Welcome back to day 13 of our Craft Room Organization Challenge.
We’ve looked at our seating, our craft tables, and our storage units. But there’s one more very important thing to assess before we move on — LIGHTING.
I cannot overemphasis how important good lighting is in our craft spaces. Without good lighting, we can’t see details. We get eye strain. We work slower because we miss things.
I got lucky early on and built a lightbox. I do virtually all of my crafting in this lightbox. I didn’t intend it that way, but it’s SO bright that I can see everything so well, and I love it. (If you want to build a lightbox, check out my free lightbox plans here.)
I know that when I can see my work easily, I am more comfortable, more accurate, and just plain faster at crafting. It’s a huge deal for me.
There are two types of lighting to concern yourself with — ambient lighting (so light from windows and overhead lights) and task lighting (directional lighting in specific areas of your room). Both are important.
Light intensity is worth noting here. For task lighting, I recommend 5000 Kelvins. This gives you good strong light right where you need it, and it allows you to see EVERYTHING.
You also need to pay attention to the temperature of your lighting. Light bulbs emit different colors, and this can effect the way your crafts and colors appear. You want bulbs with a CRI (color rendering index) of 75 or higher whenever possible.
Challenge 13: Lighting
What sort of lighting do you have in your craft space? Take stock of everything you have and ask yourself these questions:
1. Is the general ambient light bright enough for me to see fine details in my work?
2. Do I have task lighting for various spots around the room?
3. Is your lighting temperature high enough to render the objects in your room the correct colors?
If you answered “no” to any of these questions, put lighting on your list, too. I’m going to recommend some lighting options next week.
I have GREAT task lighting, but poor ambient lighting. My task lighting is 5000 Kelvins and I have three of them, all pointing at my work surface. I can see GREAT!! But the rest of the room? Ugh. It’s dim. That has to change.
How about you?
Day 13 Assignment: Assess your craft space lighting. Is it everything you want, or is it lacking? If you feel like sharing, take a photo of your work surface and share it on Facebook — your photos inspire us all.
Until tomorrow,
