Why Inadequate Lighting in Closets?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the inadequate lighting in closets, exploring reasons for poor visibility and design choices in residential construction. Participants share personal experiences, humorous anecdotes, and broader reflections on closet design and functionality.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant expresses frustration over a large walk-in closet with insufficient lighting, questioning builders' choices.
  • Another participant humorously suggests that dark closets enhance romantic experiences and are beneficial for horror movie settings.
  • Some participants propose that builders, often male, may not prioritize closet lighting due to differing clothing selection habits.
  • A participant shares an anecdote about a construction mishap where a light switch was covered by a punch-down block, leading to ongoing lighting issues.
  • One participant mentions that their closets have adequate lighting due to specific requests, contrasting with shallow closets that typically lack dedicated lights.
  • Another participant humorously reflects on their own experience of dressing without needing closet lights, attributing it to good night vision.
  • Concerns are raised about the placement of laundry appliances in relation to closet lighting and accessibility.
  • Several participants express curiosity about the costs and organization of well-lit closets, sharing links and images for inspiration.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not reach a consensus on the reasons for inadequate closet lighting, with multiple competing views and humorous takes on the topic. The discussion remains unresolved regarding the motivations behind design choices in closet lighting.

Contextual Notes

Some participants mention assumptions about closet size and the adequacy of room lighting, as well as potential fire hazards associated with certain types of light fixtures. There are also references to personal experiences that may not generalize to all homes.

Who May Find This Useful

Individuals interested in home design, lighting solutions, and organizational strategies for closets may find this discussion relevant.

Evo
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Why do they always have such bad lighting in closets?

I have a really large walk in closet with one tiny light fixture to one side of the ceiling. I can hardly see what's in there, much less tell the difference between colors like blue and black. Not to mention the shadows due to the weird spot they decided to place the light.

Do builders have some kind of pact to make people go blind trying to find things in the closet?

It would be so simple to make the lighting better, but NOOOOO.

What else makes you ask "WHY"?
 
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Dark closets make snogging more exciting. And it's a boon for horror movie directors.

I wonder why program interface design is so speculative. Why do we have the exit button right next to the maximize/minimize/restore buttons? Why do dialog boxes put OKAY and CANCEL right next to each other??

Why are the page numbers on this site just a few pixels tall?
 


Something to do with skeletons?
 


Builders are guys.
Guys don't have closets, they have piles on the floor - or if married they have piles on the floor in the closet.
Guys don't select clothes by colour - they select by smell, a quick sniff tells you if you can wear it again or need to wash it.
 
Last edited:


mgb_phys said:
Builders are guys.
Guys don't have closets, they piles on the floor - if married they have piles on the floor in the closet.
Guys don't select clothes by colour - they select by smell, a quick sniff tells you if you can wear it again or need to wash it.
:bugeye:

That would explain it.

I will never forget the day I went to work with one black shoe and one blue shoe. I liked the style, so had bought one pair of each color.
 


The monsters who live in the closets don't like to have to wear sunglasses.
⚛​
 


My closets all have good lighting. I was actually confused to find a random light switch in the guest bedroom next to the closet door. I'd flip it, and nothing happened...until I had the closet door open and realized it was a light for the closet. :redface: I've never before had proper light switches for closet lights except for a walk-in closet.
 


When I was in college one summer I got a job with a construction crew that was installing a fiber-optic network on the campus. Part of the job involved installing ethernet network jacks in each room in each of the dorms. All of the wiring would usually run down to the basement of the dorm and attach to a punch-down block, a large board that interfaced to the fiber optic network, usually mounted on a big sheet of plywood nailed to the wall in the closet.

We got all finished in one dorm (it usually took a good three days for a team of two of us to complete a single building), finally hooked up the network to the punch-down block, and ran all of the tests and everything checked out. We went to switch off the lights and move on to the next building... and found that when we'd nailed the punch-down block to the wall we'd placed it over the light switch.

For all I know, the lights may still be on in that closet. Al Gore would kill me if he knew.
⚛​
 


mgb_phys said:
Builders are guys.
Guys don't have closets, they have piles on the floor - or if married they have piles on the floor in the closet.
Guys don't select clothes by colour - they select by smell, a quick sniff tells you if you can wear it again or need to wash it.
You know, as a guy, I've never needed a light in my closet. Granted I have pretty good vision at night (it comes naturally from having horrible eye sight to begin with) so seeing in a dark closet wouldn't be that much more difficult.
 
  • #10


Exactly.
If you work in physics you take one black t-shirt form the t-shirt pile (all t-shirts are black), one pair underwear and socks from the smelly pile and put on the jeans that are left on the floor.
If you work in management you take a white shirt from the white shirt pile and the suit + trousers from the back of the chair.
 
  • #11


Builders also tend to put the washer and dryer out by the door leading to the garage in most homes. The laundry has to be carried all the way out from the dark closets in the bedrooms and then lugged back again and hung up in the darkness where colors like reds and purples and blues and blacks all merge.

Why does the washer and dryer have to be close to the garage?? Is it because grandma used to keep her Maytag on the back porch?
 
  • #12


Evo said:
Why do they always have such bad lighting in closets?

I have a really large walk in closet with one tiny light fixture to one side of the ceiling. I can hardly see what's in there, much less tell the difference between colors like blue and black. Not to mention the shadows due to the weird spot they decided to place the light.

Do builders have some kind of pact to make people go blind trying to find things in the closet?

It would be so simple to make the lighting better, but NOOOOO.

What else makes you ask "WHY"?

I'm telling you...find a local 'container store' near you.

My closet rocks:

http://img77.imageshack.us/img77/6797/pict0011bn9.jpg

http://img293.imageshack.us/img293/2917/pict0012wx9.jpg
 
Last edited by a moderator:
  • #13


Cyrus, that's an awesome closet. It's inspirational haha.

How much did you pay for all of that? (not clothing, but the containers and such).
 
  • #14


and then there's Cyrus...
 
  • #15


moose said:
Cyrus, that's an awesome closet. It's inspirational haha.

How much did you pay for all of that? (not clothing, but the containers and such).

www.elfa.com
 
  • #16


Our walk in closets have lights because we asked for them.

Shallow closets usually don't have lights since it is assumed that the room lighting provides sufficient light or the sun provides sufficient light.

The other concern would be an incandescent bulb which gets hot and could represent a fire hazard, although appropriate fixtures can be use. My wife's closet has a low-temperature fluorescent light, while mine has an incandescent light.

My sister has drive-in closets adjacent to her bedroom and bath room. One could park a couple of SUVs in the closet.
 
  • #17


My wife assures me that there are no lights in our closets.
 
  • #18


Evo said:
What else makes you ask "WHY"?

Why are there no sockets in the places in da house that are destined to be high density electrical appliance areas. Also, why do you also have to plug in the vacuum cleaner twice in the front and the back to clean the room. Why couldn't there be a central socket?
 

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