Lighting Practice in the Home

LIGHTING PRACTICE IN THE HOME In the United States in 1935 there were approximately 2 2,000, 00o places of residence using electric lighting plus several million rural homes employing gas or oil. Realizing the many hours of natural darkness during which the home life is dependent upon artificial illumination it is not surprising that the devices for home lighting are more varied and that more attention has been given to this field of application especially in the decade beginning about 192o when modernistic styles appeared. Personal taste largely governs the decorative features of home lighting; never theless the fundamentals of optical hygiene must be observed else injury may be done to the optical organs of children ; lest acci dents persist (home fatalities were 34,500 in the United States in 1934) ; lest the visual acuity of the aged be prematurely de preciated. In the home one finds (a) work lighting for utilitarian operations, (b) localized lighting chiefly for reading and (c) deco rative lighting purely for beauty.

Entrance Ways and Halls.

A luminous house number con sisting of a water-proof metal box with a translucent face and containing a 5 or i o watt filament lamp or a 24 watt neon glow lamp, constitutes the first evidence of welcome and courtesy to the stranger. In addition, a diffusing and enclosing globe fitted tightly to prevent entrance of insects and mounted on the porch ceiling will, if surrounding a 25 or 4o watt lamp, cheerfully illuminate the steps and doorway. A more modern type of unit consists of a diffusing glass panel built into a canopy or roof above the entrance doorway which serves excellently to illumi nate the face of the visitor. Alternatively, water-proof iron or bronze lanterns singly or in pairs are mounted at either side and controlled from a switch within. For the added convenience of the occupant in unlocking his door, there can be added the push button switch operative from outside which illuminates the entrance as long as the finger is pressed on the button. In the average hall a lantern or shaded candle type fixture is appropriate on the ceiling, or a pair of torcheres glazed with tinted mica or antique diffusing glass will provide the warm touch of colour. In upper hallways there should be a ceiling light placed so that shadows of the stairs be thrown away from the treads, while the detachable baseboard lamp of low wattage enables an all night light to be burned especially near the telephone or the bathroom entrance. Not less than three convenience outlets per room is good practice.

The Living-Room.

The ideal lighting arrangement for the living-room provides (a) general low intensity lighting usually of indirect principle for relief of sharp contrasts and on the order of 1 to 5 foot-candles to provide a background for (b) the purely decorative high-lights of shaded brackets and (c) the localized floor or table lamp illumination of so foot-candles or more that permits easy reading of news print. The general illumination,

regardless of furniture arrangement, may appropriately result from a dense or low brightness semi-indirect basin suspended as close to the ceiling as may still permit a fairly uniform illumina tion thereof, or where ceilings be lower than about 91 feet a close fitting flattened diffusing globe or a sunken panel almost flush with the ceiling surface. ,Perhaps the 6o or 75 watt lamp size will be ample although such centre ceiling equipment must not be depended upon for work illumination at table level nor will it be aesthetically comfortable because such a living-room takes on the atmosphere verging on the ghastly or at least a cold and colourless one.

Under no circumstances should a bare or exposed lamp bulb be permitted and even the open bottom reflector of a pendant ceil ing luminaire is usually productive of glare. Fortunately for the smaller rooms of light coloured ceilings it is practical to employ the indirect portable floor lamps in lieu of the ceiling fixture, or the type of table lamp which meets the 1934 specifica tions for eye comfort as prepared by the American Illuminating Engineering Society. In the case of the indirect floor portables, one may employ the 25o watt bulb size or the more flexible lamps having two filaments in the same bulb and a controlling switch on the unit permitting high, medium and low intensity illumina tion from the same fixture. When planning a new home there can be an added charm by concealing small spot-light projectors to illuminate favourite pictures or tapestries, one favoured loca tion being an inconspicuous glass covered trough reflector fitted flush in the mantel shelf and shining upwards against the wall above. A liberal usage of convenience outlets provides for the lighting of the home aquarium; the decorative temporary light ing for the party or Christmas tree ; electrical toys ; luminous ornaments; the attachment of household cleaning devices, fans, heaters and a host of conveniences. Here and elsewhere the light ing should be controlled by an adequate number of wall switches since the key or pull chain socket increases breakage, tends to shorten lamp life and is difficult to locate in the dark. The modern incandescent lamps above the 4o watt size are filled with an inert gas which causes the bulb to be quite hot when burning and capable of scorching any shade materials like paper or silk in close proximity thereto. The decorative light sources in order to sug gest the atmosphere of warmth and comfort may preferably be tinted in ivory, flame colour, or very light rose.