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192
The House in Good Taste
·
Elsie De Wolfe
65
VIII
THE
PROBLEM
OF
ARTIFICIAL
LIGHT
In
all
the
equipment
of
the
modern
house,
I
think
there
is
nothing
more
difficult
than
the
problem
of
artificial
light.
To
have
the
light
properly
distributed
so
that
the
rooms
may
be
suffused
with
just
the
proper
glow,
but
never
a
glare;
so
that
the
base
outlets
for
reading-lamps
shall
be
at
convenient
angles,
so
that
the
wall
lights
shall
be
beautifully
balanced,--all
this
means
prodigious
thought
and
care
before
the
actual
placing
of
the
lights
is
accomplished.
In
domestic
architecture
light
is
usually
provided
for
some
special
function;
to
dress
by,
to
read
by,
or
to
eat
by.
If
properly
considered,
there
is
no
reason
why
one's
lighting
fixtures
should
not
be
beautiful
as
well
as
utilitarian.
However,
it
is
seldom
indeed
that
one
finds
lights
that
serve
the
purposes
of
utility
and
beauty.
I
have
rarely,
I
might
say
never,
gone
into
a
builder's
house
(and
indeed
I
might
say
the
same
of
many
architects'
houses)
but
that
the
first
things
to
require
changing
to
make
the
house
amenable
to
modern
American
needs
were
the
openings
for
lighting
fixtures.
Usually,
side
openings
are
placed
much
too
near
the
trim
of
a
door
or
window,
so
that
no
self-respecting
bracket
can
be
placed
in
the
space
without
encroaching
on
the
molding.
Another
favorite
mistake
is
to
place
the
two
wall
openings
in
a
long
wall
or
large
panel
so
close
together
that
no
large
picture
or
mirror
or
piece
of
furniture
can
be
placed
against
that
wall.
There
is
also
the
tendency
to
place
the
openings
too
high,
which
always
spoils
a
good
room.
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