source cutting-edge light fixtures and the latest fabulous applications
Mastering the art of “layering” to meet your project’s functional goals and deliver the power and “magic” that only light can bring

Price: $299 Or JUST $249 for early registration payments received before October 24th, 2011 (check with your tax advisor for potential fee deductibility).

In addition, all attendees will receive a 50% discount coupon for a one-hour phone or in-studio consultation.

Space will be limited to 10 attendees to provide maximum personal attention and learning, so don't wait.

To learn more or reserve a seat, please visit Light Studio LA seminars

2011-08-08T12:14:00.000-07:00

inspiration image: natural light

Light Rain 10.17.10

2010-10-17T19:55:00.000-07:00

Light Studio LA makes a splash in Interior Design Magazine with WET Design

2010-08-04T18:15:00.000-07:00

What a nice surprise to see WET Enterprises and CEO Mark Fuller profiled in Interior Design Magazine. I’ve been working with WET for a couple years and created the lighting design for the Idea Playground.

WET is a very creative group of people. They love to toss around ideas. Sometimes they call me in just to brainstorm. Everybody is looking for solutions. It was really fun working with them because they enjoy collaboration so much. (Not everyone does, doncha know!)

WET tip #1: They are really creative. So when working with them we’d go through a lot of revisions. They are always looking for a way to make a good idea better. We also get samples and create lighting "mock ups" whenever possible!
WET tip #2: (Actually, this is a secret.) To get the great WET look doesn’t mean you always have to use the most expensive elements. We used some inexpensive "off the shelf" lighting and integrated it into the space in a unique way.

Below is an excerpt of the Interior Design story. For the full profile go to:
http://www.interiordesign.net/article/529858-Shooting_for_the_Stars.php

Mark Fuller's two greatest loves are science and design. Water is his third. And he's managed to combine them all, both in his education and in his professional life. As an undergraduate at the University of Utah, he focused on physics and civil engineering as well as theater sets. Next, at Stanford University, he earned a master's of science and engineering in product design. He then put all that to work for the Walt Disney Company, where he got his feet wet, so to speak, in the special-effects department. "What I really learned, though," he says, "was what it means to entertain." Today, as CEO of WET Enterprises, he applies that lesson to some of the world's splashiest fountains and water effects.
The first headquarters for the firm now known as WET, which stands for Water Entertainment Technologies, was Fuller's kitchen table in Los Angeles. After interim locations in Burbank and Studio City, he and his crew moved some tools into an old machine shop in Sun Valley. Today, that building is one of 13 on a 1-acre campus. Most are playfully named, for example Smile and Wink. The newest, a showplace that functions primarily as a research and design facility, is called the Idea Playground.

Illuminating UPDATE from lightstudioLA!

2010-05-11T08:07:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to give you an UPDATE to what's happening! Sorry for my lack of blog entries, but I have been extremely busy! (yea!) I am sensing a new vitality and it shows with the amount of projects coming into our studio.

Here's what's been happening. In April I was asked to take a trip down the 405 freeway and light 2 series of performances for the Pacific Symphony at the Orange County Performing Arts Center. It has be so nice to be back in the theatre again!

I had a wonderful reunion with a great band, Pink Martini. If you don't know Pink Martini already, you should! Check them out at : http://www.pinkmartini.com/ I've worked with them a couple of times at the Hollywood Bowl and they are so much fun to light! Their music is loaded with nostalgia and romance and requires super sexy lighting (lots of indigos, magentas, and reds!!). And if that wasn't enough, I was asked to come back to OC and light the band Papa Do Run Run this past weekend. If you remember the Beach Boys, you would definitely like the music. If you want to see what's happening with the Pacific Symphony, take a look at their blog: http://www.pacificsymphonyblog.org/

And Tomorrow, May 12th, I will be lighting another live event; The GALA for Dream Believe Achieve at the Skirball Center. This is the 2nd time that I am lighting this event for the ICEF and Success Through the Arts Foundation that will honor two of their most devoted boosters, singer-songwriter Jackson Browne and advocate for higher quality public education and ICEF's co-founder and Chairman, Stephen Smith. Along with Jackson Browne, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Ben Harper, and Keb'Mo' will perform at the event.

