Let there be light! Or shall I say instead, let’s break it down! Since Thomas Edison introduced his 1^st successfully functioning light bulb, the Adam of all lights we take for granted today, the world was never been the same. It was the beginning of a new era in the world of science and commerce. What seems to be just an illuminating filament inside a glass, that will soon substitute a perfectly bright candle that served humankind for centuries, was about to spread like wildfire that will consume the darkness of nights of the entire planet to this day.

Back Story

After the first light bulb came to be, Thomas Edison, the inventor and entrepreneur, wanted to mass produce and sell it to the general public. Just like Bill Gates wanted to see every homes with a desktop PC, Edison wanted every household’s fire-hazardous candles be replaced by safer alternative, electric bulb. However, there’s a gigantic hurdle, electric distribution. Without electricity supply in the house, his product is a as good as science project display. In order to accomplish this he needed government aid. Hence his first customer was the Federal government itself. But again there’s another contender. His ex-intern Nikola Tesla was on the other fence spreading the gospel of alternating current (AC) against Edison’s direct current (DC). Tesla’s method of distribution is much more effective on wider and longer reach, making it more efficient in electric grid, which BTW is what we are using presently. Edison initially won the hearts of the public when he claimed that AC was so fatally dangerous by a demonstration, electrocuting an adult elephant, which died on the spot. This was the final blow to his rival Tesla and his backer Westinghouse. Thus, streetlights in New York and Washington were originally made possible by DC. But it was only as good for short distances. Years gone by until AC was finally adapted to be the method of every electric grid across America, then the rest of world.

Home Lightings

Ok enough with the history lesson, now let’s talk about the real reason you are still reading this up to this point. The lights we are using have come a long way since its conception. We enjoy much cost effective, energy efficient, and different variation of lightings in our homes. It’s important to note that the Edison’s bulb, halogen bulb, is still being used today, mainly by chicken farmers who needs the heat it emits to keep the chicks warm. Please don’t gift your side chick a halogen bulb and say “this will keep you warm in my absence”.

Most of the lights available to buy at any hardware stores are Light-emitting Diode (LED) made in China. You will have option of wattages from a low 3 watts to as high as 70 watts. There’s usually 2 options to choose from: “warm light” which is yellowish and “day light” which is white. LED is versatile in colors too, If for some reason you want bluish, reddish, or even greenish vibe, you can find one too. I personally use warm light in all living rooms and bathroom of all my Airbnb listings because 1.) it sets the tone of a relaxing mood, 2.) Day light feels very commercial, light the feel when you enter an Apple Store. My wattage of choice is usually 5 watts for small space, maximum 10 watts for bigger space. For kitchen I use day light bulb simply because anyone who prepares a meal will want to see every detail there is on the food, also you do not want to accidentally cut your finger with a knife due to poor lighting. Dining area is bit tricky. Hanging pendant light is ideal and aesthetically pleasing, I generally use day light if there’s only 1 or 2 sockets available, if there are 3 or more, warn light is better. Lastly and the most important one is bedroom. If the bedroom is less than 20 sqm floor area, day light with 10 to 15 wattage is a way to go and should be enough. For bigger bedrooms, I use warm light but I make sure to provide bedside lamps as an additional source since it will likewise be visually pleasant.

Socket Specs

This one you need to bear with me. I generally use socket E27 across all my Airbnb listings since this is widely available in any hardware stores. The smaller versions size E14 and E10 are also widely available to buy, but they are for specific light instrument, such as Chandelier and altar lights. I don’t have those in any of my Airbnb. If you want to make your room feel like an artist studio, you may use track lights and the socket for this is called Gu10, pin type and twist type. Pin is like a 2-prong socket, just insert and you’re good. Twist is you insert then turn clockwise until you it clicks. I guess the twist type is better for me since it will not easily get loosen. There’s another kind of track light that has no socket, the bulb is built into a module which you will attach on the track then lock it in. Then came the LED strips. This is the favorites of most interior designers. They built it inside the wardrobe, under the kitchen cabinet, sometimes behind the wall art to have that floating effect, a visual manipulation. All this to say, there are plenty of choices in terms of specification with only 1 goal, to brighten the rooms. Before I forget, it is very important to remember that none of them are made to last forever, hence you must know the life time of the product you are installing. If you decided to go for track light which usually die off every 3 to 4 years on frequent use, then be prepared to buy and install periodically. In my opinion, this is hassle for an Airbnb host like me.

Conclusion

Here’s my take. I do not want to over simplify by saying just buy E27 bulbs and make your life simple, because this is what I do in my own dwelling place. Rather, I’d say know your objective. If you are a person who entertains guests on a regular basis, go ahead and install those LED strips around your art collections and use track light to set a relaxing tone. This works pretty well if you are blessed with spacious home. However, if you’re like me, my small apartment is also my office, where I work and spend most of my time, and I do not have visitors, I don’t mind the simplicity of a single light source is every room as long as I can see what I eat and able to read a book. On the contrary, this does not apply to my Airbnb listings. I treat those as my guest rooms. It must be dressed up in such a way my guests are pleased while at the same time I can conveniently replace and install busted lights.