Your homes lighting can help you feel warmer.

Your homes lighting can help you feel warmer.

If you’re like me you’re currently at home with your heating on, wrapped in extra layers, trying to keep warm with all this snow & ice around. I’ve just about had enough of all this cold now and even the kids don’t want to go and play in it! Obviously, there are practical things that you can do to feel a bit warmer. Heating and fires on, extra clothes, stay inside, all common sense stuff really. There are a few little things you can do with your lighting as well to help you feel warmer.

First thing to point out is that your lighting isn’t going to heat your home. Don’t think your light bulbs are going to throw out enough heat to make a difference. The introduction of LED technology has actually reduced the heat they give off. This isn’t a post about turning every possible light you have on. In fact, it’s almost the opposite (more on that later). No this is about the psychological effect your lighting can have on how you’re feeling. Don’t underestimate its potential. A little bit of a psychological approach to your lighting at the moment combined with practical heating solutions can make a difference.

Don't flood a cold room with a single light. Create pools of warming light

Ask yourself what you consider to be cosy when it’s cold and snowing outside? For me it’s a log cabin with a fire blazing, hot chocolate and low light. A warming blanket maybe. When it’s dark outside there is a tendency to turn your lounges’ central light on. Chances are its LED lighting nowadays and if it is then there’s potential for them to be daylight or cool white LEDs. A stark bright living room is seldom warming. LEDs don’t tend to give a warming effect. If you’ve touched LEDs you will know that they are cold to touch when they are on. Psychologically you know they are not warming. Try turning off your main light and turn on a couple of table lamps or a floor lamp. Let them throw light in to a corner and spread a little warming light across the rest of your room. Reduce your lighting, put your fire on and batten down the hatches. Create ambience in your home during these cold times.

Ambient light from a floor lamp & a warming blanket. A potent combination when it's cold outside

We always tend to do the basics when it is cold. We never tend to change our lighting habits. If you have a fire that visibly creates flames then that fire will look more appealing and thus warming when the flames lick away in the darkness and not when your spotlights are diluting their warming effect. Keeping warm isn’t just about the physical, the psychological has a bearing as well. If you had colour changing lighting in your home, would you select a blue colour for your wall when it’s snowing with ice outside? Or would you choose a red kind of colour?

Think of what you consider to be cosy and then try your best to make your living room resemble that. Get the blankets out, put the fires on, flick the kettle on and turn the lighting down. Turn on a, well placed, table lamp and get comfortable. What’s the worst that can happen? If it doesn’t warm you up at least it’s took your mind off the cold and had you moving around warming up!  Stay warm everybody, I’m off to turn my lounge in to a log cabin in Scotland, toasty, ambient and warm!