Sadly, it’s no longer enough for hotels to have hip boutiques and ultralounges—and, even worse, we may be at the point where fancy-pants homeowners need more than Viking ranges and granite countertops to impress their neighbors. The new news, then, is light, one of the fastest growing sectors in the world of design and home furnishings.

On Friday, New York lighting designer Brian Orter will give a talk at the Las Vegas Design Center called “Waking up Architecture.” He’ll discuss the role lighting design plays in helping spaces—everywhere from nightclubs to, perhaps, your own home—tell a story. –T.R. Witcher