Week after week of bitter winter cold has set up the perfect scenario for curling up indoors with the written word.
But experts say reading in an ill- suited space makes the activity more difficult and less fun.
There are reasons the stereotype of the perfect reading place is a cozy room with a big chair and a bright fire. The posture for productive reading is upright but not too stiff. And the best possible light for reading is incandescent, directional lighting, or “task lighting.”
“The worst thing is not having light that fully illuminates the page you’re reading,” says Kevin Grace, head of the University of Cincinnati’s Archives & Rare Books Library.
“If your body is providing a shadow across the page, you’re going to get a headache from the eyestrain and lose concentration,” says Grace, who also teaches an anthropology course in which students observe other people’s reading habits.
If reading posture is too relaxed, one can lose concentration, Grace says. But if the body is too stiff, one tends to dislike what he or she is reading.
Lighting is key to pleasurable reading too. Edgar Allan Poe once noted the importance of the right light to indoor ambiance, and, at the same time, dispensed with the idea that home decorating is a task best left for women. In an 1840 gentleman’s magazine essay called “The Philosophy of Furniture,” he wrote:
“Glare is the leading error in the philosophy of American household decoration. A mild, or what artists term a cool, light, with its consequent warm shadows, will do wonders.”
American Library Association president Leslie Burger says creating the right ambiance for reading is the goal of today’s library design. That means libraries continue to purchase more comfortable chairs, install task lighting and yes, even have fireplaces.
“People really do respond positively to incandescent light,” says Burger, director of the Princeton, N.J., public library. “There’s something about it that makes the (book) experience more personal.”
Staff writer Elana Ashanti Jefferson can be reached at 303-954-1957 or ejefferson@denverpost.com.
Light up your life, house
Lighting falls into three categories: ambient, task and accent. Well-lit rooms – especially reading rooms – feature a combination of the three. The result is ambiance without squinting or straining your eyes.
Ambient lighting illuminates the whole room with unfocused light that bounces off walls and ceiling. It should provide enough light so that no one trips over furniture, but not be so bright that it’s hard to relax. Dimmer switches let you adjust the light to suit your needs.
Start with flush-mounted ceiling fixtures, the most common source of ambient light. They come in a range of styles, such as fluorescent units, simple globes and ceiling fans with light kits.
Accent lighting is decorative in nature, often highlighting architectural details or a work of art, and can be placed anywhere in a room. Direct track lighting downward to spotlight a room feature, while using sconces or torchieres to throw light up toward the ceiling.
Try using wall-mounted fixtures as accent lighting in hallways, bedrooms, bathrooms and dining rooms.
Task lighting pinpoints a specific area, providing light for reading, working at the computer or preparing a meal. Table, buffet and floor lamps are easily movable and provide task lighting right where it’s needed.
Another attractive selection is pendant lighting which hangs from the ceiling. It’s well-suited to high-ceilinged entryways and halls, or set above dining tables.
Be creative. Use combinations of fixtures and lighting to add dimension and interest to every room in your house.
-The Home Depot
