My daughter asked what I was working on and I replied, “I’m going to write about lighting.”
“Well, duh,” she said, “we need light so we can see.”
I had to laugh. It’s true that lighting is an element that provides a basic function in every home, creating enough light to see, but there is a little more to it.
Lighting can also be used to set a mood or to make a room feel cozier. Bright light can make a space appear larger and give it an airy feel. There is also task lighting, like the light that sits next to my desk and illuminates the area when I don’t want to use the overhead light. In fact, sometimes, I use both, depending on what I’m doing.
Aside from functionality, lighting has also moved into the realm of style. Lamps, shades, and fixtures, have all become decorator elements that act as accessories. Some spaces have lamps that are strictly for show that are rarely if ever used for function.
The type of light bulb used is also important, as there are several different varieties for different uses. You can use soft light, bright light, low wattage bulbs to save power, and you can find bulbs that help diminish glare on TV screens and computer monitors. You can find yellow bulbs designed to repel instead of attracting insects. There are also lots of other colored light bulbs that you can use to cast a soft glow or create a special look.
So, besides simply giving us the ability to see, lighting gives us many options to see better, and to have something to look at. Some other articles on lighting that may be of interest are “Lighting The Way For Guests” and another on how to incorporate unique ideas for lamp shades into your home décor. You might also like, “Reclaiming Unused Spaces: Lighting,” or “This is a Stick Up!”