Composing with evening light

We often light our homes in the evening as if it were broad daylight: a strong light from above that flattens everything. Yet a few gestures are enough for a room to become calmer and more welcoming, without changing anything but its light.

Switch off the ceiling light

Light falling from the ceiling draws hard shadows and flattens volumes. In the evening, replace it with several lower, softer sources. The room immediately seems larger and deeper, and materials — linen, wood, stone — regain their texture.

Three heights of light

A successful atmosphere is built on three levels:

• on the floor, a floor lamp turned towards the wall or ceiling, for indirect light;
• at table height, a table lamp on a console or bedside table, for everyday gestures;
• on the wall, a light painting, which gives its colour to the whole and serves as the focal point.

Each stays at low intensity: it is their sum that creates the softness.

It is not the amount of light that counts, it is where it falls.

One colour temperature

Nothing disturbs an atmosphere more than a cold white among warm lights. In the evening, keep warm-white bulbs, whose tone is close to that of a flame or a setting sun. Our paintings diffuse their light through a warm gradient: they naturally blend with them.

Dim as the evening goes on

Evening light is not fixed. Early in the evening it can be generous; as the hour advances, lower it in steps. A dimmable painting lets you do this with one gesture, and the scheduled switch-off closes the day without you having to think about it. A candle is then enough to end the evening.