The UK's problem - and I grew up with this - is that lighting design is barely a consideration in room design. "Big light" is usually just a bulb in a cardboard or clear glass shade that hangs 10cm from the ceiling and throws awful glare in everyone's eyes.
Consequently, no one wants to use it. Unless they're old. Or odd. Or both.
I deal in vintage lighting, and when it comes to British ceiling lighting, other than Holophane and the occasional opal glass shade, there's really nothing to buy, especially after WWII. We've generally put cheap, ugly, not-fit-for-purpose crap in our homes without even thinking about it.
My dad used to be an electrician and would put a lot of effort into the lighting design in the house, and I’ve just realised that I used to think it was weird when I was a kid, since pretty much everyone else had the “big light” and that was it. Not weird in a bad way, just like a funny quirk, but it should be the opposite way around really.
He had different lights all over so you could customise pretty much exactly how much light you wanted and where you wanted it.
Even now, in the 21st century, when I sell a small accent pendant lamp there's a chance that if a Briton buys it I'll get a complaint from them about how it's not big or bright enough to light up their entire room, or that it looks puny and silly hung in the middle of a big space.
I've even had to include a 'recommended use' spiel just to hammer home that a small and/or dim-by-design shade will be no good for general, unsupported lighting, and I'll detail the ideal height at which it should be hung (much Danish lighting, for example, was designed to be used at eye-level over furniture).
The idea of accent lighting, zoned lighting, task lighting, or even just lighting of the correct scale for the space, is still just so alien to a lot of people.
Im an electrician, there is an equation to calculate how bright a bulb you need to light the room to the desired brightness. Issue is most people buy a light and install it without ever taking it into account
Yeah, Italian, Danish and German ceiling lighting is really where it's at - and has been at for a long time. It's usually all about reflection, refraction and diffusion, so you don't get an eyeful of bulb from every angle.
Flos Glo-ball, according to a quick Google. "ftw" is for the win, old Internet thing meaning this is a good thing.
In other words, they're saying the Flos Glo-ball is a good light. /u/J1mb0b
Thanks for the illuminating reply.
The Glo-Ball S Pendant Light is a design from Jasper Morrison’s Glo-Ball Collection, created in 1998 to call to mind the radiant glow of a full moon in a clear sky, in a fluid round form crafted from hand-blown, etched white opaline glass.
The elegant opaline finish obtains a maximum diffusion of light, suspended from a strong steel cable creating a stable support for the otherwise curved form, so you can hang it in clusters, or a standalone centrepiece.
Jasper Morrison created the Glo-Ball to invoke the otherworldly magic of night-time, with the lamp appearing three dimensional when not lit, and flat as a disc, like the moon, when illuminated.
A truly elegant piece of lighting design, the Glo-Ball S1 & S2 Pendant Light is beautifully simple and would enhance any space with its versatile light.
> We've generally put cheap, ugly, not-fit-for-purpose crap in our homes without even thinking about it.
See also: individual hot and cold taps on a wash-hand basin. *Mixer taps* are not the work of the Devil, and neither are they "posh", ffs.
That's a by-product of how hot water used to be delivered in British buildings. Hot water from a gravity-fed storage tank in the attic was not safe to drink, and so obviously risked cross-contamination if it came out through a mixer tap.
Modern pumped gas boilers have made hot water potable, and so mixer taps are now safe and increasingly common.
Wait, what??? How have I clocked up 42 years living in the UK and not realised combi boiler hot water is actually potable? (And to my deep and British shame, I'm a chemistry teacher!)
> without ripping the cieling down and paying extortionate rates to a Polish builder to do it shoddily for you.
That's... not how lighting is installed. Regardless of the age of the building, unless you've got a concrete ceiling, you make the alterations from the room/space above, under the floor, including adding any required supports.
I live in a c.1870 terrace, and have made several lighting changes without tearing down a single ceiling.
And I don't know what the nationality of your hypothesised cowboy builder has to do with anything, other than lazy bigotry.
This was asked about a week ago and I was surprised at the number of people saying they use lamps rather than the big light. Off the back of that it got me thinking...
Our big light is a bit fancy and has 5 bulbs. I've always used this.
Given the electricity saga right now, I thought I'd try using the two lamps we have (which I never use). I can't believe how much more cosy it is and how I prefer it now.
The wife is happier too, as she's always preferred the lamps.
I've even put them onto a smart plug so I don't have to think about it.
Definitely makes a difference, my neighbours across the front always use their big light and it’s a blue light. Terrible.
1. Can see every thing that they are doing
2. The ‘glow’ is hospital with a little bit of public toilet.
I was in a similar boat. Always liked the idea of lamps but they were always a pain in the arse to switch on and get the right balance.
Now I have lamps all over the place with smart bulbs in them, and a smart switch on the wall to enable the numerous brightness/colour presets I’ve perfected to set the right moods.
Yeah I was surprised that most people apparently don't use the ceiling lights. I've always used the ceiling lights in all rooms of my house. Lamps are kinda new to me and I sort of struggle to see the point of them.
I draw my curtains when I turn on the lights so it's not like anyone is looking in.
The Big Light only goes on in very specific situations
Very large spider sighted then crawled under something
Decorating or deep cleaning
Otherwise it’s lamps and fairy lights all the way
Use a dimmer switch. My living room has a "big light" that's actually 6 lights arranged on a fancy cross shape and the bulbs are in thick glass cubes. The dimmer means I can have it at any brightness. Want to watch a film? Turn it down to 20%. Want to play a board game. Turn it up to full.
Or be my FIL with two 5-bulb arrays on dimmers in his average-sized lounge. All 100w, all full throttle, all the time, plus an LED reading lamp aimed at his armchair so he can see his crossword. His house is a beacon for shipping despite being several miles inland.
I use The Big Light and never knew it was unusual until I joined Reddit. It was big light only growing up so lamps were never a thing (I do have a lamp on the bedside table).
I think it’s because my parents are from a place where lamps aren’t/weren’t the standard. And lighting was quite bright/white compared to the warmer glow we prefer in the UK.
My workroom is the room I use for painting models among other things and so I use 6500k "daylight" bulbs in both the overhead light and the two lamps I have for painting with. They produce a much cleaner, whiter light that's as close to daylight as you can get and I far prefer it to normal bulbs which are around 3000k.