And just when I thought I can't take anymore illumination, I will be flying off to Vegas this week for Lighfair International (the annual Architectural Lighting Conference) I can't wait to be amongst my kindred lighting spirits. Bye for now....

To: Interior designers, architects, homeowners….

2010-04-27T10:20:00.000-07:00

“Exceeded my expectations!”
Anne L., UCLA

“Totally opened my eyes!”
Ekaterina Nazardva

In a pinch or need just a little help?
Come by for an hour of...

consultation
brainstorming
problem solving

“I’ll use you again!”
CC, interior designer

“Interesting theatrical approach!”
Kim Underell

Lighting designer Kathy Pryzgoda has a diverse background that includes commercial, architectural, hospitality, residential, theatrical and television projects. She is a graduate of UCLA, where she now teaches, and is the recipient of a Drama-logue award for outstanding achievement in Theatre and several Broadcast Design International Gold awards.

“Learned so much!”
Steph B.D.

“Knowledge and enthusiasm!”
Cynthia Lambakis

(310) 837-0382 Call or e-mail for more an appointment kathy@lightstudiola.com

www.lightstudiola.com

UCLA Opens Doors to Kathy Pryzgoda and Her Acclaimed Lighting Design Seminars

2010-03-22T17:34:00.000-07:00

It’s that time of year. And I couldn’t be happier. I love the Spring seminar that I teach at UCLA Extension because it allows me to share directly with students, interior decorators, homeowners, contractors, architects – and anyone else eager to master the wonders of lighting design. (Such as retail shop owners, and other business people who recognize the value of a beautifully lit environment.)

Also, this fun, fact-filled session may be the beginning – but not the end – of your education. By exploiting the vast reach of social media technology, I extend my seminars with blog posts and Facebook comments that illuminate key talking points, share more on-the-job experiences and product trend info that expands your grasp of dramatic and cozy lighting design.

Bring a friend – and lots of great questions.

Creating Warmth and
Drama in the Home with Light
806.1 Art 0.5 CEU $95
Rich with illustrated examples, this one-day course
introduces students to the fascinating world of lighting.
Many of the fallacies of lighting are discussed as well as
the qualities of light and the tools used in good lighting
design. Budget concerns, basic energy code issues, and
the specific light requirements for the different rooms in
a house are among the topics covered. Working with
architects, contractors, and lighting designers to create
more elaborate lighting designs also is explored. Students
receive resources to help them find lighting fixtures
locally and on the Internet. Enrollment limited.
Reg# V6079B
Westwood: 214 Extension Lindbrook Center
✷✷Saturday, 9am-4pm,
April 17, 1 mtg.
No refund after April 14.

And in addition to my One-Day seminar I teach UCLA extensions’ Lighting Design Class for the Masters Program in Interior Design.

Lighting Design
X 467.15 Art 4 units $595
This course covers basic lighting topics, including light
and texture, light and color, focal lighting, light sources,
fixture schedules, switching patterns, and the required
drawings used by designers in both residential and
commercial spaces. Instruction includes lectures,
research, and student projects. Prerequisite: All courses
in the Certificate Program in Interior Design through the
4th quarter (see curriculum sequence) or consent of
program advisor. Enrollment limited. Internet access
required to retrieve course materials. &
Reg# V6234B
Westwood: 307 1010 Westwood Center
Tuesday, 6:30-9:30pm,
March 30-June 15, 12 mtgs.
No refund after April 6.
Kathy Pryzgoda, BA in theater, UCLA; owner/principal
designer of the lighting firm, Light Studio LA, which
specializes in residential and commercial lighting
design. Ms. Pryzgoda has designed lighting for the Long
Beach Opera, Los Angeles Classical Ballet, and the Jazz
Tap Ensemble, among many others.

Go to www.uclaextension.edu for more information. I hope to see you there!

