Selected Work
Residences, condominiums, restaurants, retail, and landscapes — from simple upgrades to whole-house control systems.
Residential · Whole-house control
This small house was a high-tech project, with everything connected to a Lutron whole-house control system — lights, window shades, music, and video. The clients had a great love of their cats and built a catwalk at the ceiling that lets the cats move through the house from above. We lit the catwalk with LED neon rope, adding a lovely color accent and ambiance to the room while posing no heat danger to the cats.
Residential · Custom fixtures
A custom private home designed by Roger Katz and Associates, with interior design by Karolynn Flynn. Moonbeam consulted on the project, oversaw the purchase of all lighting products, and solved the lighting dilemmas in key areas. The entry fixture was a custom piece wired with dimmable fluorescents, its internal body and wiring commissioned by Moonbeam Lighting. Relites had light strips mounted deep in the bays to create a soft glow, and many fixtures throughout the house were customized to fit their spaces.
Residential · Historic renovation
A major renovation of a turn-of-the-century Colonial Revival, completed in two phases over four years. Using traditional and contemporary products, we honored the original architecture while upgrading the entire house, inside and out.
"First, let me tell you — and everyone else — how fantastic the yard looks with the lighting in." — Cheryl Holman
Multi-family · Common areas & private units
In this twelve-story, two-tower condominium, Moonbeam revitalized the club room and improved the hallway lighting on every floor — and the project came in under budget. In one private condo, the problem of an off-center power source over the dining table was solved with three individual square glass fixtures, wired together and staggered to mimic the diagonal entry, filling the room with light to match the condo's clean, contemporary look.
Retail · Energy-code creativity
Scraps started as a concrete shell in a new retail building. The owner didn't want standard fluorescent floods — lots of light, little ambiance. With tight city watts-per-square-foot codes, lighting the display shelves and passing inspection required creativity: large recycled glass domes from the old downtown post office were locally built into central pendants running high-output fluorescent lamps, and a mix of line- and low-voltage track heads on stems delivered the light while meeting code.
"The modern display lighting is tasteful rather than the harsh fluorescent lights in most stores." — NW Source review
Residential · New construction
A new-construction home on a small lot with a very tight lighting budget — which we exceeded only slightly. The house posed unique problems: unusual angles, and a round central double sink set in the middle of the master bath. To light the double-sided mirror correctly, pendants were dropped on either side of both mirrors. The interior was featured as photographer Sam Van Fleet's project of the month.
Restaurant · Queen Anne
An upgrade of the restaurant's lighting to match its interior improvements, working with the existing track system. Additional track brought tall amber pendants directly over the sushi counter, and large drum shades were custom made locally with silks Gwen provided — very cost-effective solutions for a decorative upgrade.
Residential · Art lighting
Moonbeam was brought in after much of the work was complete, but the lighting was inadequate. The client has an extensive art collection and wanted nothing obtrusive — just more light. Using low-voltage light on the art, Gwen designed and commissioned a very slim hanging fixture that blends with the linear wood and metal beams of the architecture, and added small recessed cans to the dark living room with great success. Remodel beautifully orchestrated by Joel Osborn of Schultz/Miller HOME.
Landscape lighting
This house sits at the end of a steep hill that turns into a narrow garage driveway — tricky to navigate at night. Small LED indicator lights distinguish the curb and draw you into the driveway, while path lights soften a very angular property. An uplight on the Japanese maple and a long-throw step star complete the simple but dramatic landscape lighting, with two slim bollards defining the property edges.
"Plantings and nighttime lighting really dress up and appropriately soften this place." — M. Shelton and F. Rynd