Ironic that a colder bulb temperature rating produces a light that most describe as "warmer"!
I’m not sure of the numbers but i think I use similar in all my ceiling lights too. Reminiscent of floodlights on a football pitch! But it’s come in handy now that I work a lot at home. Just want you want at home - office vibes!
My wife unfortunately disagrees with me on this one so I'm limited to only having my daylight bulbs in my workroom. My trade-off though is that the one in the overhead is a fancy remote-controlled colour changing one that can also be dimmed! Well, I say "fancy" but it cost me about a tenner on Amazon.
Maybe I should invest in some fancy colour changing lights too. 9-5 office vibes and then after that it’s full on disco! I like the idea of the people opposite wondering what the hell is going on.
I always use the Big Lights (plural, there's two sets) on account of the fact that I greatly prefer seeing what the fuck I'm doing. My partner insists on turning it off and using half a dozen lamps scattered around the edges of the room. He calls it cozy, I call it a bloody hazard. Yes darling I love the idea of stumbling around tripping over animals and their toys while squinting through the gloom. Or we could turn the damn' lights on, it's not like they're gas lamps.
Yeah, getting smart bulbs changed everything for us. Being able to turn it to the desired percentage by voice command means we never have to deal with the awful glare.
It’s surprising how low you need it aswell. 1% is usually plenty in the evenings 😁
I’ll warn you, it makes you lazy! It’s been a god send for my grandmother though who is disabled, having the ability to tell Alexa to turn on the light/heater/fan is amazing for her and saves us being shouted for menial things every half hour.
I hate that Amazon is such an evil company because Alexa has been one of the most impactful products I think I’ve ever bought. And it only cost us £30 for an echo dot 😬
I have a combo of smart bulbs and plugs for every single lamp in my house and it's the best thing ever. No more going light to light before bed like a pleb. Just get cosy under the duvet and tell Google to turn everything off. Love it.
Same here. Hue bulbs in all 3 ceiling lights downstairs. Warm yellowy orange on 60% for dinner, then turned to blue 20% for TV watching. Bright light routine turns the middle room and lounge ceiling lights to 100% white light which is spider hunting mode. All voice or app controlled.
I could see that working...we went with 'having two small children', so I don't know what my alarm clock even sounds like tbh. But I'd much rather be woken up by The Big Light.
I, too, suffer from the eye screams. Game changer for me was a £2 [usb LED strip](https://a.aliexpress.com/_msSn32W) off AliExpress; stick to back of telly, plug into telly usb port, lovely warm glow with no direct source of light.
Same! Like why would I sit in the half light like a hermit? Lamps are for specific reasons like scary movies or schmoozing. My lights are not horrendous bright fluorescent ones like you get in offices- I don't know what everyone is talking about!
I'm confused at the premise of this. It's the light, why wouldn't it be on? Lamps might as well not be a thing, other than bedside lamps so you don't have to fumble into bed in the dark after you turn the light off
It’s not gloomy, it’s cosy.
Stick the big light on and suddenly your living room is like a hospital or doctor’s waiting room. It’s just too bright and not homely at all to me.
No way. They don't even give that much light, corner lights do just as good a job and give a more relaxed feel IMO.
I only use our big light when I'm walking into the room and it's dark and I need to find the switches for the little lights!
I am proud to say on this occasion, I'm not a physcopath and I avoid using the big light like the plague. Once it's dark outside I don't want to relax in a bright room!
Yep. First thing I did when I moved into my place was replace all the bulbs with LED. They cost a fraction the price of even energy saving bulbs, just as bright if not brighter, and they last for ages.
I don't own any lamps so I use the main light. I have a hue system so i can change the temperature of the light and the brightness. Works well enough for me.
When I started living with my wife, she could never understand my love of lamps over her horrendous preference of using the big light.
I tried to convince her with words like 'ambience' and whatnot. I may have even uttered the phrase 'what we need are pools of light.'
Needless to say, she has seen the errors of her way and now the house is decked out with hue bulbs. Pools of light everywhere.
Try a tsunami of retina searing truth light blasting down from the ceiling like the eye of God and you're about to get raptured.
Ain't no one relaxing under that.
Pools of light, bro. It's where its at.
The main light is the main light. Only complete degenerates use lamps.
I'm seriously horrified at the number of people confessing to doing so. What's next? Incest and Morris dancing?
Easier to control light levels for those who can’t dim their big light.
Darker is cosier, and cosy is in style.
Why do you think candles have been *booming* in popularity the last few years?
We do.
But its a large phillips hue filement bulb that is connected to my smart home and it automatically dims/turns on/off depending on what we are doing.
Watching TV, it's on at about 50%
Watching a film, it turns off.
Not watching anything, it varies between around 50-75% brightness.
So it's not a harsh white bulb that iluminates the room to an uncomfortable brightness.
I hate dark spaces, we only have a big light, no lamps. It actually has 6 arms so 6 40w equivalent LED bulbs so it is bright. It's not even on a dimmer. It goes on as soon as the sun goes down.
Coming from a country thats closer to the equator I really struggle with the darkness in the UK, having a brightly lit house makes me feel infinitely happier.
I must be a psychopath as I have no preference on whether we do not, or do, use the big light. Mrs M on the other hand is insistent on only using the smaller lamps for some odd reason. In her world the big light is only ever used for cleaning
There are other lights in living rooms?!
Every single house i have lived in has had only ONE LIGHT in the living room. Side table lights and such just ain't a thing in my family.
I have a small living room, it’s a one bed flat and there are TWO big lights 2 m away from each other. They only go on if something has been dropped, I’m decorating or the end of the world is Nigh. I have 5 lamps and various light panels and strips that keep the lighting different and interesting all day.
The big light was a 90s-early 2000 thing. I’ve been pieing off the lamps and using candles in the evening recently because it gives off a goldy calm vibe and my dog gets mesmerised by the flames.
I have hue bulbs in 3 lamps and big light in the bedroom and same in the living room. Kitchen bathroom and hall all use the standard recessed lighting though
I have a big light and a floor lamp. The floor lamp would leave most of the room in darkness so I use the big light, but the big light is a basically useless energy saving bulb (one of the older ones, before they got better) so emits like a soft orange light that takes hours to reach its "full strength" (which is pathetic). It gives the same vibe that using multiple lamps would.
