I will never turn on the “Big Light.” The term has become shorthand for any overhead, flush-mounted light — especially a boob light, especially one with a glaring, cool, too-bright tone. I’m not the only one — as Luke Winkie reported for Slate, the Big Light is polarizing, and it’s become a source of domestic discord between partners and roommates, some of whom see turning on the Big Light as an act of war. The defense is that you need to see; the critique is that it’s akin to unleashing a wrecking ball on the cozy vibe you’ve curated with smaller, warmer lamps.
Like a millennial household, the Big Light has divided the Strategist staff and ignited vigorous debates. When I polled my colleagues, 32 percent are never-Big-Lighters, and 68 percent use it with some caveats — primarily in the kitchen or dining room, during work hours, and to always change the bulbs.
Dominique Pariso, writer: I’m ashamed to admit it, but I’m a Big Light person. I can’t see! My roommate comes home every day and turns the Big Light off.
Tembe Denton-Hurst, writer: Dom, I will buy you a headlight. Vibes over vision.
Alexis Swerdloff, deputy editor: I’m always turning on 893 little lights, and my husband saunters in and turns on the overhead Big Light. You know what has solved my Big Light fight? I wander around like Ebenezer Scrooge with this portable lamp.
Simone Kitchens, senior editor: I changed the lightbulbs and put three table lamps in the kitchen. I got this portable one.
Lauren Ro, home writer: I can’t see — I need really bright lights. I literally have nightmares where the light is too low! If I’m reading in the living room, I need the light to be bright. That includes the overhead lighting (there’s a Noguchi ceiling lamp, but it contains one bulb and is too dim) and all the lamps and sconces. As soon as the sun goes down, I turn on the Big Lights and all the small lamps.
Bella Druckman, junior writer: I’ve recently become intrigued by Tulip shades to make my ugly Big Lights more bearable.
Liza Corsillo, senior writer: I love Tulips! I had to change my lightbulbs after installing them, though, because it was too dark. I still need more lamps throughout the house to even things out.
Emma Wartzman, food and dining writer: I like them a lot — I have the ugliest boob lights and they really solved two problems. I put one in my dining room area, where I need an overhead for when we’re eating, and one in my entryway area, where I don’t need nice light as urgently, but the fixture was especially terrible-looking. They do mute the light a bit, but I don’t mind that.
I also have this floor lamp, which is one of the best purchases I have ever made — I needed something in a small corner that wasn’t a towering floor lamp with a big shade, but there was also no room for a table lamp. It’s a really great fix for random spots.
Winnie Yang, senior editor: My husband does not like a Big Light unless it’s in the right volume of space. Big fixtures need, like, 20-foot ceilings. He did all the planning for the lighting for our renovation, which are all Sonneman cans. We are both very picky about the temperature of the lighting (it needs to be between 2700 and 3000 Kelvin). We hate lights that are too blue.
Erin Schwartz, writer: My partner and I both hate the Big Light. The best light is layered, and the Big Light is so bright and glaring that it destroys any layers you’re adding.
Even in the kitchen, I use a Hay warm white tube light above the cabinets. It’s like a less harsh overhead. It’s pretty bright, and it’s mounted high enough to light the whole room, but the light bounces off the ceiling so it isn’t as directional or aggressive.
Sam Daly, deals editor: I lucked out when my old job was moving from a huge office to a co-working space. We had to do a lot of downsizing, so I got this Artemide lamp for free and it is still the best.
Ailbhe Malone, senior editor: I am a vintage Anglepoise freak — I have five. Big ones, small ones, table ones, bedside ones. No better bendy light, and Anglepoise repairs for life!
Amelia Jerden, sleep writer: I think the Big Light is okay during the daytime, especially if there’s a fair amount of natural light anyway. I hate being in the dark, both vibes-wise and for my ability to see. But not all Big Lights are equal. It really depends on the color and quality of the light — I have had some deeply unsettling Big Lights, but the ones in my current apartment are okay, so I often turn them on for work, cooking, cleaning, etc.
L.C.: I am extremely nearsighted, so low light triggers my fight-or-flight response. Therefore I need the Big Light in times of stress.
Ambar Pardilla, writer: For me, turning on a small light is the equivalent of taking off my glasses — I don’t need to know, I don’t need to see, I won’t be bothered.
A.J.: I wonder if the Big Lights in a lot of apartments and newer homes are just worse. Would replacing the standard Big Lights with something less harsh and more diffuse make it better?
W.Y.: They are worse, but it’s because of the bulbs.
Crystal Martin, senior editor: I have warm, low-light bulbs in my overhead in a clear shade! So I do turn it on.
Editor’s note: Crystal’s clear Ikea shade is out of stock, but the model below is similar.
W.Y.: We’re on Lutron Caseta switches with all Hue bulbs in the lamps. You can set the color and dimness from your phone and turn it on and off remotely. We have it connected to HomeKit and whatever other device ecosystems we’re on, so you can just say, “Siri, set the living room lamps to 60 percent,” and it happens.
Some other lighting hacks we love
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