Lighting. Seems like every home magazine or designer emphasizes the importance of good lighting. I TOTALLY get that. To read. To entertain. To illuminate. To add a little drama. Makes perfect sense. I'm not talking about a couple of dimmers on the overheads. Good lighting needs a collection of sources, scattered around the room, creating little pockets of interest. They direct our focus, create a little intimacy and introduce some spacial depth.
Now comes the issue - finding easy ways to control to them. Sure, there are some techno-futuristic keypad systems that are right out of the Jetsons. Can we say $$$ to purchase and $$$ to install? I want simple solutions that anyone can use and not have to spend a fortune (or need an electrician or DIY background).
Fact is, most homes are like mine - with few electrical features already built in or hardwired. Some fixtures, like art lights, could use an easier way just to turn on and off. (Right now, with each one, I have to bend down and manually plug them in to baseboard outlets.) Same is true for some table and floor lamps. How many times have you stumbled across the dark room trying to find the light switch or gotten out of bed to shut off the lamp by the door? For other table and floor lamps, there may be the need to have more control with light levels. When reading? They should be a beacon of light. During dinner or a cocktail party? How low can you go? Too much light = too little mood. In my mind, the best party lighting evolves - starting a little lively to get the conversations going, but then lowering to a sexy nightclub noir as the evening progresses.
One initial solution for the light level issue is simply the choice of bulbs. Makes sense. There are 3-way types...Check. And for 2-socket lamps, you can also try one high wattage bulb and one low. This mimics the output of a 2-way bulb with the key difference being the wattage levels are set to your specific needs (e.g. 15W and 75W) - no need to rely on the preset levels of the mass produced combo bulbs...Check again. Well...these work...sort of. Yes, they do add a few more brightness options, but they don't satisfy all situations. What if there are additional light sources? Candles in the room. Fire in fireplace. Changing light from outside. More often than not, you're left to settle with what you have - the lights are just a little too bright or a little too dark. And the biggest pet peeve of all? The announcement when lights are being adjusted. You're enjoying a certain get-together and you decide to enhance the vibe. Click, click. HEY EVERYONE, I AM TURNING THE LIGHTS DOWN! So much for subtlety...
So what gadgets do I swear by? Remote switches and plug-in sliding dimmers found easily online or at Home Depot/Lowes. I first stumbled on the idea of remote switches during the holidays. Seasonally, Home Depot sells a remote key-FOB looking switch for operating Christmas tree lights. No more crawling under the tree to plug them in. Just plug the base unit into the socket and plug the lights into the base. The handheld device sends the on/off signal. Simple. After the tree was down, I realized there were much more broader applications. Soon they were added to my art lights. Wow. No more trips around the room, hunching over, fighting with the prongs and the outlet! The art is now lit (and enjoyed) more often due to the sheer convenience. Who knew? There are similar models sold out of season, but the remote device is different - designed more like a wall switch. (Created I would imagine for those who want to mount it by the door or bedside where a hard-wired version would typically be.) They also come with specified frequency codes so that you can coordinate multiple bases/outlets with the operation of a single switch. Nice.
Sliding dimmers are the other must-have device. Talk about control! I knew they came attached to some types of floor lamps, but I never realized they could be purchased separately or had smaller table versions. Like the remotes, they operate with a device plugged into the wall and your fixture plugged into the device. The floor units have a slider extension that adjusts with your foot. By dragging it up or down, you have total say in the lamp's output. The table unit has a more discreet slider mechanism that's fixed on the end of a cord. It can easily be tucked alongside the lamp or behind any tabletop decor. I love both of them. They make for perfect lighting. Every time.
Now comes the best part - their cost. Retail, most of these remote switches and sliding dimmers fall within a $9-$20 range. Not sure why there is price fluctuation on some of the similar models. Marketing? Better materials/design? Don't know for sure. They have all worked fine for me. Additionally, there's also the potential for cost savings. Dimmers actually lengthen the life of their bulbs when they are used at lower levels. No crazy explanation. Less wear? Longer life! I've seen it.
So take a look at your room. See what lighting you already have and maybe, just maybe, consider what options you may want to add. With the thought of easier and more controllable operations, you might be inspired to change your fixtures around or introduce something new in places that were, shall we say, stuck in the dark.
Till next time...