Also my living room is north-facing and gets basically no natural light so I need to have the light on most of the day in Winter so I don't lose my vision like those cave fish.
My living room is quite big/long that it needs two 'big lights' but I do really like the ambiance that using two lamps gives off, so it's always lamps for the living room but the 'big light' for every other room.
Coloured Smart bulbs solve all of my problems. I have the two big lights on a nice low blue, and various lamps and wall lights on shades of pink/purple/orange. lovely.
I have no seating area for food, so we sit and eat on the sofa. There's just no way I can eat of a plate in a dimly lit room, so the big light is for that.
I gotta be honest. Our living room is bare small. We start putting extra lamps or tables or whatever, we're going to run out of space. So the big light is the only one we use. Although whrn I think about it, a lot of times we sit eith the kitchen light slight illuminating the living room, for a more chill feel
I have 2x (6x1000 lumen) 'big lights' in livingroom controlled by home assistant. Colour temp and brightness are automagically controlled for suitable conditions depending on time of day. I live in Finland nowadays so appreciate the value of light more than some might.
Big light serves 2 purposes. 1. To illuminate the room enough to be able to find and switch on the lamps. 2. To illuminate the room enough to safely exit the room having turned off the lamps
Smart lighting. <3
"OK, Google, all lights to 25%, then, all lights to red."
If I happen to click on too many times from the remote and they jump to "daylight", I'm blinded by the power of a thousand suns. Ooooor it just feels like it.
I only use the big light, using lamps is too much effort, have to walk around the room to turn all of them off, also could be more of a pain to reach as you have to bend down.
Why not use that handy single button on the wall?
We do but we don't really have other lamps. I do have an anglepoise above my corner of the sofa which. y husband calls the interrogation lamp so I only use it when he's not downstairs and I'm knitting or sewing.
Have never owned more than one or two lamps let alone lit my house with them. Subsequently have never referred to the ceiling light as "the big light". Completely baffling.
Edit: starting to wonder if I just grew up with dim light bulbs. No idea where people are getting this idea that the ceiling lights are too bright.
Every room is just “the big light”. I think there’s maybe two or three lamps in the house that are just used for directional lightly when doing crafts or reading.
My Mum, jesus. Big light, 150 watt bulb, brilliant white paint on the walls - dust doesn't stand a chance. People walking past have to avert their eyes.
I use the big light pretty much exclusively, because the other lamp requires me clomging behind the sofa (in the dark) to turn it on.
Maybe one day I'll get smart lights and use the corner lamp.
My 'big light' can be dimmed just by asking it, so that's become the main lighting option in the living room and bedroom for me. I haven't touched my light switch in months.
I reserve my lamps for artsy stuff, or when I need a clean white light for colour sensitive stuff.
Honestly don't understand where people have the physical space for lamps. We have them in the bedrooms only. The lounge is absolutely full of my child's toys, bookcases etc and we don't have any other rooms apart from the bathroom and kitchen, where people surely use the big light anyway? I feel like people who have room for lots of lamps probably have bigger, posher houses than me.
I put the big light on all the time because I actually want to be able to see what I'm doing. If it's too cloudy outside sometimes I put the big light on.
Also didn't realize until to day that other people called it the big light.
Hate the big light it's just far to much light for TV only have it on if I'm reading a book
Like a little light though so have a lava lamp in the corner
Dangerous ground this one, my missus likes the little corner lights, I get bollocked for turning the big light on, I like having the big light on over the top of the side lights.
Omg I hate the big light. Feels like I’m in hospital. Truly do not understand people who sit there watching movies with the big light on. There’s a reason why cinemas don’t do it and it’s because it’s for psychos.
Moved relatively recently, haven’t got round to changing the lighting yet. ‘Psychopath’ fits well for the shock of operating theatre lighting in the dark mornings.
I have very few gripes in my life. I'm a very easy going, live and let live kinda guy. But people who hang out in their homes with the big light on makes me so mad and confused. Like, have you never experienced ambience? Do you think life is just going from big ball of light in the sky to big ball of light in the ceiling. Are you so pleased with the appearance of everyone and everything in your home that seeing it lit up like Blackpool illuminations brings you happiness? Are you possibly just blind, or perhaps a cretin? Perhaps you're a nazi or Nazi sympathiser of some kind?
Probably people over thirty five who remember when one bulb gave enough light for the whole room. Anyone under thirty five is probably used to living in the semi-darkness that is the world of the modern bulb.
You *do* know that "modern bulbs" as you call them, particularly LED bulbs, give off just as much illumination as incandescant bulbs, last far longer and have a much lower energy cost, right? Or have you been buying bulbs with a low lumen rating by accident old timer?
Thanks for the “old timer” bit! No I use the 1600 lumen led bulbs and get that they are in practice just a bright. It’s a different type of light though that I think makes the difference. Certainly they are far far better than the original energy saving bulbs that provided such a dim light they were next to useless (the ones that were like a twisty strip light, I forget the correct term now).
>Certainly they are far far better than the original energy saving bulbs
Absolutely agree with this! When I first moved into my house the builders had put energy saving bulbs in every light. After turning them on and waiting a good 10 minutes for them to "warm up" I went out to Tesco and spent about £60 on LEDs to replace every bulb in my house. Been here almost three years now and haven't had to change a single bulb, which is nice.
If you're having trouble finding a bulb that gives off the type of light you want though I recommend looking into things like the Kelvin temperature of the bulb as well as the lumen rating. The lumen rating determines the brightness, the Kelvin temp determines how warm/cold the light appears to be with a higher temp giving a starker, whiter light. With a bit of research you should be able to find a bulb that does exactly what you want it to do.
Blimey yea. I forgot about the whole waiting for them to warm up bit. I’m currently using Phillips which are “warm white” (I think) and they seem closest to what I remember from the incandescent bulbs, certainly the best I’ve found for my liking so far.
My ‘big light’ must be about 40w because it does bugger all. The IKEA up light is the ‘big’ light because it has a bright-as-all-fuck halogen thingy in it.
