An Introduction to Mood Lighting
These days, the effect of lighting on mood is an increasingly popular topic of research. Light is powerful! As anyone who’s ever worked long hours in a dim office can tell you, not getting enough light can lead to vision problems, depressed feelings, and getting “out of sync” with the natural rhythms of waking and sleeping.
“Mood lighting” is the art of using light to create the proper ambiance in a particular room. Because light is so powerful, we can use mood lighting to help guests feel more welcome, help dates feel more romantic, and help ourselves feel more relaxed.
Here are some basic mood lighting tips you can use in your home.
Getting the Party Started
When entertaining friends, you’ll want to strike a careful balance with your lighting techniques. As you probably know, bright light inspires activity and alertness – both of which make for a lively party – but at the same time, it’s difficult to feel at ease in harsh lighting.
That’s why when lighting for a party, you should use bright light fixtures, but illuminate walls, works of art, and other points of interest instead of the general space. This way, your guests will benefit from the energizing effects of bright light without feeling like they’re about to be interrogated. Furthermore, lighting interesting objects causes people to focus on them and could help with conversation.
On An Evening of Romance
Whether it’s a first date or a night with a partner of decades, mood lighting can help stir feelings of warmth and ease. Harsh, bright lighting is definitely a no-no here; instead, you’ll want to use dimmers to lower overall lighting levels, perhaps with a few accent lights here and there. Soft lighting will not only create a more relaxed ambiance, it’s also more flattering.
Daring daters should try out some colored bulbs, but don’t go for anything too extreme. Gentle reds and oranges are best for stirring up romance, but too much red and orange could just make things weird.
Just Inside the Door
Special care should be taken when lighting your foyer, or any area just beyond your front door. During the day, you should ensure that this area isn’t too dim, or your guests will spend an extended time having to adjust their eyes from the outdoors. At night, a foyer that’s too brightly lit will cause the same unwanted effect. Using a dimmer or another light fixture whose brightness is adjustable is a solution.
Furthermore, use your lighting to guide guests into your home. If you want them to take a particular path to the living room, ensure that this path is well lit so they’ll be naturally drawn to it.
Before Snoozing and During Nighttime Interruptions
It’s probably a no-brainer that you should dim the lights before bed to help yourself become sleepy. But you should also ensure that your bathroom and kitchen lights have dim options. That way, when you’re stumbling through the house for your midnight snack or bathroom break, bright light won’t wake you up so much that you can’t fall back asleep afterwards.
Wes Carver Lights the Way
If you’re interested in taking greater control of your home’s lighting, partner with Wes Carver for a complete overhaul. We offer interior lighting design as well as lighting controls from popular brands like Lutron, whose products allow you to control your home’s lighting using smart devices (like your phone or iPad)!
Contact Wes Carver to talk more about the power of light! For your indoor and outdoor spaces, we’re the electricians you need.