Why isn't a ceiling light enough?

Most Hungarian apartments have a single light point in the middle of the ceiling. It's the worst thing you can do to a space, and it's not a matter of taste but of physics.

What happens with a single central light?

The light comes from above, casting hard, downward shadows on faces and objects. The eye sockets stay in shadow, which is why everyone looks tired in a room like this. The corners of the room stay dark, so the space looks smaller than it really is.

At work surfaces such as a kitchen counter or a desk, our own body blocks the light, because we stand with our back to the light source. That's the situation where you end up slicing in the dark even with an average light level of 500 lux.

What's the solution?

Three layers. Ambient lighting spreads light evenly, from several smaller light points or indirectly. Task lighting shines where the work happens: counter, table, reading nook. And accent lighting goes onto the wall, a picture, a shelf, giving the space its depth.

It doesn't take many luminaires: in an average living room, four or five well-placed light points do more than one powerful chandelier. What matters is that they can be switched separately and, ideally, dimmed.

What can you do in a finished apartment?

Even if the ceiling can no longer be opened up, there's still room to maneuver. A suspended or surface-mounted track can be connected to the existing central outlet, and adjustable light points on it carry the light to the walls. A floor lamp, a wall washer and a few linear lights built into furniture also help a lot.

The most important change, however, is free: switch separately whatever you can, and don't use everything at once. Light works best when it follows the time of day.