How lighting creates atmosphere at home

The question is not whether light creates atmosphere. Everyone knows that. The question is how. There are three mechanisms behind it, and once you know them you can use them deliberately.

Height: low light feels intimate

Light that hangs or stands low makes a room feel smaller. A lamp above a table at 75 centimetres turns that table into an island; the same lamp at two metres makes it just a spot in a room.

That is why a floor lamp next to the sofa works better for the evening than a ceiling light that lights everything evenly.

Number: several weak sources beat one strong one

Four lamps of 400 lumens each feel completely different from one lamp of 1,600 lumens, even though it is the same amount of light. Several points give shadow, depth and direction; one point makes a room flat.

That is the essence of why one lamp in the living room is not enough.

Colour: warm light calms

Warm light of 2700 kelvin resembles sunset and evening light. Your body responds to it: it slows alertness and prepares for rest. Cool light does the opposite, which is pleasant in a study but not in a bedroom.

More in which light colour for which room.

The fourth factor: dimming

With a dimmer you get all of the above effects in one fitting. Full light for tidying up, twenty percent for sitting down. Without a dimmer you need several lamps per room to achieve the same.

What breaks atmosphere

Different colour temperatures mixed together, light that shines straight into your face, and one bright ceiling light as the only source. Those three explain almost every room that does not feel right without anyone knowing why.

Would you rather see the difference than read about it? Our showroom in Arnhem is full of lit lamps.

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