By Emma Di Salvo
I have always hated bright lighting. You know when you walk into a supermarket, and the lights are so bright it actually hurts? Yeah, that kind of lighting.
Or when you’re trying to get work done at home, and the only options available are lights so bright it feels like the sun has entered your home and taken up residence in your eyeballs. Or the opposite of complete and utter darkness.
Don’t panic; there is a solution we often don’t take full advantage of—”Mood Lighting”.
Places That Get It Just Right
Our favourite places—spas, bars, cafés, restaurants and libraries—all have something in common; the lighting always seems perfect.
Funnily enough, the clue to this success is in the name: mood lighting. This is light that can influence the feel or “mood” of a room or space. You might not always realise that you are in the presence of it, as it can be subtle, but places where people gather in large numbers often use it to great effect.
The reason they use it is simple; mood lighting is calming, relaxing and promotes feelings of well-being. The more comfortable you are in a place, the longer you’ll stay (and the more money you’ll spend!) If these places make us feel so at peace, doesn’t extending that feeling into our homes make sense?
Photophobia
Not only do most people prefer gentle mood lighting to harsher bright lights, but 40% of the population also have what is known as photophobia. This is a condition where someone has an extreme sensitivity to light. When overexposed, this can lead to headaches, migraines, dry eyes, and just generally feeling yucky.
It has also been shown that bright lights can have damaging effects on our eyes. Scientists are still trying to agree on what it is about bright lights that we hate so much. Still, the general consensus is that “blue light” seems to feel the most uncomfortable to us and does the most damage.
It can affect our retinal cells and even our sight. This is not surprising since blue lighting brightness can go up to 5,000k! What’s scary about this is that we may be totally unaware of the damage we are doing to our own eyes. Examples of the type that can cause damage are Fluorescent light, LED, Computer Monitors, Smartphones and Tablet Screens.
If you have concerns about your eyes’ health, please consult an eye specialist.
Introducing Different Kinds Of Mood Lighting To Your Life
When it comes to experimenting with different colour temperatures and creating specific moods, there are many options. You can also have fun playing with different types of light fixtures to see which one you prefer. Types such as chandeliers, floor lamps and mounted lights are trendy.
But what about different colours? Can they benefit us? And are there any we should avoid?
Red: Be careful with this one unless you want our room to look and feel like the Red-Light District. Red is said to promote feelings of love, but it can also be an angry colour. So perhaps one to avoid?
Orange: Orange is the colour of creativity! It is also said to increase energy levels. I have worked in an office with orange lighting and found it rather pleasant and stimulating.
Blue: Not to be confused with the blue they use for LED, but this is one of my favourite light colours. I wouldn’t use this colour to get work done as it is very peaceful, and falling asleep is a definite possibility! A good one for your bedroom, maybe?
Purple: This is another of my favourite light colours to relax with. If I’m feeling particularly stressed, I go into my office, set my lamp to dark purple, and just collapse into my chair. Relief and relaxation are soon mine!
Yellow: I find dark yellow helps me to relax, but not so much that I fall asleep. I usually use dark yellow to write or read a good book!
Warm: While not a colour exactly, it is my personal favourite. Warm lighting doesn’t light up the entire room or provide practical light. It provides gentle lighting to specific areas of your house/space. Unlike ambient lighting, otherwise known as general lighting, warm lighting is much gentler on our eyes (less than 3,000k) and provides a much more comfortable experience overall.
There you have it; lighting can not only change the mood or feel of a space, it can actually benefit us both physically and mentally. While lighting might not be something we think much about in our day-to-day lives, it is an important consideration. I mean, if something as simple as playing with some mood lighting can benefit us, why not try it? Perhaps, just maybe, stay away from red!