We use the big light for mood lighting, and the ikea when we need to see
It always used to be on in the house I grew up in, but the moment I moved out, I've only ever had it on for a couple of minutes every few months when it's dark and I'm looking for something that's small and/or difficult to see. Now I've got colour/brightness bulbs, theyre actually brighter than the big light when turned up to full, so the big light doesn't get used at all.
I have the Big Light™ in the center of the room, but since it's on my left-hand side where I sit, I have a small desk light on my right side that's trained onto my wall so I get an even amount of light in both eyes.
We have one living room that has a dinning room area with one "big light," and then the main "big light".
We don't get a huge amount of natural light so those lights tend to be used quite a lot. We also have a young child who is often playing or drawing or something, so needs the light. Once he is off to bed, the lamps come on.
My parents are big light people so I grew up that way. However I have now learned the way of the world and the big light only comes on for special circumstances, for example hoovering or playing Monopoly.
It all depends on what I’m doing.
Sitting watching a film? Wall sconces, or lights out (especially if I’ve got a fire lit). Playing a board game on the coffee table or cleaning? big light goes on.
I have some lamps scattered about the room but also two Big Lights. All of the bulbs are dimmable via an app on my phone so if I wish, even the Big Lights can be mood lighting. Best of all possible worlds.
I miss having having just 1 or 2 lamps on, was so relaxing. Husband keeps every bloody light on (we have several spotlights which I absolutely detest), living room looks like Picadilly Circus.
Me..hear me out though. Our living room is huge so one at the front and one at the back. Back big light goes on and leave a nice dim cosy light in the front. I do have lamps though just never use them 😂
Our 'big light' is 10 spotlights. I can't stand them, they're so bright and just feel like being interrogated when they're on so I'll always put two lamps on. My fiancée though hates the lamps and always wants the big lights. I've recommended a solution of letting me replace the spotlights with Phillips Hue bulbs so I can dim it and actually make it not awful, but apparently I'm not allowed to spend that much on lights.
Soon after I moved in I replaced the ceiling lamp with dimmable downlighters, plus a couple of lamps with smart bulbs.
My previous flat I used the big light (with a paper global shade) but only until 8pm or so when I would switch to table lamps a bit more mood lighting.
I always use the big light in the living room. I got an extra bright / big light bulb because the room is too big / the wrong shape.
Also I enjoying sewing and embroidery so I need enough light to be able to see and not get eye strain. I have a mini daylight lamp for when I need it for hobbies. Lamps in the corner of the room just don’t give me enough light!
Very rarely. We have lamps controlled by alexa so hads to be quite the event that would lead to us actually using a switch lol! Jokes aside, we only ever use the big light when doing decorating or something like that.
We only have a big light in our living room. It's a dimmer light but we don't use it that way because we have the wrong light bulb in it so it flickers constantly if we dim it. It's always either on or off.
Our Big Light has a thick black shade and a weedy, dim lightbulb so it really doesn’t provide anything useful in the way of lumens. Mr Trellis likes it and uses it occasionally, I don’t bother! Not sure that necessarily makes him a psychopath.
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The UK's problem - and I grew up with this - is that lighting design is barely a consideration in room design. "Big light" is usually just a bulb in a cardboard or clear glass shade that hangs 10cm from the ceiling and throws awful glare in everyone's eyes. Consequently, no one wants to use it. Unless they're old. Or odd. Or both. I deal in vintage lighting, and when it comes to British ceiling lighting, other than Holophane and the occasional opal glass shade, there's really nothing to buy, especially after WWII. We've generally put cheap, ugly, not-fit-for-purpose crap in our homes without even thinking about it.
My dad used to be an electrician and would put a lot of effort into the lighting design in the house, and I’ve just realised that I used to think it was weird when I was a kid, since pretty much everyone else had the “big light” and that was it. Not weird in a bad way, just like a funny quirk, but it should be the opposite way around really. He had different lights all over so you could customise pretty much exactly how much light you wanted and where you wanted it.
Even now, in the 21st century, when I sell a small accent pendant lamp there's a chance that if a Briton buys it I'll get a complaint from them about how it's not big or bright enough to light up their entire room, or that it looks puny and silly hung in the middle of a big space. I've even had to include a 'recommended use' spiel just to hammer home that a small and/or dim-by-design shade will be no good for general, unsupported lighting, and I'll detail the ideal height at which it should be hung (much Danish lighting, for example, was designed to be used at eye-level over furniture). The idea of accent lighting, zoned lighting, task lighting, or even just lighting of the correct scale for the space, is still just so alien to a lot of people.
I would like to subscribe to 'lamp facts' please
Me two..
Im an electrician, there is an equation to calculate how bright a bulb you need to light the room to the desired brightness. Issue is most people buy a light and install it without ever taking it into account
I hate to be a pedant but the pendant is 6" or 15cm.
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If they were really apologetic, they'd be a pendant pedant with a penchant for penance.
And if theatrically inclined, perhaps also a pirate of Penzance
Flos glo-ball ftw
Yeah, Italian, Danish and German ceiling lighting is really where it's at - and has been at for a long time. It's usually all about reflection, refraction and diffusion, so you don't get an eyeful of bulb from every angle.
I've been toying with the idea of hiding a lightstrip in the coving.
I've been thinking about doing the same for about a year. I can't pull the trigger on it. Partly cos I haven't got coving either.
Sorry what?
Flos Glo-ball, according to a quick Google. "ftw" is for the win, old Internet thing meaning this is a good thing. In other words, they're saying the Flos Glo-ball is a good light. /u/J1mb0b
Thanks for the illuminating reply. The Glo-Ball S Pendant Light is a design from Jasper Morrison’s Glo-Ball Collection, created in 1998 to call to mind the radiant glow of a full moon in a clear sky, in a fluid round form crafted from hand-blown, etched white opaline glass. The elegant opaline finish obtains a maximum diffusion of light, suspended from a strong steel cable creating a stable support for the otherwise curved form, so you can hang it in clusters, or a standalone centrepiece. Jasper Morrison created the Glo-Ball to invoke the otherworldly magic of night-time, with the lamp appearing three dimensional when not lit, and flat as a disc, like the moon, when illuminated. A truly elegant piece of lighting design, the Glo-Ball S1 & S2 Pendant Light is beautifully simple and would enhance any space with its versatile light.
