Big light on in the living room?

[ViviPru]

I've just had one of those peculiar moments whereby something that you thought you knew to be a universal truth is turned on its head.

I was commenting to some friends about how irksome and peculiar I find it that another friend only has one light source in their living room, the main ceiling light, which they have on all evening. It's really bright, not on a dimmer and I find it really hard to relax there. My two friends were baffled saying that's what they do too (never been to their houses in the evening so I wouldn't know) and made out like I was the peculiar one as we rarely use our main overhead ceiling light.

Now all these years I've never questioned it, as far as I was concerned, in the evenings one would have a couple of table lamps on, enough light to read by, that's how it was at home growing up, that's what my parents do and what DH's parents do. Obviously I know some people have the overhead light on as you can see through windows at dusk but I slways just assumed these folk were the peculiar minority.", or they'd just stuck it on to clean/find something/perform a task.

Another friend has impaired eyesight so she likes a lot of light at all times, which is completely understandable. But those whose eyesight is fine, I can't understand why anyone would want to sit in glaring bright light all evening... But according to my friends I'm the minority...

I don't care what anyone does in the comfort if their own home, I'm not saying no one should use the main light but that I genuinely thought that barely anyone did... According to my friends this is completely at odds with reality.... What say you??

We are just freeing up enough money at the moment for buying lamps and lamp shades. I currently have enough lampshades in my house for the first time in my adult life.

I have a new lamp in my bedroom and have a lamp on order from John Lewis for the lounge. Eventually I would like an up lighter in the corner of the lounge and a small table lamp for lighting.

I think people forget that lights are expensive.

This might tip some of you over the edge... Last time DH was away overnight I couldn't be bothered to get out of bed to turn the big light off before going to sleep so it stayed on all night, with a 100W bulb!

As an aside but equally wrong, I'm not being unreasonable if OH brings me fruit juice in a mug to ask him to put it in glass? Seriously I love my Emma Bridgewater mugs but mugs are only for hot drinks.

I'm shocked that so many of you don't use the big light.

You'd hate my house, I have huge energy saving bulbs that are equal to 200 watts.

I can't stand gloom

Rum that is seven shades of wrong

having big lights on shows up the dust/smeary windows...you big lighters know nothing

What does STBXH stand for? Stupid b*#tard ex husband?

This reminds me of a great Billy Bragg lyric.

"Where I'm from the sun don't shine, we keeps the light on all the time"

We use our big light all the time. Though thanks to energy saving bulbs it isn't as bright as I would like, so when doing something like sewing I need a lamp on as well as the big light. So I guess in my case both is my ideal
My in laws only have lamps on and I hate it. I feel like a mole in its hole. It is like the black hole of Calcutta in their house. I like to actually see the people I am talking to... but maybe they don't .
DH gets told off if he puts the big light on at his mums, even if it is to show her something important.

Juice in mugs is for students! As is wine in mugs. I abhor the big light - far too harsh, and like to sit in the glow of the lamps, the fire, the telly and some candles. Sometimes when I come home from work, I can tell the rest of my lot have heard me park as i can see the curtains being drawn and the big light being snuffed before I walk in and yell at them.

"soon-to-be-ex-husband"

but also, yes

AF this is why I am tempted to embrace Abigail Ahern-style decorating where everything is black or grey. Hides mountains of dust apparently.

I am with your friends on this OP. I like it bright enough to be able to see properly and always put the big light on.

I am astonished how many of you prefer to sit in the gloaming.

"gloaming" lovely word.

Rum. I am the complete opposite, I have to hunt down every trace of light before I go to sleep. I put little stickers over the tiniest of LED lights, have blackout curtains and will put a towel along the bottom of the door if light is seeping in.

Or Jonathan Swift's big endians and little endians.

Another big light hater here too. I was wondering about this very issue recently, after driving past a load of houses with their big lights on.

My whole house is lit by lamps, I even have big standard lamps in my kitchen diner.

I couldn't go to a house for the evening where they had the big lights on, there's zero ambience.

Big light on! Watching telly in half-light is bad for your eyes. And it makes me fall asleep.

Big light = evil.

I have problems with my eyes but only place with ceiling lights are kitchens and bathrooms. Everywhere else is gorgeous mood lighting. Plus lovely lovely lovely anglepoise on desk in study.

Always big light on same for me and DH growing up. Can't stand it being dim.

We don't have a big light in any downstairs rooms. It's all wall lights or spots.

It makes the rooms lovely and relaxing-can't see a bloody thing though

Interesting - I put the big light on out of habit but find it very soothing when I have lamps on and candles twinkling - I should do it more often!

I like wall lights & lamps in the living rooms & bedrooms. I almost never put the big lights on.

The kitchen, on the other hand, has to be as bright as possible.

No big light here, just a collection of lamps. Works for us.

I can't stand the big light, but DH is determined to have it on as much as possible. We have bickered about it many a time.

I am constantly turning it off - he then turns it on (claiming he 'can't see' whatever he's doing, mostly on the laptop, but personally I don't think he even needs to see the keyboard as he's mostly just reading stuff.)

It. does. my. head. in.

Hate being in a room with the overhead light on, cannot relax. There's something deeply wrong with people who need their rooms illuminated like a football pitch.

I currently have two lamps and a candle lighting and it's beautiful and cosy.