No one likes the dark.

Yuichiro Noguchi
Aug 26
4 min read

The word "dark" is an expression that is always used when talking about lighting.

Even in Junichiro Tanizaki's famous book "In the Darkness Praise", "In the dark..." As there is such an expression, the expression "dark" appears very often as a contrast to brightness.

The word "dark" has a strong negative connotation, and few people will have a good impression enough to be used in the title of a horror movie, such as the aforementioned "dark" and "dim". I think some people say that they like darkness more than brightness, but they don't think they like dark spaces.

The lighting of nice restaurants, bars, and hotels can also be said to be "dim" in a sense, but in fact, expressions such as "fashionable", "classy", "luxury", "good atmosphere", "calm feeling" and "mature" are more correct. Isn't it?

The lighting of cheap business hotels always has only one large ceiling light on the ceiling, but the more it is a high-quality hotel, the more various types of lighting are used in the right place. The number of lighting is rather large, but each one is meticulously calculated, so it is neither too bright nor too dark, and the light is not conspicuous, creating a good atmosphere.

The light shines firmly on the place you want to see or the place you want to show, and on the contrary, by not shining other light on it, it eliminates unnecessary noise in the space. A high-quality light space created by controlling the delicate light. That is the essence of writing design.

In addition, high-quality lighting design also contributes to cost performance. A design that does not require extra light also leads to the fact that it does not require extra costs as it is. It may sound good to say that it's better to have it than not to have it, but there is a lot of waste and there is nothing good. " The most important element that is indispensable to design is the most important choice such as what is needed and what is not needed.

There is nothing uglier than a wasteful design, and a truly excellent design is unexpectedly simple. However, it is not that "simple = less", the original simplicity is "simple and easy to understand without waste".

Even if the design seems simple at first glance, a really great design is created by meticulously calculated and complex results. The simple and ordinary design that is flooding the world is nothing or just an imitation.

When it comes to lighting design, it seems to be seen as flashy and sparkling at first glance like Christmas illuminations, but the lighting that actually touches people's hearts is Rose, which is all orange and has a wonderful combination of vertical and horizontal lines. It is as simple as the night view from the Lus Griffith Park Observatory.

The balance of lighting for space is very important, and it can't be too many or too little. Also, the brightness of each one

The brighter it is, the better it is not, and of course it does not interfere with other light, but it is also important to be bright enough not to spread too much.

If you think about it that way, the more lighting you need to have a sense of sense and balance, and knowledge and experience are also important factors. On the other hand, I think it can be said how easy and easy it is to brighten up the entire room with less lighting.

If you dare to compare it to fashion, it's like there are only T-shirts and jeans, and there are no accessories or accessories. In fact, people who are really fashionable carefully calculate and coordinate with T-shirts and jeans. Even if you look like a similar style at first glance, you will immediately see the difference, and even if you don't know the specific difference, it's different enough to feel that it's somehow fashionable.

In the case of lighting, it is the same and if it feels dark, it is simply that the number of lighting is not enough or the brightness is poorly balanced, and in such a space, "fashionable", "classy", "luxury", "good atmosphere", "calm I don't think I'll have the impression of "I feel like I was there" or "I'm mature".

Lighting design is a new concept that has been born in relatively recent years. Therefore, I think that only the "dark" part of the space with a good atmosphere is exaggerated, and the wrong expression such as "fashionable = dark" is spreading.

The idea that if you have a famous brand of lighting at home, it will look stylish is the same as having a Hermes bag. There is a lighting that such people tend to fall into is Lewis Paulsen's PH5

Wouldn't it be to hang it in the room?

Lewis Paulsen's PH5 is one of the really great lighting. However, the brightness of the space alone is not enough, and just lowering it to the ceiling cannot take advantage of half of the original PH5's charm.

PH5 is not a lighting that is originally installed high on the ceiling and illuminates the entire room. By lowering it low on the dining table, it illuminates the table brightly and makes the table look more beautiful.

If you use PH5 instead of ceiling lights, which are common in Japan, the entire room will be darker than before. If you place a lot of downlights on the ceiling to make up for it, the entire room will brighten up and cancel out the PH5 light, and the PH5 will become just an object.

If you want to bring out the original charm of PH5, it is a good idea to place floor lamps and table lamps around the wall instead of downlights. By doing so, without interfering with each other's light, PH5 creates a "good atmosphere" space that is not "dark" by brightly illuminating the floor lamps and table lamps on the surroundings.

In this way, it is very important to place lighting in the right place with the right light, and I think that the general image of "fashionable lighting = dark" will be dispelled.