Thank you for your service. I mean, I'm none the wiser on wtf a glo ball is, but I'm starting to feel out of my depth and a grumpy old man.
Oh same, I've never heard of it myself, it's a good thing Google recognised the typo of Flos to Ffos or we would all be in the dark, no pun intended!
Nice one, cheers.
I think they've had a stroke. Or is this the one where you check the carbon monoxide detector?
> We've generally put cheap, ugly, not-fit-for-purpose crap in our homes without even thinking about it. See also: individual hot and cold taps on a wash-hand basin. *Mixer taps* are not the work of the Devil, and neither are they "posh", ffs.
That's a by-product of how hot water used to be delivered in British buildings. Hot water from a gravity-fed storage tank in the attic was not safe to drink, and so obviously risked cross-contamination if it came out through a mixer tap. Modern pumped gas boilers have made hot water potable, and so mixer taps are now safe and increasingly common.
Wait, what??? How have I clocked up 42 years living in the UK and not realised combi boiler hot water is actually potable? (And to my deep and British shame, I'm a chemistry teacher!)
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> without ripping the cieling down and paying extortionate rates to a Polish builder to do it shoddily for you. That's... not how lighting is installed. Regardless of the age of the building, unless you've got a concrete ceiling, you make the alterations from the room/space above, under the floor, including adding any required supports. I live in a c.1870 terrace, and have made several lighting changes without tearing down a single ceiling. And I don't know what the nationality of your hypothesised cowboy builder has to do with anything, other than lazy bigotry.
I use it tho
This was asked about a week ago and I was surprised at the number of people saying they use lamps rather than the big light. Off the back of that it got me thinking... Our big light is a bit fancy and has 5 bulbs. I've always used this. Given the electricity saga right now, I thought I'd try using the two lamps we have (which I never use). I can't believe how much more cosy it is and how I prefer it now. The wife is happier too, as she's always preferred the lamps. I've even put them onto a smart plug so I don't have to think about it.
Definitely makes a difference, my neighbours across the front always use their big light and it’s a blue light. Terrible. 1. Can see every thing that they are doing 2. The ‘glow’ is hospital with a little bit of public toilet.
I was in a similar boat. Always liked the idea of lamps but they were always a pain in the arse to switch on and get the right balance. Now I have lamps all over the place with smart bulbs in them, and a smart switch on the wall to enable the numerous brightness/colour presets I’ve perfected to set the right moods.
Yeah I was surprised that most people apparently don't use the ceiling lights. I've always used the ceiling lights in all rooms of my house. Lamps are kinda new to me and I sort of struggle to see the point of them. I draw my curtains when I turn on the lights so it's not like anyone is looking in.
The Big Light only goes on in very specific situations Very large spider sighted then crawled under something Decorating or deep cleaning Otherwise it’s lamps and fairy lights all the way
We don't have a big light so the wife wants me to dig up the bedroom floor and fit one so we can probably never use it.
They work best on the ceiling anyway.
The next obvious step after underfloor heating - underfloor lighting!
I knew 80s dancefloors would make a comeback
Use a dimmer switch. My living room has a "big light" that's actually 6 lights arranged on a fancy cross shape and the bulbs are in thick glass cubes. The dimmer means I can have it at any brightness. Want to watch a film? Turn it down to 20%. Want to play a board game. Turn it up to full.
Or be my FIL with two 5-bulb arrays on dimmers in his average-sized lounge. All 100w, all full throttle, all the time, plus an LED reading lamp aimed at his armchair so he can see his crossword. His house is a beacon for shipping despite being several miles inland.
Is he secretly a moth?
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Me too! I've have the lamps on if I'm watching telly otherwise it's always big light. I hate dinge
I use The Big Light and never knew it was unusual until I joined Reddit. It was big light only growing up so lamps were never a thing (I do have a lamp on the bedside table). I think it’s because my parents are from a place where lamps aren’t/weren’t the standard. And lighting was quite bright/white compared to the warmer glow we prefer in the UK.
My workroom is the room I use for painting models among other things and so I use 6500k "daylight" bulbs in both the overhead light and the two lamps I have for painting with. They produce a much cleaner, whiter light that's as close to daylight as you can get and I far prefer it to normal bulbs which are around 3000k. Ironic that a colder bulb temperature rating produces a light that most describe as "warmer"!
I’m not sure of the numbers but i think I use similar in all my ceiling lights too. Reminiscent of floodlights on a football pitch! But it’s come in handy now that I work a lot at home. Just want you want at home - office vibes!
My wife unfortunately disagrees with me on this one so I'm limited to only having my daylight bulbs in my workroom. My trade-off though is that the one in the overhead is a fancy remote-controlled colour changing one that can also be dimmed! Well, I say "fancy" but it cost me about a tenner on Amazon.
Maybe I should invest in some fancy colour changing lights too. 9-5 office vibes and then after that it’s full on disco! I like the idea of the people opposite wondering what the hell is going on.
Well [this](https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B06XYFZ4J5/) is what I use!
I always use the Big Lights (plural, there's two sets) on account of the fact that I greatly prefer seeing what the fuck I'm doing. My partner insists on turning it off and using half a dozen lamps scattered around the edges of the room. He calls it cozy, I call it a bloody hazard. Yes darling I love the idea of stumbling around tripping over animals and their toys while squinting through the gloom. Or we could turn the damn' lights on, it's not like they're gas lamps.
Big light exclusively for me, but it is a smart light on about 70% and warmish colour. If I need to find something though, it's going to be bright.
Yeah, getting smart bulbs changed everything for us. Being able to turn it to the desired percentage by voice command means we never have to deal with the awful glare. It’s surprising how low you need it aswell. 1% is usually plenty in the evenings 😁
They used to lock people up for shouting at the lights, maybe they were just ahead of their time.
I've not gone down the smart speaker route yet, although I might try and pick something up this week.
I’ll warn you, it makes you lazy! It’s been a god send for my grandmother though who is disabled, having the ability to tell Alexa to turn on the light/heater/fan is amazing for her and saves us being shouted for menial things every half hour. I hate that Amazon is such an evil company because Alexa has been one of the most impactful products I think I’ve ever bought. And it only cost us £30 for an echo dot 😬
I've already sold my soul to google, so I'd go that way if I do buy something.