Sandra Bullock reflects Oscar's Golden Light

2010-03-09T11:40:00.000-08:00

I was thrilled when Sandra Bullock received the Oscar on Sunday night. She was radiant. (or, was that the lighting design??) As always, I was inspired by the beautiful stage lighting created by Bob Dickinson. I love how he draws upon Stanley McCandless' technique. He uses the dynamic between warm light and cool light to make an actor stand out. Isn't it amazing how different Sandra looks in front of amber as opposed to blue?

The "McCandless Method" is something I learned while studying Theatre lighting and I still use it today in lighting for architecture. The use of cool light acts as "the shadow" as opposed to warm light which creates the highlight.
....so now that I've put some light on this subject, tune in for more blog entries on the "cool and warm" of things!

Lighting Quote of the Day

2010-02-17T16:22:00.000-08:00

I came upon this quote today and thought that it was so appropriate. Good lighting design can bring "glow" into the world.
Enjoy!

"There are two kinds of light - the Glow that illuminates, and the Glare that
obscures."
- James Thurber

California Girl Spots CFL’s in Grand Central Station!

2010-02-02T14:04:00.000-08:00

One thing I noticed when I traveled to New York City last month was that the rest of the country still isn’t as green as California in its lighting codes. Now, for any who knows me, I'm definitely a California girl and I am used to designing energy efficient lighting. California has the strictest Energy codes in the Country!

I was so excited when I stepped off the train platform in New York's Grand Central Station and noticed that they had changed out ALL the incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescents! And you know what? They looked great!!

When I’m teaching my lighting class, I always ask, “Who likes fluorescent lighting?” My students generally moan and say, “We hate fluorescent lighting!” I can’t blame them. They tie their feelings about fluorescents to their school days when the lights were greenish and they flickered a lot.

These days, fluorescent lighting is much improved. It is warm. It glows. (No flickering) And it looks so much like incandescent that I had to look very closely in Grand Central to be sure that they had made the change.

The rest of the country will eventually catch up to California's Energy Efficient Lighting!
Until then, keep your eyes open. And the next time you are in the Big Apple, look up. You might be surprised – and delighted!

Glow not Glare Makes a Home or Business Building Beautiful

2010-01-25T19:53:00.000-08:00

Two of the most important words that describe light are GLOW and GLARE.
To create glow, I illuminate a home or business building discreetly, so you can’t see the source. Take Light Studio LA, for example, the space feels self-illuminated.

Like a human being who glows from within, the dwelling attracts the right kind of attention. It’s naturally beautiful.

Glare certainly attracts attention, but so does the garish lighting of a liquor store. Glare will catch your eye, but actually harm the presentation of the building.

What makes a building look truly beautiful is when the lighting plan was designed into the architecture.

Unfortunately, this doesn’t always happen. Too often young architects are not thinking about lighting when they are in their design process. They try to add it on later, and this is what creates glare. Maybe it looks nice, but never fabulous.
Have you ever driven past the Mormon Temple on the Interstate-405 in La Jolla?
Religious groups obviously want their places of worship to be inspirational. They want the design – the steeples and lighting – to suggest reaching and looking upward, to God. Well, the temple achieves that and more.

When you drive by at night the lighting and architecture are in sync, together they make you want to look. And what you see is self-illumination, spirituality.
This doesn’t happen by accident. This is why it is so important to have a lighting designer on board when the project begins.

GLOW happens by design. This beautiful dining room was created as a collaboration with the interior designer, Peggy Braswell. The combination of a diffused Fortuni fixture along with well placed recessed downlights made for this magical image.

GLARE often happens because the lighting design was an after thought: external fixtures, floodlights that are too bright (and are not designed with glass to diffuse the glare)…well, you get the picture.
My first mentor in theater lighting design described excellent lighting this way: “What a lighting designer does is support the set design and quite often isn’t recognized. The best lighting nobody is thinking about because it’s so integral to the overall stage picture.”
I guess it means I’ll always work in the shadows. But that’s OK by me if it means your home or business building shares the limelight with other great architecture because the lighting is just right.

