alternative lighting

Today I'd like to discuss alternative lighting. I will share a few examples of how specific light sources create a mood that can alter (hence the alternative) what would have been a neutral scenario. In the photography world, the closest anyone can come to a neutral light source is that projected by the sun on a cloudy day. The clouds act as an atmospheric diffuser. I'm not talking about cartoony Super Mario Bros. clouds, but ethereal blanket of almost-precipitation.

This produces an even glow of low-contrast, low-shadow illumination. It's almost dull.

Now that we've defined neutral light, let's continue.

In offices, the lights are bright and redundant-- usually florescent fixtures of patchwork among the plaster ceiling tiles. This is intended to keep an alert, undramatic, atmosphere in order to create highly efficient employees out of the plebes working in it.

In diners and restaraunts, it varies greatly. The idea is always to make the floor as invisible as possible, distracting you from the mess left by crummy eaters. The tables are lit with muted fixtures and almost always, lights pointed at the walls are the only things revealing the room's dimensions.

In bars, the light almost always hang from the ceiling, are low-wattage, and offer only puddles and pools of light. In any case, the less light, the better. The bar is always the best-lit area, next to the stage. All that is offered otherwise are bright spots that sharply turn a dark corner into a triangle of brightness, with swirls of smoke ghosting in and out of its path, and sprays of dust flickering at a pace other than reality. If there are pool tables, notice that the lights are arranged in the same proportion as the table. Typically 3 lights encased in a 1 x 3 ft rectangular vase. Rarely does this bright box extend past the edges of the table itself.

Notice also that the lights become brighter as you delve further within the bar. It is darkest near the door (imagine why?) yet the back wall is showered with striplights that show bourgeois (yes I just said bourgeois, stfu) art donated to the bar by indebted tab holders.

Finally, I think of the bedroom. There's never a way to describe the average bedroom's light, since it depends on an array of factors that range from income to preference. Some people are lamp lovers, others enjoy the installed lighting attached to a fan that all-too-often wobbles squeakily on its highest setting. And even still, there are those that appreciate a simple desk light and a small lamp on the night stand.

If I had a choice, I would light my room the same way as a restaurant. I would want only the dimensions of the room revealed, and possibly flex-tube lighting that lines the molding where the walls meet the floor.

Please, comment and let me know what you envision the perfect lighting situation for a bedroom would be.