When Proper Lighting Becomes a Love Language
Paying attention to the quality of light in our environments profoundly impacts our mood, productivity and overall being. This is why lighting is the most important comfort of home.
On my first date with my now husband, I noticed right away that there was just a single bright ceiling light in his kitchen. What does a handsome Irish bachelor know about lighting?
So I made him a light shade out of a brown paper handle bag and heatproof baker's parchment paper. I guess he appreciated my contribution since I never left his side after that – and within six months we had begun renovating the whole house.
As a designer, I am certain, the single, most important and non-negotiable design element is light. Natural light – however and wherever you can get it – and layered, dimmable warm spectrum lighting everywhere else.
Studio IQL was once hired by a young couple who had recently purchased a newly renovated home in Fishtown. We first came to the property late in the afternoon. It was January and just starting to get to dusk. We realized that the only lighting in the whole house was a plethora of large high-hat, recessed-can ceiling lights.
As it got darker it became painfully apparent that all of these ceiling lights were turned to 3300 (or higher) Kelvin light temperature. Sitting on the couch in the living room felt like being in an interrogation cell or at best Walmart. Both of our clients being doctors, they worked in windowless rooms with this lighting for eight to 10 hours a day. At home, it felt "normal."
At a recent writers retreat in the historic Catskills hamlet of Rensselaerville, lightbulbs unexpectedly were the hot topic at breakfast. Many of the writers, including myself, had spent the previous night searching for and replacing the random cold bulbs used in some of the bedside lamps and bathroom sconces with warmer alternatives. We wanted a more peaceful and restful environment for the retreat.
One writer, Tony Stone, who is working on his next screenplay, had spent over an hour trying to figure out how to turn off the fluorescent light outside of his bedroom. (Tony is a longtime friend and writer, director and producer of "Ted K" the Netflix documentary about the Unabomber.) He also shared with the group his discovery of a Philips LED reflector bulb, which resembles an old motorcycle headlamp with a silver refractive dome. It produces a sunny, sparkly light – similar to that of the old halogen bulbs.
I realized I had found my people.
I have been known to travel with both light bulbs and candles. Particularly in Costa Rica, where electricity is very expensive, many charming bungalows by day are quite grim at night when as a guest you realize there is just one dangling fluorescent light bulb to illuminate your romantic getaway.
It certainly could sound very "judgy" to say that I am completely baffled by how some humans do not see or appreciate the difference between warm layered lighting and cold ceiling lighting. There is a popular Instagram post making fun of houses where it takes 15 minutes to turn off all the "layers" of floor, table, accent lamps and dimmed ceiling lights. However, unless you purchased a Lutron home automation system that preprograms all the lighting, the flick of one switch is not going to get you to your happy place.
Paying attention to the quality of light in our environments profoundly impacts our mood, productivity and overall being. This is why lighting is the most important comfort of home.