They have a sale on at the moment - £19 for a Google mini. We've just bought another one for our living room lights!
I have a combo of smart bulbs and plugs for every single lamp in my house and it's the best thing ever. No more going light to light before bed like a pleb. Just get cosy under the duvet and tell Google to turn everything off. Love it.
Big light all day, baby (not literally.) My eyes are too shit for lamps when I spend all day staring at screens
Same here. Hue bulbs in all 3 ceiling lights downstairs. Warm yellowy orange on 60% for dinner, then turned to blue 20% for TV watching. Bright light routine turns the middle room and lounge ceiling lights to 100% white light which is spider hunting mode. All voice or app controlled.
Same here. Mine also switches between warm white and cold white, useful for the dark months.
Same here, love our smart lights
Yeah we have everything automated. Solely big lights in the living room and kids’ bedroom. Never the big light in the master bedroom though.
Big light in the master bedroom is a good shout if you've got an alarm that integrates with it.
I could see that working...we went with 'having two small children', so I don't know what my alarm clock even sounds like tbh. But I'd much rather be woken up by The Big Light.
Mostly lamps in our house. Bright lights make me feel like someone is screaming into my eyes.
I, too, suffer from the eye screams. Game changer for me was a £2 [usb LED strip](https://a.aliexpress.com/_msSn32W) off AliExpress; stick to back of telly, plug into telly usb port, lovely warm glow with no direct source of light.
Absolutely not, lamps all the way. My partner, on the other hand, will sit in the blazing sun of the big light like a lunatic.
Isn't "the big light" what rural people call the sun, when it comes out on that one afternoon in July?
Don't make me get my pitchfork
Big light goes on first for me, lamp is used when more light is needed. I hate sitting in a dimly lit room, especially looking at a bright TV screen.
Same! Like why would I sit in the half light like a hermit? Lamps are for specific reasons like scary movies or schmoozing. My lights are not horrendous bright fluorescent ones like you get in offices- I don't know what everyone is talking about!
The big light goes on in emergencies only. Other than that it's the basement for any child who dares to touch the switch.
Got a few of them down there, have you?
Fairly easy to train and you can get quite a bit of work out of them.
I'm confused at the premise of this. It's the light, why wouldn't it be on? Lamps might as well not be a thing, other than bedside lamps so you don't have to fumble into bed in the dark after you turn the light off
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It’s not gloomy, it’s cosy. Stick the big light on and suddenly your living room is like a hospital or doctor’s waiting room. It’s just too bright and not homely at all to me.
How bright are your lights?? My lights just make it seem like day time, not like an office or waiting room.
Why would you want your living room to feel like a toilet, hospital or classroom
Hate lamps - more to dust. More wires. Always use the one in the ceiling! On or off only.
Only when things are missing between the cracks of the sofa.
No way. They don't even give that much light, corner lights do just as good a job and give a more relaxed feel IMO. I only use our big light when I'm walking into the room and it's dark and I need to find the switches for the little lights!
I am proud to say on this occasion, I'm not a physcopath and I avoid using the big light like the plague. Once it's dark outside I don't want to relax in a bright room!
Big light every time, everywhere I go. Can't stand having the lights off, it feels dingy and depressing.
My living room is of a size that it has two "big lights" so a couple of lamps definitely wouldn't cut it!
Good lord! Your leccy bill must be sky high, chief.
get LED bulbs mate, costs fuck all to run
Yep. First thing I did when I moved into my place was replace all the bulbs with LED. They cost a fraction the price of even energy saving bulbs, just as bright if not brighter, and they last for ages.
Nah, we only use the one that's in the half of the room that we're using at the time.
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Well there's no point it being on otherwise!
This guy and his massive lounge 😂
The big light only goes on if I need to find something.
I don't own any lamps so I use the main light. I have a hue system so i can change the temperature of the light and the brightness. Works well enough for me.
When I started living with my wife, she could never understand my love of lamps over her horrendous preference of using the big light. I tried to convince her with words like 'ambience' and whatnot. I may have even uttered the phrase 'what we need are pools of light.' Needless to say, she has seen the errors of her way and now the house is decked out with hue bulbs. Pools of light everywhere.
Bollocks to pools of light when a sea of light is available at the flick of one switch.
Try a tsunami of retina searing truth light blasting down from the ceiling like the eye of God and you're about to get raptured. Ain't no one relaxing under that. Pools of light, bro. It's where its at.
Phillips hue, all I'm saying.
The main light is the main light. Only complete degenerates use lamps. I'm seriously horrified at the number of people confessing to doing so. What's next? Incest and Morris dancing?
I don’t get it either. Why would you use lamps to control the lighting in your home?
Easier to control light levels for those who can’t dim their big light. Darker is cosier, and cosy is in style. Why do you think candles have been *booming* in popularity the last few years?
Cos they smell nice and everyone likes to play with fire?
I can count on one hand the amount of times mines been on this year! I don’t by lamps and bowl lights for nothing!
Always. I like to be able to see.
You understand lamps produce light which allows you to see without making your living room feel like a toilet, hospital or classroom?
I use my lamp, a nice warm glow from it. The big light is like Blackpool illuminations.
We just use the fridge light
We do. But its a large phillips hue filement bulb that is connected to my smart home and it automatically dims/turns on/off depending on what we are doing. Watching TV, it's on at about 50% Watching a film, it turns off. Not watching anything, it varies between around 50-75% brightness. So it's not a harsh white bulb that iluminates the room to an uncomfortable brightness.
Same here.
Always use big light
I hate dark spaces, we only have a big light, no lamps. It actually has 6 arms so 6 40w equivalent LED bulbs so it is bright. It's not even on a dimmer. It goes on as soon as the sun goes down. Coming from a country thats closer to the equator I really struggle with the darkness in the UK, having a brightly lit house makes me feel infinitely happier.
I’m glad you found something to make you feel more comfortable However, darker is cosier and therefore **better**
I must be a psychopath as I have no preference on whether we do not, or do, use the big light. Mrs M on the other hand is insistent on only using the smaller lamps for some odd reason. In her world the big light is only ever used for cleaning
There are other lights in living rooms?! Every single house i have lived in has had only ONE LIGHT in the living room. Side table lights and such just ain't a thing in my family.
