bob1029
3 days ago
Lamps are a fantastic way to light an interior space. Recessed ceiling lights do not establish hierarchy in the dimensions that humans are most interested in. Getting the lighting source close to eye level is the key to success.
At some level this turns into an accessibility and comfort issue. People with limited vision can take strong advantage of well placed lights. Highlights and shadows are some of the most fundamental elements of human visual perception. Without them our brain needs to work overtime to analyze a given scene.
sota_pop
2 days ago
As a former lighting designer, we would call this “task lighting” and you are completely correct. Generally speaking, task lighting is MUCH more pleasant that simply relying on overhead lights, recessed or otherwise.
NoLinkToMe
2 days ago
I'd want to add a bit of nuance to that, as bright lights hurt my eyes and induce headaches (sometimes migraines).
For that reason I really like overhead lights as: 1. You can easily fit a larger number of overhead lights (e.g. 6 overhead lights vs 2 eye-level task lights) 2. For equivalent lighting in a room say x lumens, each overhead light must be x/6, whereas the 2 eye-level lights would be x/3 lumens, much brighter. 3. Because the lights are overhead, they're not in my vision, yet light up the objects in my room.
I still have 5 eye-level lamps in my living room, but they supplement the overhead lights which always give a base amount of light, and allow the lamps to be less bright. Every time I turn off the overhead lights I see too little, and if I turn up my lamps to see better, it is too bright for the comfort of my eyes.
It's akin to driving: I like having a sun above me, when it's low in the sky before dusk and shining in my eyes, it sucks, even though objects are less bright and visible than midday, simply because of the positioning of the light vis-a-vis my eyes.
