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Friday Favorite: Lamps

October 5th, 2012

Mr Chiots and I were talking the other day about how much we love lamp light. We don’t use a lot of overhead lighting in the house because we prefer less direct lighting. We also don’t like a lot of bright light in the evenings.


There’s nothing more cozy that sitting by the warm glow of a lamp in the evening reading a good book (with a cup of tea of course). Around here it has to be an incandescent bulb, no CFL or LED bulbs allowed. As a highly sensitive person, these kinds of lights really bother my vision, give me migraines and cause sleep disruption. I can’t even be on my laptop within an hour of bedtime or I have trouble getting to sleep.

I think that’s one of the things I love about Christmas so much, the warm glow of the lights on the tree and outside.

My #1 favorite light source is the sun, as it’s natural and free, but it doesn’t stick around super late in the evenings, especially in the winter. It’s rather difficult to read by the light of the moon most nights, so lights are needed. Now that we have a larger house, I’m in need of a few more lamps. I guess I’ll have to start looking around for some sconces and lights.

Do you have a favorite type of lighting?

18 Comments to “Friday Favorite: Lamps”
  1. Kathi Cook on October 5, 2012 at 6:41 am

    Natural light is my favorite also. We prefer CFLs just because they last for a very long time.For Christmas lights, we changed to LEDS since we can hardly notice a difference in our electric usage when we use them. What about adding some skylights in your new house to maximize natural light during the day? My favorite lamps we put in were wall sconces over our bed from pottery barn. The light is perfect for reading in bed. We have an old house so all our lighting is pretty much from lamps.

    Reply to Kathi Cook's comment

  2. Adelina Anderson on October 5, 2012 at 7:07 am

    CFL and LEDS have changed a bit with the color of light. Not nearly as bright and harsh as they use to be. The only incandesant bulbs we have only go into my stained glass lamps. Those are my favorite because…well, because I made them.

    Reply to Adelina Anderson's comment

  3. jennifer fisk on October 5, 2012 at 7:31 am

    The Christmas tree is so enjoyable when the sun rises around 7 and sets around 3 unless it is a stormy day and then darkness comes much earlier. I turn it on when I get up and again by 3. Nothing like winter in Maine to make you crave bright light.
    For lamps, check out Reny’s when you go to Belfast. You just never know what you might find there.

    Reply to jennifer fisk's comment

  4. Songbirdtiff on October 5, 2012 at 8:01 am

    I only use overhead lights if I’m cleaning and need to be able to see the dirt in the corners. :) I do not use fluorescent lights in the house at all, all our lamps have the old style incandescent. Like you, I’m sensitive to florescent. If I’m going to be in a room with those big, long bulbs for an extended time (like for a class) I have to plan on wearing a hat with a bill. That usually keeps me from getting a headache.

    Reply to Songbirdtiff's comment

  5. kristin @ going country on October 5, 2012 at 8:02 am

    Dim. Sadly, I am married to a man who loves bright lights at all times–probably because he grew up in one of the cloudiest and darkest regions of the United States–and will come into a room and turn on every light imaginable. Ouch.

    Reply to kristin @ going country's comment

  6. Jaye on October 5, 2012 at 9:29 am

    Lamp light! I find overhead lighting (even in stores) offensive to my senses. And I love the cozy atmosphere lamps create :)

    Reply to Jaye's comment

  7. Louise on October 5, 2012 at 9:40 am

    Only incandescent bulbs allowed here too. Stock up on them the gov. is looking to outlaw the bulbs in the near future. We stocked up for a lifetime.

    Reply to Louise's comment

    • KimH on October 6, 2012 at 10:03 am

      haha.. I stocked up about a year or two ago when I could get them free from Rite Aid after my first purchase. I probably got a lifetimes worth too..

      Reply to KimH's comment

  8. Laura Hesslau on October 5, 2012 at 10:09 am

    Hello,
    I love your blog! You mentioned in this post that you were a highly sensitive person, and I wondered if you could share more about that. I too, am highly sensitive. Light and noise bothers me. What struck me to be so curious about this is that I am so drawn to the sense of calmness I feel when reading your blog. The way you are living your life is exactly how I feel in mine. You seem to move through life with much thought and refelection, and I look forward to reading your posts every day!

