Essential Tips For Lighting Your Home During Dark And Gloomy Winter Days

As the days get shorter and darkness settles in earlier and earlier, many people know the winter blues aren't far away. For some, dark winter days are more than just an inconvenience, as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) sets in for most people as the seasons change from fall to winter. Light, or lack thereof, can impact your circadian rhythm and mood, making choosing the perfect lighting potentially important for your mental health.

The bad news is there is not much we can do about shorter days. The good news is with the help of some strategic lighting, combining the right floor, table, and wall lamps with overhead lighting to brighten up your space and your mood, you may be able to beat the winter blues. In fact, throughout history, people have found ways to light the long winter nights, celebrating winter solstice-related holidays, like Yule, by burning logs and later candles.

Scandinavians, who cope with especially short or even non-existent daylight hours, have embraced the dark, gloomy season and turned it on its head with hygge. Creating the cozy atmosphere that embodies hygge decor includes using candlelight to create the warm glow we so desperately need during the darkest days of winter. The flicker of candlelight may work for some, but others might need more lighting to make the best of dark winters.

Start by auditing your current lighting, and look for dark corners and places where you might need to increase task lighting after the sun goes down. The lighting you use in the spaces where you want to be productive and focused will vary greatly from the areas where you want to wind down and relax. So, take the time to understand how you use the different spaces in your home. 

Once you know where to increase the lighting in your house, consider what kinds of bulbs are appropriate for each space. Blue light helps boost attention and mood during the day but can disrupt sleep patterns at night. So, these bulbs might work well in the office or other spaces where you need task lighting, but you will want to avoid them in the bedroom. In rooms where you want a cozy vibe, choose lamps and bulbs that add a warm glow to the space.

Rooms serving multiple purposes may be good contenders for LED bulbs capable of changing the type of light they give off based on your needs. These might be useful in a kitchen where you want to be focused while cooking dinner but also to wind down while enjoying hot cocoa before bed, and space is limited to add lamps for a layered effect. Additionally, changing lamp shades and adding dimmer switches can help you change the quality of light without the need for more lamps or bulbs.