Lighting and Your Emotions (Part One)

Do you feel unhappy in your home and you don't know why? Maybe you need to let the light shine! Add new light to your rooms for an instant uplift.

Lighting affects you more than any other design detail in your home. Your choice of lighting fixtures, light bulbs, and color of light makes a difference in your emotional and physical comfort. Lighting is both an art and a science.

Correct use of lighting benefits you in many ways. Besides allowing you to see, lighting sets the emotional atmosphere. You spend most of your day in activity. You need good lighting for these activities, to see clearly, to prevent fatigue, and to support your happiness.

Lighting helps change a room for different uses more easily than any other design detail. We can light a room for the occasion or the activity of the moment. The change and variation provided by lighting enhances the rhythms of our daily lives.

From flickering candles and twinkling party lights to advanced micro-lighting systems, lighting gives us either a comfortable or a miserable emotional atmosphere. Understanding the effects of different lighting helps you select the exact fixture and light source to create the desired emotional setting.

EIGHT PHYSIOLOGICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL RESPONSES TO LIGHT

1. Poor lighting causes eye fatigue and headaches.

2. Absence of natural daylight triggers depression and poor immune defenses.

3. Bright light stimulates us, while low levels of illumination quiet our senses.

4. Dim lighting or harsh contrasts produce eyestrain.

5. Too much artificial light and overly-bright rooms hurt our eyes and make us feel jittery.

6. Insufficient lighting is linked to emotional stress and to physical ailments.

7. An excess of unnatural light does not replace the calming effects of natural daylight.

8. Uncovered light bulbs cause irritation and disturb tranquility.

Notice how too much artificial lighting or too little supplementary light bring about the same harmful side-effects. Choose your lighting design carefully to assure emotional and physical comfort. Look for types of light fixtures with covered light bulbs. Use daylight-like light bulbs in combination with colored light to set the mood.

Consider another fact: people feel more comfortable with lighting from many sources. Combinations of lighting add variety and vivacity to our lives. Contrasting mixtures of brightness and darkness cause dramatic and lively changes in our home ambiance. Uniform lighting is good for working, but it is boring. Blending light sources halts insipid monotony in our rooms and in our lives. Selecting from a gentle radiance, a warm glow, to a bright, intense light involves understanding the effects of lighting on our emotions.

For these reasons, take care when selecting your lighting. Choose varying lighting effects to bring about your changing harmonious space.

(c) Copyright 2004, Jeanette J. Fisher. All rights reserved.

Professor Jeanette Fisher, author of Doghouse to Dollhouse for Dollars, Joy to the Home, and other books teaches Real Estate Investing and Design Psychology. For more articles, tips, reports, newsletters, and sales flyer template, see http://www.doghousetodollhouse fordollars.com/pages/5/index.htm



Key Bathroom Remodeling Ideas

One of the simplest ways to start planning your bathroom... Read More

Do-it-Yourself Roofing, Is It Advisable? Some Tips and Guidelines

Many do-it-yourselfers pride themselves in their handiwork, you can just... Read More

Repairing a Hole in a Sheetrocked Wall

It is quite simple to repair a hole in a... Read More

How To Choose The Canvas For Your Awning

The main factor for the canvas for your awning, it's... Read More

5 Easy Steps to Protect Your Hardwood Floor From Disaster

Common knowledge states that hardwood floors are a great investment... Read More

Planning Permission Tips UK - Illegal Building Works - Is there an Upside?

Many times throughout the year we are called in to... Read More

Building Permits and Inspections

Probably the most intimidating part of building your own house... Read More

Are You In or Out of Balance?

CLUTTER: When clutter starts to accumulate in an environment, imbalance... Read More

Small Kitchen Remodeling Ideas

Any remodeling idea for a small kitchen must address the... Read More

Buying House Plans Online

The Benefits of Self BuildingInvesting in property had always been... Read More

Deck Decorating

On my blog, I once wrote about life on the... Read More

Picnic Tables for Casual Dining Fun

Picnic tables are the perfect solution for an afternoon or... Read More

?5 Fast Ideas to Freshen the Look of your Room

"Company's coming and my place doesn't look right?"You know how... Read More

Is It Time For Solar Energy to Get Hot?

Solar energy has been around for quite a while and... Read More

Imported Tools vs. Brand Name - Are They As Good?

So you are looking for hand or power tools on... Read More

Five Ways to Create a Healthy Home

Have you ever thought of your home as being healthy... Read More

The Techno-Witch and Magickal Appliances

My favourite episode of Bugs Bunny is the one where... Read More

Tearing Down the House

Last year, we bought this big ol' 1887 house. We... Read More

A Carefully Planned Outdoor Kitchen is Worth the Investment

Do you have any idea how popular outdoor kitchens are... Read More

How To Artify Your Home

Would you like to make your house feel more like... Read More

How To Give Your Home More Space

Have you been wondering how to free up space in... Read More

Interior Design Simply Means Personalizing Your Interior Environment

Interior Design today is all about customizing your built environment... Read More

Consumer Guides: Finding A Quality Contractor and Power Washing Tips

Power washing is the application of high pressure water spray.... Read More

Beautiful, Elegant Bathtubs that Spruce Up any Bathroom

Bathtubs have become an important necessity of our daily life... Read More

Electric Radiant Floor Heating

Electric radiant floor heating systems are heating systems designed for... Read More

If you'd like to keep up-to-date,
please complete the form below and we'll put you on the mailing list
to receive our twice-yearly newsletter for supporters

* Your email address:
* choes your language: