Watching home buying shows I see the shoppers ticking off their must haves including:
- Granite countertops
- Open concept
- Recessed lighting
Recessed ceiling lights are lights that are installed inside the ceiling in a housing unit that is sometimes called a canister. The housing unit installs above the ceiling line with a visible trim that is flush with the ceiling and maybe decorative. The light from the bulb will shine directly downward.
Sure overhead, recessed ceiling lights are great for a minimal, unobtrusive look and they are great for general lighting but they sure do produce a lot of harsh light!
Zoom calls made under harsh overhead lighting make everyone look like a zombie with dark shadows!
We bought a home with recessed lighting and track lighting in just about every room and after living with this harsh lighting I finally started adding some more accent and task lighting which makes all the difference.
Soft bedside table lights and task lights for the sofas so we can read in bed or work on projects while watching TV in the living room without the glare of overhead lighting. Here are some of my favorite accent and task lighting finds:
O’Bright Dimmable LED Pharmacy Floor Lamp
These affordable task lights are sleek, minimal, unobtrusive, and versatile. You can park them next to a recliner for reading, on the side of a couch, or even in the back of a sofa. They swing out into any direction for focusing the light on your work instead of into your eyes and have a dimming function.
- 12W LED
- Full Range Dimming
- 360 Degree Swing Arms
- Adjustable Height
- Standing Lamp for Reading, Sewing and Craft, Etc.
Brightech Maxwell – Bedroom Nightstand Lamp with USB Ports
These modern Asian nightstand lights were perfect for the guest bedroom, affordable and they provide a nice soft light as well as the convivence of the built-in USB charging plug.
- Modern Asian Table Lamp w/Wood Frame
- Soft Light Perfect for Bedside
- LED bulb
- Havanah Brown
- This lamp is wall switch and smart outlet compatible with Alexa, Echo, Dot, Google Home, etc so that you can turn the lights on and off with your voice or the simple flick of a switch as you enter the room.
CONVENIENTLY CHARGE YOUR ELECTRONIC DEVICES: This decorative table lamp contains a USB port so that you can charge your mobile phone, tablet, kindle reader, and other small electronic devices. It’s also the perfect solution for portable speakers, radios, CD players, or MP3 docking stations. The convenience of this floor lamp makes it perfect for your home or office.
No overhead lighting at all? If you need a lot of light, get one of these and bounce it off the ceiling or wall for a soft glow.
- 30W/2400Lume Sky LED Modern Torchiere
- 3 Color Temperatures Super Bright Floor Lamps
- Tall Standing Pole Light with Remote Control and Touch Control for Living Room,Bed
- Platinum Silver
Directional and Glare-Free Light: The lighted surface can be rotated through 350 degrees and tilted to any angle between straight up and almost parallel to the floor.
Modern Table Lamp with Hotel Style USB Charging Port
If you’ve envied those stylish bedside lamps with charging ports in upscale hotels, get one for your home. They look great, cast a nice romantic light and have a handy charging station for all your needs.
- Size: 23″ high overall. Base is 7″ diameter.
- Shade: off-white linen fabric round shade, 12″ across the top and bottom x 7.5″ high, Lamp shade needs to assemble in order to smaller the package & save shipping cost, but it’s easy and takes about 3 minutes.
- Bulb included: 1 X 6W 2700K LED energy-saving bulbs included(not covered in warranty), it produces a soft warm light. On-off switches on sockets. 5-foot long cords
- Function: it contains a 5V 2A USB port so that you can charge your smart phones, pads, and other electronic devices. The USB port functions regardless of whether the lamp is on or off.
- Warranty: Modern table lamp style from the Arpenter brand. It has a 12 months warranty
HOW TO REDUCE OVERHEAD LIGHT GLARE
Glare is caused by the reflection of light off of surfaces and is a primary cause of eyestrain. You can get rid of glare by controlling the light source, adapting the surface reflecting it, or by filtering it before it reaches your eyes.
Significant causes of eyestrain are staring at the same distance for a long period of time, such as at a computer monitor or other electronic device or because of driving long distances without a break.
These environments can be adapted to be better for your eyes. Use a desk lamp for directed, diffused task lighting when needed instead of the bright overhead light.
Use curtains or translucent plastic blinds on windows. Closing these will diffuse the incoming sunlight light instead of reflecting it as metal or wood blinds do.
