Post-pandemic homes are not just places to live anymore: they are multi-functional spaces that must provide safe, comfortable and familiar interiors that are beautiful, functional and have a sense of sanctuary. Spaces where things are familiar make people feel more relaxed and can help with their overall well-being.
Lighting design trends have evolved to address this need for familiarity and nostalgia, while providing top levels of functionality and technology. Read on for tips on how to best approach the lighting solutions that create a sense of sanctuary and well-being.
What is “comfort in the familiar?”
A comfort zone can be described as “a psychological state in which things feel familiar to a person and they are at ease and in control of their environment, experiencing low levels of anxiety and stress.” Research shows we tend to gravitate towards objects, places and media to calm ourselves and find an equilibrium.
In the days of the pandemic, the unknown became ordinary and the ‘new normal.’ As people were processing these changes, a sentimental longing for the familiarity of the past set in. This created new customer trends in home design and a need to implement sustainable, quality lighting products that provide positive psychological impacts on clients’ well-being and comfort.
How lighting provides comfort
Lighting comfort is usually defined through a set of criteria based on the level of light in a room, the balance of contrasts, the color temperature and the absence or presence of glare. Lighting can be used to highlight textures and certain areas that people may find familiar, to create a feeling of coherence. It can also affect people’s moods and productivity.
Examples include:
- Bright light: The effect of the increased temperature is perceived as heat, which can trigger and affect our emotions.
- Low light levels: Creates intimacy and sets the mood for a casual and comfortable atmosphere. Also create a feeling of privacy and safety.
- Ambient lighting: Calming yellow tones or warm lighting that are reminiscent of the glow of a fireplace or candle help us gain a deeper relaxation and feel more comfortable. The light creates a cozy ambience to reduce negative feelings or anxious moods.
- Natural light: A mood booster, natural light helps people feel more energetic and alert as it increases serotonin levels. Having consistent exposure to natural light in the morning and lowering light at night can help remedy stress and anxiety. Use windows and open plan spaces that utilize natural light for illumination.
Sustainable luxury lighting
Purchasing sustainable green products and luxury items creates feelings of pride, self-confidence and happiness in the buyer's eyes. Studies have shown that environmental claims on luxury goods entice customers with heightened visions of positivity for the product.
A 2013 study concluded that consumers perceive an environmental claim as being a utilitarian aspect of the product, especially when the content of the claim emphasizes global environmental benefits. The environmental claim may also improve evaluations of luxury products by providing justification to indulge and use luxuries. The latter effect is enhanced when the content of the environmental claim emphasizes personal-social benefits related to the user's social status.
Pandemic-driven changes are here to stay
Today we all interact with our home differently: It is a place where we work, sleep and live. The space around us affects our mood, perception and how we interact with people. After the pandemic-driven upheaval created by COVID-19, sustainable luxury lighting and home furnishings can help reduce stress and increase a client’s well-being. Interior designers can also help their clients’ self-image and give them a positive morality boost by selecting green home decor products. As trends favor the return to nostalgia, consider lighting a valuable tool for creating the ambience of comfort.
For designers interested in luxury handcrafted lighting products that create a sense of sanctuary and well-being in their client's spaces, visit www.varaluz.com.
