You’ve probably already figured out how to get good light on the tasks you do at home. A bright light for bike repairs, for instance, or a way to minimize glare on your monitor. But what type of lighting is best for dinner with friends, a holiday party, or even a date?
Two considerations: warmth and location
Color temperature: We wrote another blog post about some of the technical aspects of lighting, but the thing to know here is that a warm color temperature is the way to go when you’re trying to create an intimate mood. The lower the Correlated Color Temperature (CCT), the warmer the light will be, just like fire at lower temps appears orange and yellow, but turns blue as it gets hotter. You want to look for a lightbulb that has a CCT of 2700-3500K.
Location, location, location: A sense of intimacy happens when lighting creates a pool that isolates an area of the home. We are drawn into these pools of light, and our focus narrows as peripheral activity is shadowed. Think about keeping lights off (or low) in connecting areas, and using table, floor, or pendant lamps (not ceiling lights), to draw people into conversation areas for a party. An intimate dinner for two? Bring down all the lights except those on or over the table.
Candles and string lights aren’t usually enough on their own, but are very effective at creating a festive or romantic mood in combination with other lighting. We suggest starting with all the lights off and adding only those that are needed.
So, invite someone over and enjoy your evening! We hope this post has helped make your home happy.
Engineering + Design
DesignFix is a Silicon Valley home design + functionality partnership that combines design and engineering expertise to quickly maximize the beauty and usefulness of your home.