I know a lot of people are hooked on light dimming. But...I remember back in the 1950's.....
Existing homes (and many new homes) were what was called "
under-wired". Often... homes built prior to electrification had a minimal amount of wiring (when electric became available). Often rooms had one ceiling light in the center of the room... and maybe... an outlet somewhere along a wall. Depending on the room... there might be a light switch (connected to the center light). Many rooms would merely have a pull-switch with a chain or string that hung down from the ceiling light.
A common up-grade to the under-wired home.... was to install a rheostat on those lights with a switch. Then use a 250 or even 300 watt bulb in the light fixture. With the light turned all-the-way-up residents could easily see at night to iron clothing (we did that a lot in the 50's), read books, sew, knit, and darn socks. Otherwise... the light would be dimmed down for (black & white) TV watching.
Of course.... I seem to have lost track of the family
darning egg. And for most close-up work... I tend to use task lighting now-a-days. I much prefer modern task lighting to 1950's centralized lighting. Singular bright lights.... don't evenly light a room. And even in my 40's built home... I can't take a giant step away from an outlet (without being within a step of another outlet).
I would not automatically force modern LED lighting into an old lighting paradigm based on old technologies and economic circumstances from a by-gone era. I'd instead reconsider what lighting needs would BEST fit the needs of each room and each user.