Visitors say Hunger Market Cafe "Well Lit" by Light Studio LA

2010-01-18T17:41:00.000-08:00

Recently I was invited to consult on the interior lighting design for the Hunger Market Café in West Hollywood. It was a challenge because David Reinke and Kevin Milligan had a tight budget,a limited time frame, and did not want the space to look generic and uninteresting.

David and Kevin wanted the Hunger Market Café to be warm and cozy, a place where their customers would feel “at home”.

So, in order to demonstrate, I walked them to a nearby coffee house. It was intimate and friendly. I pointed out how important the ceiling color was for setting the mood. I also told them that by putting light only where it was necessary, we could make their market feel cozier. They immediately responded and we quickly defined some parameters that got me started on the design.

By replacing the existing white tile ceiling with a dark brown tile ceiling, the ceiling felt like it had actually been lowered. This created intimacy.

As for the lighting, I suggested that we eliminate some of the existing ceiling fixtures as well as adding a few well-placed spotlights for the tasks at hand-- such as accepting payment and wrapping take-out food. This made the space feel cozier-- and cut energy use as well! (It feels great when an aesthetic choice is so practical.)

Just wanted to say how pleased I am that the online reviews for Hunger Market Café have been positive. Also, I was thrilled by this comment posted @ Yelp.com by a San Diego man:
“I came with a girlfriend on Monday for a bite of lunch, I'm glad we did. The cafe/market is clean, well lit, and set up nicely with indoor or out door seating.”

How nice that somebody who was looking for a fine meal actually noticed the lighting design!

New Light,New Beginnings

2010-01-05T10:03:00.000-08:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR, 2010!
I captured this luminous moment while in Colorado over the holidays. Isn't it amazing how LIGHT can inspire New Beginnings?

... and already my New Year is moving at "light speed"! I am off to New York City to create an Interior Lighting Design for Edelman Leather. This year, Light Studio LA has been asked to improve the Lighting EFFECIENCY and BEAUTY for three of their east coast showrooms. Exciting...gotta go!

Lighting Theater Productions is Ideal Training for Designers

2009-12-09T19:33:00.000-08:00

Some of my students often ask what the best training is for a lighting professional. I believe working in the theater gives you incredible opportunities to learn and grow. The theatre is also where I learned my mock up techniques.
A mock up is when you place lights in the space you are designing to see actual effects. This trumps any intellectual or theoretical debate about what is appropriate. A mock up lets you see exactly what the impact of your design will be.
I learned this while working in the theater. While the actors are still in the rehearsal process, the lighting designer is able to move lights around to test the design. It’s like a painter adjusting color on the canvas. By illuminating a set in this way, you can experiment a bit before the crunch time of dress rehearsal and opening night.

Many of the top interior and exterior lighting designers are coming out of the theater, where you have the opportunity to hone your craft, make mistakes and try new things. It’s much trickier in the real world of architecture, because people don’t have the time and don’t want to make the time. Sometimes impatient business clients ask me to rush, which leads to an inferior outcome. I say, “I can do that for you, but you’re not using the service that I’m offering.”
I’m an artist. No matter who I design for, I want that dimension understood and embraced. It will make a profound difference in how others perceive your home or business.

Living Room Lighting Transformation: From Dark to Dynamic!

2009-11-12T19:56:00.000-08:00

I got a call from a new client saying that her living room was “too dark.” The next evening I paid a visit and when I arrived I observed two things. The first thing I noticed was that she had many recessed cans. As a matter of fact, for a 20’x15’ room she had 10 cans! She also had 2 table lamps and 1 floor lamp.

I said to my client: “You certainly have enough lighting fixtures here, but the problem is you don’t have the RIGHT LIGHT in the RIGHT PLACE. My client responded “I am not sure I follow.”

