All Aglow

Like most of the world right now, I work from home.  Which means I have happily given up sitting under lights that are much too bright.  And luckily for me, I have a south-facing exposure, which gives me access to daylight during most of my working hours. Some interesting things have developed regarding my use of lighting, from this switch to remote work life. Sunglasses are no longer a part of my office attire.  I can see just fine without any overhead lighting.  The sunlight that streams through my windows is mostly soft, warm, gentle (almost always), and healing.  And I only use task-oriented lighting (at 2700k) after the sun goes down, and in the winter, that is around 5 pm.

These are the reasons I only use warm lighting.

• It is relaxing for the eyes.  I spend all day working on a computer. The last thing I need when I finish working will be a harsh light.  Warm glow lighting helps me to de-stress and lessen eye strain.
• If I happen to need help reading small print in a dimly lit room (such as a recipe), I will use the torch function on my phone. There are ways around every little problem that occurs.
• Next to candlelight, we humans look best in warm lighting.  The warm colour lessens skin imperfections, and most of us don’t want or need harsh light calling attention to the fact we have dark circles or wrinkles.  Cooler colour temperatures refuse to let us age gracefully. We work hard; we deserve to stay youthful-looking for as long as possible.
• I want my living environment to be cozy. We should all want this. We have to spend a great deal of time in our residences these days, and warm colour temperatures can help us feel safe, secure, and sheltered. Lighting is a great way to help us feel comfortable.

I am not suggesting that we should use the 2700-3000K colour temperatures for every application. There are times when lighting needs to be cooler to keep us alert. Schools are a good example of this. Same with workshops and professional kitchens. Basically, anywhere tools and knives are used.  Or if you live in a part of the world where you get very minimal amounts of daylight each day, go crazy with your cool white or daylight colour temperature lighting. And enjoy those benefits.

For me, I will continue to bask in the glow of the LED imitation of the 60W incandescent lightbulb.