With the days at their shortest of the year, winter offers the unique opportunity to dive deep into lighting design. Lighting affects our productivity and mental health, and its importance in our day-to-day is often something we take for granted. As we attempt to light our way through the darkest days of the year, we’ve asked home design experts this season about best practices and preferences when it comes to bulbs, fixtures, and placement of lighting sources throughout the house.
“There’s nothing more warming than the atmosphere created by the soft flicker of firelight on a chilly night,” says Chad Graci, owner/designer at Graci Interiors. “I always have lamp light and candlelight in the evenings.”
According to Designer Nomita Joshi, lighting is key to any room and highlights or diminishes an experience – it creates the mood, the feeling. On dark days, Joshi uses side lamps or floor lamps to amp up a cozy, cocoon feel.
“Layered lighting is critical for the ambience and function of a space,” says Penny Francis, principal designer and owner of Eclectic Home. “Table lighting, floor lamps, art lighting, task lighting, and ceiling lighting are all necessary to consider when deciding on your lighting choices.” According to Francis, a main fixture may be too much light for a dreary day, when lamp lighting and spot lighting are more appropriate.
Lighting technology has changed drastically over recent years, leaving many overwhelmed homeowners scratching their heads in the bulb aisle of the hardware store. To get a grasp on your options, Francis recommends first understanding the color temperature, which is indicated by its Kelvin (K) rating.
“A quick rule to remember is that the higher the Kelvin the whiter the light,” she says. “Household fixtures are commonly found in color temperatures of 2700K (warm), 3000K (warm white) and 3500K (fluorescent).”
While Graci prefers incandescent lights, he acknowledges they are harder to come by. He tends to buy bulbs on the warmer side and stresses the need for adding dimmers to control ambience.
Joshi agrees and says that overhead lights should always be dimmable LEDs at a warm setting. Be forewarned though, not all bulbs are dimmable – check before you buy.
“I am a big ‘color’ person,” says Nicole Ruppel Jones, kitchen and bath designer at Legend Interiors. “In order to see color in its most pure form, I like to use 3000K LED bulbs in my overhead can lighting. Then, I begin layering my lights.” Depending on the particular design and space of a project, she may opt to set lamps at a warmer 2700K. Jones echoes that dimmers are a must for setting the mood throughout thew day: “As our eyes adjust, so should your lights.”
When it comes to lamps, Joshi uses anywhere from a 20- to 40-watt bulb in warm for decorative lamps (as they are meant to glow) and 60-watt or halogen bulbs for task lighting.
“Natural light is the calmest and most desirable of all lighting,” she says. “But during nightfall every room is dark. One should consider placement of furniture and lighting based on daytime natural light – for example, place your desk near a natural light source to alleviate work stress, and use task or indirect lighting for detailed work.”
While your natural lighting may change with the seasons, Francis recommends maintaining the color temperature in a room year-round. Changing bulbs by season could be expensive since only LED bulbs are available and can last for some brands up to 20 years.
For a home’s exterior, Jones emphasizes working with the mood, not against it. She likes to stay in the 2700K range.
“After dark, the last thing you want is harsh/abrupt contrast lighting, so using 4000-5000K in an exterior application is not the way to go,” she says.
Francis also cautions against very white temperatures outside and says to test your bulbs to see how it looks with your façade finishes. White temperature bulbs used on white homes can make the house look blue at night.
As with indoors, ambience outside is key. Our experts recommend layering outdoor lighting and using appropriate light sources for your walkways, gathering spaces, and architecture. Holiday/seasonal lighting, romantic gas lanterns, firepits, and low landscape lighting aimed at columns or trees can all help set a cozy mood on a mild winter night.