I then asked her if she has a supply of light bulbs. She responded “ yes” and that she had 2 boxes in the garage. I said,“Go get them…. I want to show you something.” In a couple of minutes we had a step stool, a pair of gloves, and a huge supply of light bulbs. I proceeded to change out all the 75watt incandescent R30 flood light bulbs with 50watt halogen PAR 20 spotlights.(Please note that we used a flash camera on the "before" pictures because the room was so dark.)

By exchanging the incandescent floods with halogen spots I was able to get more “intense light” where I needed it as well as creating a more dramatic space by having more contrast in the room. I also exchanged the art light flood with a spotlight, creating a perfect “focus” for the art, as well as moving the floor lamp to just over the corner of the sofa..a great place for reading.

Here is another before and after set of pictures:
I took light off the wall and put a halogen spotlight on the tree.

In the end my client was amazed at the transformation we made,
just by changing the light bulbs and putting floor and table lamps WHERE you need them. Her living room went from Dull and dark to Dramatic and Dynamic.

Day of the Dead Inspires Lighting Design

2009-11-02T14:13:00.000-08:00

Day of the Dead, also called "Dia de los Muertos" is a festival celebrated in Mexico, Ecuador, Guatamala, and other areas in Central and South America. I love this holiday, which is also celebrated in areas of the United States, such as California and Texas, where Mexican-American heritage is in full bloom.

I love Day of the Dead because everything is celebrated in candle light. It is spooky, but it is also romantic and spiritual. It inspired me to do something special on Halloween. At my house, the trick-or treat fun is not your typical American Festivity. I use candle light and create moments. Little flickering moments that direct your eyes here and there.

This past weekend a friend was amazed when he saw what I had done to decorate my home and studio for Halloween. Actually, this year I just didn't have much time, so I threw something together. Yet I forget that what I consider "thrown together" may be far more than a less creatively-atturned person might do. All of which reminds me once again that I live for lighting. I love what good lighting can bring to our most public events-- such as Halloween-- and to our most intimate and private moments, where we linger with the living and the dead.

Pryzgoda Lighting Design for Cloud II Chandelier Illuminates Malibu

2009-10-31T11:14:00.000-07:00

Homeowners and business owners are not the only ones who may benefit from some lighting advice.

When I met Vietnamese-born landscape artist Andy Cao at a social event , I immediately felt a connection. He was describing his garden installation in Malibu and…

…actually, he was telling the story of his cloud II chandelier project. Andy, who co-founded Cao-Perrot Studio, with offices in Los Angeles and Paris, connects everything to story and has a natural way of personalizing his work. I loved his energy and knew that he would benefit from some professional lighting advice. He agreed and we began a creative dialogue.

Our lighting collaboration explored three different lighting plans for his Cloud II, which is a sculpture of stainless steel wire mesh and 5,000 cut crystals, suspended above a grass and tempered glass panel area. Initially, Andy had a lighting approach for the chandelier, I however, thought another approach might enhance his sculpture better. So rather than debate theory, we did a “mock up” of each design.

A “mock up” means we set up lights in the installation space, a garden in this case, so that we could actually see the lighting effects. I’m always open to trying and learning new things. But In the end, in my experience, the best way to determine what’s working is to do a mock up.

Soon Andy agreed with my plan: to light from the sides. Not that I always get my way. Notice the exterior lights set low on the walls of the garden? I wish they were not there. But as lighting designers, we need to adapt to the situation and not worry about elements we can’t control.

Introducing Kathy Pryzgoda's Lighting Design Blog

2009-10-16T16:30:00.002-07:00

I guess the simplest way to start is to start. So, LET THERE BE LIGHT!

I love light.
My life's practice and work is all about light.
I have watched people and environments transform with a change of light bulb and this has been what inspires me on a daily basis.

So.... In this blog I would like to INSPIRE you and show you how ILLUMINATION can TRANSFORM you and your environment.

Inspiration 1: Key West Sunset

2009-10-16T16:30:00.001-07:00

Sunset, August 21, 2009

In a small prop plane, decending into Key West Florida

What inspires me? The way the golden sun cuts

through the clouds.