The annual Housing Fair in Mikkeli 2017 is the 48th event of its kind. 98% of Finland’s adult population know the event. Lighting designer Ilkka Pekanheimo has evaluated the lighting of the houses at the Housing fair in Mikkeli. This link will tell you more about the idea of housing fairs and this link about Mikkeli housing fair.
It’s amazing that even though we spend two-thirds of our time living under artificial lighting, we’re not paying attention to the consequences of this light for our body and mind. While people are concerned about organic food, pure water and clean air, the element by which our very life came into existence – light – is often forgotten. Today I recommend full spectrum daylight (5500 K) in the morning and at daytime and warm light (2700 K) late in the evening.
At the Housing Fair 2017, there were near all houses, where all lighting was done by using LED lamps. This leads to a new problem in lighting: shiny surfaces reflect the LED strips. Hence, one should choose the type of surface before lighting with LED strips. Do not choose black shiny surface for the kitchen if you use LED strips. If you choose shiny surfaces, then go for indirect lighting.
One problem at the fair was blending lights, unfortunately found in almost all of the houses. The colours of the interior were corrupted by the lighting in almost all of the houses.
There is no 100 % correct opinion on the lighting. I hope that this evaluation would create discussion and would contribute to making the lighting quality better in homes in Finland and in the whole world.
In my Finnish blog you can see near 200 lighting pictures from the fair.
If you are planning your home lighting, please contact ilkka.pekanheimo@gmail.com. You will get a lot of free lighting tips and even the whole lighting plan for you home at a reasonable price. I have helped in planning with the home lighting this year for one home in Holland and, of course, many in Finland. No matter, if you live in Australia, Africa, Iceland or in the USA.
Indirect lighting is often the best way to light a home. Choose 5500 K daylight or even better, human centric lighting, where you can adjust the colour of the light from 2700 K to 6500 K. In this picture on the left there is 5500 K and on the right 2700K. Of course you should not see these light temperatures at the same time. 2700 K warm light only in the evenings and daylight in the mornings and at daytime. Alternatively LED panel, LED plafond, LED strip.
There is a LED strip at the front rand of the kitchen cabinet. It should be directed to the back wall by the aluminium bar in the 45 degrees angle. In this picture it is not. Then you can see very well on the counter, no glare, no reflecting light. Use always 5500 K light. You see better than in 3000 – 4000 K light.
Good stairway lighting with LED strip, but you should use 5500 K light. Also on the ceiling the colour of the led strip should be 5500 K. Because the colour of the ceiling is white, the colour of the light should be also pure white and not 2700 K, like here.
On the ceiling the colour of the led strip should be 5500 K like the light from the windows. Now is it 2700 K. The colour of the ceiling near the led is not white as it should be.
The spot lights are an easy solution, but not very elegant. The lamps are very blinding, when you look into them. The colours of the interior decoration will be corrupted because of the bad quality of the light. Too yellow, maybe 2700 K. It should be 5500 K, in my opinion.
Avoid these upwards directed fixtures on the floor. They cause a very bad blinding, when you walk near the fixture or when the children crawl on the floor. They have no lighting meaning, maybe they light only the birds, which are flying over. This is a useless fixture.
A daylight LED lamp in an outdoor fixture should show the colours of nature as they are. In this luminaire the lamp is too yellow. Also in the winter the snow would appear yellow in this lighting. If you have dogs around the house, it does not matter. A better alternative for bollard fixture is indirect lighting: put the LED strip at the top of the white wall and a small moulding on it so that you will not see the strip, only the reflecting light. This luminaire in the picture is wasting light, it is ”polluted” light, the light directs towards the sky. A useless luminaire.
This is good lighting, while there is natural daylight. In the evenings you’ll need candles on the table.
Nice way to light the sauna. Should be dimmable. No disturbing led spots.
Also good way to light sauna. Dimmable.
Last but not least: You might wonder, why I do not recommend down lights, at least the small 50 mm ones. Here are my reasons:
- You have to drill holes in and thus spoil the beautiful ceiling. The ceiling is much nicer without holes and lighted with indirect lighting, which is also cheaper.
- How long can you look at the down light lamp, when you have not dimmed it? Is this pleasant? I don’t think so, and after 15-30 seconds you must turn your eyes away from the bright light. It may also be dangerous for the eyes of small children. It is very unpleasant to visually impaired people.
- When you have looked at the spot light for 30 seconds and turn your head towards a white ceiling or wall, do you see a black picture of the spot? And when you start to read a book, I think that it is difficult to read because your eyes do not see accurately.
- This kind of lighting is very uneven. If you, for example, have glass tables or surfaces or of other shiny material, you’ll see the reflecting light.
- You can look at indirect lighting as long as you like and it is pleasant.
- I do not agree with the official terms ”warm white 3000 K” and ”neutral white 4000 K”, because both are yellow and you cannot see their white colour and when it reflects from the white paper, the paper looks more yellow than white. This is also like cheating people.
- However, if you like down light, please light with those. In lighting there are many opinions and no one them is better than the other.
Why do I recommend pure white light, 5500 K, instead of warm light 2700-4000 K?
- The colours look real under daylight, both outdoors and indoors.
- You can see better at daylight.
- You can read faster at daylight.
- Your eyes will not be as tired at daylight as at warm light.
- Do not believe, until you have tried.
- Only in the evening, I recommend warm light.
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The impact of light on our well-being has made us more aware of the different lighting solutions. By changing the intensity and colour temperature of light we can influence our mental alertness and comfort. Here is a good example. Ask me, where you can buy those to a reasonable price.
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Non-visual effects of light depend critically on the intensity, the duration and the spectral composition of the light. Also the prior light exposure and the timing of the exposure determine the kind and size of the non-visual effects that can be achieved.
- It is important to take the blue wavelengths from computers and iPads in the evenings.Download F.Lux here and improve your life. Very important for the Children. See this Youtube-video.
- Ask the question what is the best lighting in the toilet at night. The light should not influence the melatonin production. So best light is tiny and yellow or orange.
- I bought the DVD The City Dark. Did you know? There is also some information about the health effects of the light and some information about outdoor lighting. It is very interesting. Here you can order the DVD.
Light is a drug
That’s what scientists are gradually realising, as research on how light affects the body and mind advances. In my article from 1995, The effects of natural light to our welfare, I already wrote: Light is not only a tool for seeing, as many still believe. It can be also a food, vitamin or medicine – or a poison.
By influencing our sleep-wake cycles, the right kind of light can have a profound effect on our mood, productivity and health, making us work more effectively, recover more quickly from illness, and feel better.
But how do you harness this in the real world? I will help you to understand
- the latest research on how light influences the body
- how to apply this knowledge in practice
- how light is being used to improve outcomes in care homes, schools and workplaces.
- the latest products that harness the non-visual effects of light
If you are planning your home lighting, please contact ilkka.pekanheimo@gmail.com. You will get a lot of free lighting tips and even the whole lighting plan for your home to a reasonable price. I have helped in planning with the home lighting this year for one home in Holland and of course many in Finland. No matter, if you live in Australia, Africa, Iceland or in the USA.
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