TL;DR
Get home appliances delivered free with Prime
- Fast, free delivery on millions of items
- Prime Video, Amazon Music and more included
- Member-only deals all year
A Livingetc report draws on Norwegian designer Gudbjørg Simonsen’s advice for lighting homes through dark winters. Her approach favours varied, layered light that supports practical tasks while creating warmth and atmosphere, rather than making every corner uniformly bright.
Livingetc has published Norwegian designer Gudbjørg Simonsen’s advice on preparing home lighting for winter, when daylight is limited in parts of Norway. Simonsen recommends treating light as both a practical tool and a source of atmosphere, using variation and layered lighting rather than aiming to brighten every part of a room evenly.
Simonsen, who is based in Stavanger, told Livingetc that a home should respond to the changing seasons instead of being designed as though daylight stays constant. She said light, shadow, colour and materials can be experienced differently across the year, and that she does not see fighting darkness as the answer. Her approach also takes account of the home’s surroundings and the lifestyle of the people who live there.
One recommendation is to let lighting vary across a room. Simonsen said she does not want spaces to be evenly illuminated, arguing that uniform light can make an interior feel flat. She looks to nature for a model: outdoor light includes brighter areas, gradual changes and shadow. In her view, those contrasts can be brought indoors rather than treating every dim corner as a problem to eliminate.
She also advocates layering lights to meet different needs. In the source report, Simonsen describes technical lighting as a way to provide precise illumination over work surfaces, guide movement through a space or draw attention to art. She prefers discreet or integrated fittings where possible, so the effect of the light takes priority over the fixture itself. The supplied report excerpt ends during this section, so it does not provide the full list of her lighting recommendations.
Lighting for Short Winter Days
The advice speaks to a practical design challenge in places where winter daylight is scarce: a home needs enough light for tasks, but brightness alone may not create a comfortable environment. Simonsen’s distinction between light that helps people see and light that affects how a room feels offers a way to think about both needs when planning a space.
She told Livingetc that a warmly lit window can signal that someone is home, creating a sense of human presence from outside. That is her interpretation of the meaning of domestic light, not a measured effect. Her broader point is that lighting choices shape a room’s atmosphere as well as its visibility, making the approach relevant to readers adjusting interiors for darker seasons.
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
Norway’s Seasonal Light Shifts
The Livingetc report says that in December, Norway can receive a maximum of about six hours of daylight per day, while the country’s northernmost areas can have no daylight. These figures are presented as background to the design advice; the source excerpt does not specify a measurement method or a particular date range for the estimate.
Simonsen’s work is informed by this pronounced seasonal change and by traditional Norwegian architecture, according to Livingetc. Rather than prescribing a single lighting setup for every home, she describes a design process shaped by the environment and the residents’ needs. The report frames her guidance as advice for winter interiors, not as a formal standard or a quantified study of lighting outcomes.
“I don’t think we can design homes as though light remains constant throughout the year. Nor do I think the answer is to fight the darkness.”
— Gudbjørg Simonsen, Norwegian designer, speaking to Livingetc
dimmable LED task and ambient lights
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
Limits of the Published Advice
The source material is an excerpt from Livingetc and cuts off partway through Simonsen’s discussion of layered lighting. It does not show whether the full article includes further recommendations, specific products, technical guidance or additional expert sources. The excerpt also gives no publication date, and it provides no research or measurements establishing how particular lighting choices affect mood.
The daylight figures are broad descriptions in the report, not a location-by-location forecast. Conditions differ across Norway, and the excerpt does not specify which northern locations or dates are used for the reference to zero daylight.
discreet integrated home lighting fixtures
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
Applying the Seasonal Approach
The report offers design guidance rather than announcing a product, policy or formal lighting plan. Readers looking to apply it can start by identifying where they need task lighting, then consider whether other lights can create softer contrasts and a welcoming atmosphere. Simonsen’s emphasis is on how light works in a particular home and for the people using it, rather than on following one fixed arrangement.
No follow-up development or further publication is identified in the supplied source material. Any additional recommendations from Simonsen would depend on the full Livingetc article or later reporting; the available excerpt does not confirm what those might be.
warm white smart bulbs for cozy atmosphere
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
Key Questions
What is the main lighting advice in the report?
Gudbjørg Simonsen recommends varied, layered lighting that meets practical needs while creating atmosphere. She argues against making every area of a room equally bright.
Who is Gudbjørg Simonsen?
She is a Norwegian designer based in Stavanger. Livingetc says her work considers the home’s surroundings, seasonal changes and the needs of its residents.
Why does the article focus on Norway?
The report says Norway has short winter days, with a maximum of about six daylight hours per day in December and no daylight in some northern areas. It uses those conditions as context for Simonsen’s seasonal design advice.
Does Simonsen recommend removing all dark corners?
No. She says she does not want a room to be evenly illuminated and suggests that shadow and brighter areas can create more natural variation indoors. The excerpt does not provide a technical rule for how much contrast to use.
Does the source provide a complete lighting plan?
No. The supplied Livingetc excerpt ends during the section on layered lighting. It describes task lighting and discreet fittings, but does not include the full set of recommendations from the article.
Source: rss
Fall yard work Picks
leaf blowers
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