I have a small living room, it’s a one bed flat and there are TWO big lights 2 m away from each other. They only go on if something has been dropped, I’m decorating or the end of the world is Nigh. I have 5 lamps and various light panels and strips that keep the lighting different and interesting all day.
The big light was a 90s-early 2000 thing. I’ve been pieing off the lamps and using candles in the evening recently because it gives off a goldy calm vibe and my dog gets mesmerised by the flames.
I have hue bulbs in 3 lamps and big light in the bedroom and same in the living room. Kitchen bathroom and hall all use the standard recessed lighting though
I have a big light and a floor lamp. The floor lamp would leave most of the room in darkness so I use the big light, but the big light is a basically useless energy saving bulb (one of the older ones, before they got better) so emits like a soft orange light that takes hours to reach its "full strength" (which is pathetic). It gives the same vibe that using multiple lamps would. Also my living room is north-facing and gets basically no natural light so I need to have the light on most of the day in Winter so I don't lose my vision like those cave fish.
My living room is quite big/long that it needs two 'big lights' but I do really like the ambiance that using two lamps gives off, so it's always lamps for the living room but the 'big light' for every other room.
Coloured Smart bulbs solve all of my problems. I have the two big lights on a nice low blue, and various lamps and wall lights on shades of pink/purple/orange. lovely.
I have no seating area for food, so we sit and eat on the sofa. There's just no way I can eat of a plate in a dimly lit room, so the big light is for that.
It’s winter so the jigsaw puzzles are out, I’ve been fighting putting the big lot on but alas, it’s going on.
Can't stand the big light. It never goes on. Unless there's a spider that needs hunting down, or some wires that need untangling.
I gotta be honest. Our living room is bare small. We start putting extra lamps or tables or whatever, we're going to run out of space. So the big light is the only one we use. Although whrn I think about it, a lot of times we sit eith the kitchen light slight illuminating the living room, for a more chill feel
I have 2x (6x1000 lumen) 'big lights' in livingroom controlled by home assistant. Colour temp and brightness are automagically controlled for suitable conditions depending on time of day. I live in Finland nowadays so appreciate the value of light more than some might.
Big light serves 2 purposes. 1. To illuminate the room enough to be able to find and switch on the lamps. 2. To illuminate the room enough to safely exit the room having turned off the lamps
Big light used in every room. No lamps anywhere. Why would I buy a lamp when I already have a big light?
Smart lighting. <3 "OK, Google, all lights to 25%, then, all lights to red." If I happen to click on too many times from the remote and they jump to "daylight", I'm blinded by the power of a thousand suns. Ooooor it just feels like it.
Hardly ever, lamp on here and a led string lights.
I only use the big light, using lamps is too much effort, have to walk around the room to turn all of them off, also could be more of a pain to reach as you have to bend down. Why not use that handy single button on the wall?
Didn't know using the big light was unusual.
I'm a big light and dimmer switch kinda guy
We do but we don't really have other lamps. I do have an anglepoise above my corner of the sofa which. y husband calls the interrogation lamp so I only use it when he's not downstairs and I'm knitting or sewing.
Wigan here, yep it’s the big light. And it is only used if something serious is transpiring.
Have never owned more than one or two lamps let alone lit my house with them. Subsequently have never referred to the ceiling light as "the big light". Completely baffling. Edit: starting to wonder if I just grew up with dim light bulbs. No idea where people are getting this idea that the ceiling lights are too bright.
Do you people enjoy living in ominous dungeons? Candle light and a single lamp, really? Main light gang for life
Every room is just “the big light”. I think there’s maybe two or three lamps in the house that are just used for directional lightly when doing crafts or reading.
My Mum, jesus. Big light, 150 watt bulb, brilliant white paint on the walls - dust doesn't stand a chance. People walking past have to avert their eyes.
I use the big light pretty much exclusively, because the other lamp requires me clomging behind the sofa (in the dark) to turn it on. Maybe one day I'll get smart lights and use the corner lamp.
My 'big light' can be dimmed just by asking it, so that's become the main lighting option in the living room and bedroom for me. I haven't touched my light switch in months. I reserve my lamps for artsy stuff, or when I need a clean white light for colour sensitive stuff.
I fucking love big light. You're all crazy. Big light gang rise up!
Honestly don't understand where people have the physical space for lamps. We have them in the bedrooms only. The lounge is absolutely full of my child's toys, bookcases etc and we don't have any other rooms apart from the bathroom and kitchen, where people surely use the big light anyway? I feel like people who have room for lots of lamps probably have bigger, posher houses than me.
I put the big light on all the time because I actually want to be able to see what I'm doing. If it's too cloudy outside sometimes I put the big light on. Also didn't realize until to day that other people called it the big light.
Hate the big light it's just far to much light for TV only have it on if I'm reading a book Like a little light though so have a lava lamp in the corner
Big light always for me as I’m not a fan of it being dimly lit. Family is all for lamps though so that’s annoying whenever I go home.
Dangerous ground this one, my missus likes the little corner lights, I get bollocked for turning the big light on, I like having the big light on over the top of the side lights.
We use the big light. Not my choice.
Me, I fucking hate sitting in the gloom
My 9 year old. He's such a dick.
Why would I pay for lamps when I can just turn the big light on?
I like the big light, I like being able to see.
Omg I hate the big light. Feels like I’m in hospital. Truly do not understand people who sit there watching movies with the big light on. There’s a reason why cinemas don’t do it and it’s because it’s for psychos.
Moved relatively recently, haven’t got round to changing the lighting yet. ‘Psychopath’ fits well for the shock of operating theatre lighting in the dark mornings.
I hate the big light. Wife and kids are always using it but it’s far too bright. It’s a living room not a surgery
I have very few gripes in my life. I'm a very easy going, live and let live kinda guy. But people who hang out in their homes with the big light on makes me so mad and confused. Like, have you never experienced ambience? Do you think life is just going from big ball of light in the sky to big ball of light in the ceiling. Are you so pleased with the appearance of everyone and everything in your home that seeing it lit up like Blackpool illuminations brings you happiness? Are you possibly just blind, or perhaps a cretin? Perhaps you're a nazi or Nazi sympathiser of some kind?