    Reply to Laura Hesslau's comment

    • Susy on October 5, 2012 at 6:55 pm

      Take this test to find out. Essentially, it’s people who are more sensitive to their environments, taste, smell, emotions, etc. Because of this it’s easy to get overwhelmed. Not all HSP are introverts, but many are.

      This book is the go-to book for HSP reading:

      So glad you feel a sense of calm coming through. As an introvert and HSP, it’s important for me to cultivate that in my life or I get really overwhelmed.

      Reply to Susy's comment

      • Michelle Marie on October 6, 2012 at 8:27 pm

        Wow, I only had a couple of boxes unchecked on that quiz… I think I need to take a look at that book, as it could explain quite a bit. All these years I figured I just needed to make more effort to accept the surroundings I am in. It’s nice to feel less odd, thank you.

        to Michelle Marie's comment

      • Susy on October 7, 2012 at 6:47 am

        Same here, only a few boxes that aren’t checked. Learning this about yourself will help you more effectively deal with your surroundings and manage it. I’d also highly recommend reading, not all HSP’s are introverts, but many are. This book will most likely also help:

        to Susy's comment

  9. Jennifer on October 5, 2012 at 10:19 am

    I love lamplight too. I have notived your beautiful lamps in other pictures you’ve posted, love the Tiffany/mission style. Where did you get them, they are very hard to find

    Reply to Jennifer's comment

    • Susy on October 5, 2012 at 6:58 pm

      I bought these lamps a LONG time ago at Target of all places. They were a special series by Robert Abbey. If I could find more I’d buy them. They are well made and really lovely, sadly they are difficult to find!

      Reply to Susy's comment

  10. Rhonda on October 5, 2012 at 12:04 pm

    I have that same little stained glass reading lamp. :-) I think I’ve had it about 15 years. :-)

    Reply to Rhonda's comment

  11. Marcia on October 5, 2012 at 3:16 pm

    I like bright lighting while doing precise work like cooking or playing board games but enjoy relaxing in softer light. I used to have a strand of mini christmas lights that I kept in my bedroom for when I was stressed. I`d hit the lights, plug those in and I would wind right down. Maybe it’s because it reminded me of sitting under the Christmas tree as a kid. Lighting can really affect us physically. When I lived in Yellowknife, my roomate had to buy a sunlamp because she was experiencing light depression during the long and dark winter months.

    Reply to Marcia's comment

  12. KimH on October 6, 2012 at 9:54 am

    I love having lots of sunlight in my home, but in the evenings, its lamplight for us as well. I dont llike to sit in the dark in my computer room at night so the overhead light is usually on and if Im working in the kitchen, the more light, the better. I do enjoy reading by lamplight in my bedroom before I go to sleep. Im the same as you Suzy.. I cant be on the computer for a while before I go to sleep.. seriously messes with my ability to sleep.

    M’honey just bought me a lovely salt lamp for my birthday that I’ve been wanting for ages.
    http://www.amazon.com/WBM-1301B-Natural-Himalayan-Basket/dp/B0025VO3DW/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1349531405&sr=8-2&keywords=salt+lamps+himalayan

    They’re beautiful and soothing..and even better than that, they supposedly put off negative ions which reduce stress and increase energy. Do they really? I dont know but Im a believer that they do induce relaxation and my (highly sensitive) energy is always more balanced when I have one of these around to enjoy.. Its immediate.
    They’ve come down in price since the last time I priced them so I plan to buy a couple more of the solid ones. I’d love to have one in each living /sleeping area.

    Reply to KimH's comment

    • Susy on October 6, 2012 at 10:45 am

      My in-laws have a salt lamp, I’ll have to look into those.

      Reply to Susy's comment

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This is a daily journal of my efforts to cultivate a more simple life, through local eating, gardening and so many other things. We used to live in a small suburban neighborhood Ohio but moved to 153 acres in Liberty, Maine in 2012.

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