A brighter autumn
Making the most of lighting in your home can keep moods lifted
Sunset is arriving noticeably earlier, meaning less mood-lifting daylight for everyone. The weather is turning cooler, sowe’ll soon spend even more time cooped up inside the homes wherewe’ve huddled, and sometimes completely quarantined, for six months.
Many of us areworking and studying at home by day, then trying to shift into relaxation mode in the very same rooms at night. Andwe’re doing all of this while battling the many stresses that 2020 keeps on delivering.
If ever therewas an autumn when things could be a bit brighter, this is it.
So while better light bulbs or a repositioned lampwon’t solve everything, it’s a great year to reassess theway your home is lit — and possibly make some changes.
Differentiate night fromday
It’s hard to step away from work or school when you’re living in yourworkspace. Oneway to shift the mood and tell your body and brain that it’s time to relax is to change the lighting when day
becomes night.
By day, use light bulbs that mimic daylight (about 5000 Kelvin). Virginia-based architect Warren Ralston says this is usually the lightingwe see in offices, because its cool white hue offers plenty of energizing brightness.
Smart LED bulbs can be set to this brightness in the morning and kept there all day.
“Another great thing about 5000Kdaylight LED is howwell itworks for video conferencing,” says Atlanta-based interior designer Brian Patrick Flynn. “Anytime I’mworking fromhome, I turn on the overhead LEDs and it eliminates yellowy shadows from the videos.”
When yourworkday is over, switch to lamps and fixtures fitted with traditionalwarm bulbs or set your smart bulbs to a lower intensity (about 30003500K, or as lowas 2500 for verywarm light).
Many types of smart light bulbs can be adjusted easily with a remote control or through an app, Flynn says. “This is hugely helpful for creating ambience andwarmth versus using pure daylight forwork purposes.”
You can also set your lights on timers, so your preferred evening lighting comes on automatically.
Light your things, not your rooms
Brightening up your home may be about repositioning the lights you already have, rather than adding more.
“Light has to reflect off of something in order for your eyes to perceive that light,” Ralston explains. “So you don’t really light a space. You light a surface. You’re lighting awall or a floor or an object.”
Try positioning lamps or overhead lights so the light bounces off items youwant to highlight, or off surfaces like a glossy tabletop or lustrous fabric.
Consider rearranging furniture and art to make better use of the light coming fromceiling fixtures and sconces.
Ralston sometimes uses virtual reality technology to showclients what a room will look like at different times of day, and how lighting optionswould look paired with different furnishings. He says they’re often surprised at howdifferent the light looks depending on what surfaces surround it.
Warm your space with firelight
In the fall, lighting a few logs in a traditional fireplace is a great
way to shift the mood in your home. And if you don’t have a fireplace, you can still enjoy that samewarmth and flickering light, says designer and sculptor Elena Colombo, who creates fire features that range fromelaborate outdoor installations to delicate tabletop fire bowls.
A small fire bowl can be used on a coffee table or as a centerpiece on a dining-room table to create awarm, welcoming, flickering light that’s a step beyond what candles offer, Colombo says. Many fire bowls burn an alcohol-based gel that requires no ventilation.
“As soon as your eye sees the flame,” she says, “it just changes your mood.”
When choosing your source of indoor firelight, just be sure to followany fire safety restrictions where you live.
And when night falls, Colombo suggests switching on a few low-wattage lights near the door to your deck or patio. Just having a view of yourwarmly lit outdoor space can keep you from feeling penned in on a dark autumn night. It will make your home feel more expansive, and maybe even inspire you to grab a sweater and sit out under the stars.