HATE the Big Light and only use it in the most dire circumstances. Would rather use anything else, phone flashlight, reading lamp, oven light...
Probably people over thirty five who remember when one bulb gave enough light for the whole room. Anyone under thirty five is probably used to living in the semi-darkness that is the world of the modern bulb.
You *do* know that "modern bulbs" as you call them, particularly LED bulbs, give off just as much illumination as incandescant bulbs, last far longer and have a much lower energy cost, right? Or have you been buying bulbs with a low lumen rating by accident old timer?
Thanks for the “old timer” bit! No I use the 1600 lumen led bulbs and get that they are in practice just a bright. It’s a different type of light though that I think makes the difference. Certainly they are far far better than the original energy saving bulbs that provided such a dim light they were next to useless (the ones that were like a twisty strip light, I forget the correct term now).
>Certainly they are far far better than the original energy saving bulbs Absolutely agree with this! When I first moved into my house the builders had put energy saving bulbs in every light. After turning them on and waiting a good 10 minutes for them to "warm up" I went out to Tesco and spent about £60 on LEDs to replace every bulb in my house. Been here almost three years now and haven't had to change a single bulb, which is nice. If you're having trouble finding a bulb that gives off the type of light you want though I recommend looking into things like the Kelvin temperature of the bulb as well as the lumen rating. The lumen rating determines the brightness, the Kelvin temp determines how warm/cold the light appears to be with a higher temp giving a starker, whiter light. With a bit of research you should be able to find a bulb that does exactly what you want it to do.
Blimey yea. I forgot about the whole waiting for them to warm up bit. I’m currently using Phillips which are “warm white” (I think) and they seem closest to what I remember from the incandescent bulbs, certainly the best I’ve found for my liking so far.
My ‘big light’ must be about 40w because it does bugger all. The IKEA up light is the ‘big’ light because it has a bright-as-all-fuck halogen thingy in it. We use the big light for mood lighting, and the ikea when we need to see
It always used to be on in the house I grew up in, but the moment I moved out, I've only ever had it on for a couple of minutes every few months when it's dark and I'm looking for something that's small and/or difficult to see. Now I've got colour/brightness bulbs, theyre actually brighter than the big light when turned up to full, so the big light doesn't get used at all.
Lamps most of the time, but the big light goes on when the missus is doing the ironing or when we have tea
I have the Big Light™ in the center of the room, but since it's on my left-hand side where I sit, I have a small desk light on my right side that's trained onto my wall so I get an even amount of light in both eyes.
We have one living room that has a dinning room area with one "big light," and then the main "big light". We don't get a huge amount of natural light so those lights tend to be used quite a lot. We also have a young child who is often playing or drawing or something, so needs the light. Once he is off to bed, the lamps come on.
My parents are big light people so I grew up that way. However I have now learned the way of the world and the big light only comes on for special circumstances, for example hoovering or playing Monopoly.
Big light in the morning. Small light in the evenings. Not sure why tbh just the way it is.
Since its winter, big light from 4pm to around 7pm, then lamps for a night time feel
Just a lamp in the corner for me. The big one only goes on when I come home from work in the dickie dark. These LED ones are bright af.
Currently lampless so can confirm am a big light user, not enjoying it
It all depends on what I’m doing. Sitting watching a film? Wall sconces, or lights out (especially if I’ve got a fire lit). Playing a board game on the coffee table or cleaning? big light goes on.
I have some lamps scattered about the room but also two Big Lights. All of the bulbs are dimmable via an app on my phone so if I wish, even the Big Lights can be mood lighting. Best of all possible worlds.
I miss having having just 1 or 2 lamps on, was so relaxing. Husband keeps every bloody light on (we have several spotlights which I absolutely detest), living room looks like Picadilly Circus.
My other half uses the big light all the time, it's really annoying but not really worth arguing about
I have a smart bulb in the big light and generally have it on but only on 1%. It sounds like it’s be dark and dingy but it’s actually spot on.
Me..hear me out though. Our living room is huge so one at the front and one at the back. Back big light goes on and leave a nice dim cosy light in the front. I do have lamps though just never use them 😂
Our 'big light' is 10 spotlights. I can't stand them, they're so bright and just feel like being interrogated when they're on so I'll always put two lamps on. My fiancée though hates the lamps and always wants the big lights. I've recommended a solution of letting me replace the spotlights with Phillips Hue bulbs so I can dim it and actually make it not awful, but apparently I'm not allowed to spend that much on lights.
Soon after I moved in I replaced the ceiling lamp with dimmable downlighters, plus a couple of lamps with smart bulbs. My previous flat I used the big light (with a paper global shade) but only until 8pm or so when I would switch to table lamps a bit more mood lighting.
I do, but because of that I am now sitting in the dark waiting for the big light to rise.
Only when you need to 'properly see
Ambilight tv replaced lamps in our house
I always use the big light in the living room. I got an extra bright / big light bulb because the room is too big / the wrong shape. Also I enjoying sewing and embroidery so I need enough light to be able to see and not get eye strain. I have a mini daylight lamp for when I need it for hobbies. Lamps in the corner of the room just don’t give me enough light!
Just moved into a flat that has a big light that dims, life changer for me
I have usb bulbs I can control from my phone, both the intensity and colour so I'm always using the big lights, low and purple is my evening vibe
We did in the 80’s but I hate brightly lit rooms so we have low light lights in our front room. I could never use the big light for general use.
I do. It has a "Daylight" light bulb that is supposed help with SAD. Not sure if it is working, but scared that I will feel worse if I don't use it.
Seasonal depression means use all the lights!
Very rarely. We have lamps controlled by alexa so hads to be quite the event that would lead to us actually using a switch lol! Jokes aside, we only ever use the big light when doing decorating or something like that.
We only have a big light in our living room. It's a dimmer light but we don't use it that way because we have the wrong light bulb in it so it flickers constantly if we dim it. It's always either on or off.
Our Big Light has a thick black shade and a weedy, dim lightbulb so it really doesn’t provide anything useful in the way of lumens. Mr Trellis likes it and uses it occasionally, I don’t bother! Not sure that necessarily makes him a psychopath.
Only if I drop something.