Lighting our life

3Bd “Designer” Home for $285,000 in Omaha, NE // 5022 Decatur St

Peter slowly opened the door of a dimly lit room as the smell of burning birch logs wafted through the air. Shadows danced across the wall. He noticed his tightened lungs and slowly released his breath. As his eyes adjusted to the light, they locked onto the silhouette of a man standing in the corner…

Light constantly influences our lives: from experiencing the coldness of the harsh, overhead fluorescent lights lingering above cubicles, enjoying a candle-lit dinner stretching long into the night with friends, or feeling nervous for a character entering a dark room.

This week we want to explore questions surrounding the illumination of our homes.

Tracing the history of architectural lighting design is an interesting road, and the dates can certainly be debated; nevertheless, here’s a brief overview:

[Sunlight] : The history of “windows” is a bit hard to nail down given how to define a window. Does the entrance of the cave count?

[Fire] : Thanks Prometheus…

[Torches] : Considered the first “fabricated” light.

[~20,000–4500 BC] : The first oil lamps appear; their fuel source evolves from oil to methane, ethylene, and kerosene.

[3,000 BC] : Egyptians use candles, but Ancient Romans are attributed with creating the first waxed candle. Early Chinese, Japanese, and Indian variations also exist.

[1785] : Jan Pieter Minckelers invents the gas lamp

[1800s] : The electric lamp appears, followed by the lightbulb.

[1879] : Thomas Edison does his thing.

[1962] : Nick Holonyak invents LEDs.

…and it doesn’t take much research to uncover the pervasive view of lighting’s essential role in our home design today.

Theo Richardson, of Brooklyn-based design studio, Rich Brilliant Willing, says, “ Light is a powerful thing. The right light lifts the mood, inspires productivity and motivates us. At home, light enlivens the little things — our morning routines, or the moments we spend with friends.”

Consistent with Theo’s ideas, the role of lighting seems to consist of 3 components: aesthetics (beautiful and can greatly affect my psyche!), ergonomics (what task does it help me perform?), and let’s add energy efficiency (thinking about our great, great grandchildren here).

How often do we spend time designing lighting for our homes in ways that combine all three of these components?

What home functions do you typically think of as especially affected by lighting?

And I wonder, is there an objectively “right” lighting for our homes? Or is it more a matter of personal preference within specific situations rather than a concrete formula? Also, how do the nuances in different people’s eyesight affect these questions?

Theo Richardson seems to be on to something important though — we need to thoughtfully design our home’s lighting as it shapes our daily lives, whether positively or adversely.

This week, we enjoyed exploring a lively home in Omaha, Nebraska, owned by “one of Omaha’s best interior designers.”

Given the various layers of lighting, such as recessed, task, corner lamps, bookcase spotlights, et. al., do you think the lighting design helps the house offer a place to emotionally and productively thrive?

Further Musings:

Thinking about lighting this week allowed me to reminisce a bit about one of our previous apartments. My favorite features of the space was the natural lighting we received through windows facing south and west.

These were the areas we possessed the least control over, but affected us the most. Mornings gifted our office studio with brightness, afternoons began to illuminate the west-facing living room, revealing curious shapes on the walls. Golden hour brought a rich warmth across our entire home which gloriously faded into peaceful sunsets dipping below the balcony.

But isn’t it interesting though that before you move into a home, you don’t truly experience its natural lighting until you begin your daily life there?

Another aspect of lighting began crossing our minds this week as well. Perhaps the cyclical nature of natural light in our homes as well as the finitude of sources such as candles and fires help us better grasp ourselves within the consumptive aspect of time.

These forms of light mark the passing of time. Through the cycle of daylight or the burning of fuel, they can offer us a framework for the resources needed to “power” our lives.

On the other hand, “artificial” light can fool our sense of time and consumption, continually running, powered by the invisible, perpetual grid, and marked only by the rare replacement of an LED bulb.

Although incredibly useful, I wonder how the loss of our concept of the passing of time could affect our lives and connection to the wider world.

Photos courtesy of PJ Morgan Real Estate

Originally published at https://buttondown.email.