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A Livingetc report features Norwegian designer Gudbjørg Simonsen’s advice for lighting homes through short winter days. She recommends planning for seasonal changes, using varied and layered light, and treating shadow as part of a room’s atmosphere rather than trying to illuminate every corner evenly.
Norwegian designer Gudbjørg Simonsen has shared guidance on adapting home lighting for short winter days in a report by Livingetc, arguing that rooms should be designed for seasonal changes rather than kept uniformly bright. Her recommendations focus on layered lighting, contrast and shadow as ways to make homes both practical and welcoming when daylight is limited.
Simonsen, who is based in Stavanger, says the changing seasons inform her design work. Instead of treating winter darkness as a problem to eliminate, she advises making room for the ways that light, shadow, color and materials can alter a home’s character over the year. The report presents this as a design approach, not as a claim that a particular lighting setup works for every home.
One recommendation is to avoid making every part of a room equally bright. Simonsen says she values variation, drawing on the uneven quality of natural light, which includes brighter areas, gradual transitions and shadow. In her view, uniform illumination can make an interior feel flat; darker areas do not automatically need to be treated as mistakes.
She also recommends layering lighting for different purposes. The report describes technical lighting as a way to meet practical needs, such as providing light over a work surface, helping people move through a space or drawing attention to art. Simonsen prefers concealed or integrated fittings for these tasks so that the effect of the light, rather than the fixture itself, can take priority. The source excerpt ends during this discussion and does not provide her full set of lighting recommendations.
Designing for Seasonal Light
The advice offers a practical design perspective for people whose homes receive less daylight in winter: lighting can serve both functional needs and the atmosphere of a room. Simonsen distinguishes between light that helps people see and light that affects how a space feels, suggesting that a useful plan should account for both.
That distinction matters because a room does not have to be made uniformly bright to feel usable or welcoming. A combination of task lighting, softer light and intentional shadow may give different areas distinct roles. Simonsen also describes a warmly lit window as a signal of human presence and welcome; that is her interpretation of its emotional meaning, rather than a measured effect reported in the article.
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Norway’s Winter Daylight
Livingetc’s report frames Simonsen’s advice around Norway’s winter daylight. It says that in December the country can have a maximum of six hours of daylight per day, while its far northern areas can have periods with no daylight. The report does not give a specific location, date range or measurement method for those figures, so they should be read as broad context rather than a precise forecast for all of Norway.
Simonsen’s approach also draws on her interest in traditional Norwegian architecture and on the environment around each home. The report says her projects begin with consideration of the client’s lifestyle, alongside the local climate and geography. That background explains why her advice treats lighting as part of how a home is experienced, rather than as a fixture choice alone.
“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, quoted by Livingetc
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Advice Beyond the Report Excerpt
The available report excerpt does not identify its publication year or provide a full list of Simonsen’s recommendations. It begins a section on layered lighting but ends before the discussion is complete, so further specifics about decorative or ambient lighting cannot be confirmed from the supplied material.
The article offers a designer’s perspective, not comparative research or evidence that a particular lighting arrangement improves mood or health. It also does not specify lamp types, brightness levels, color temperatures, costs or installation requirements. Those details will depend on the room and the needs of the people using it.
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Applying the Seasonal Approach
The report’s immediate takeaway is to plan lighting around how a room is used and how daylight changes, rather than buying fixtures on the assumption that more uniform brightness is always better. Homeowners can start by identifying where they need task lighting and where softer or more directional light might shape the room’s atmosphere, while keeping shadows and seasonal shifts in mind.
The source does not announce a product launch, policy change or follow-up event. Any further detail about Simonsen’s full recommendations would depend on the complete Livingetc article or additional guidance from the designer.
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Key Questions
What is the main advice in the report?
Gudbjørg Simonsen advises designing for seasonal changes, using varied light and shadow instead of trying to illuminate every part of a room evenly.
Why does Simonsen recommend variation in lighting?
She says natural light is not uniform: it includes brighter areas, softer transitions and shadow. In her view, recreating some of that variation indoors can prevent a room from feeling flat.
What does layered lighting mean in this report?
It means using lighting for different purposes. Simonsen describes technical lighting for tasks such as work surfaces, circulation through a space and highlighting art, with fittings kept discreet where possible.
Does the report give specific lamp or brightness recommendations?
No. The supplied excerpt does not name lamp types, brightness levels or color temperatures, and it does not provide a detailed fixture plan.
Source: rss
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