Edison light bulbs should we use them exposed or not 03

Edison light bulbs, should we use them exposed or not?

Have you ever visited an antique shop? What a nostalgia to see all those objects that we once had at home or used or dressed. As in fashion, there are trends that return and we immediately go out to buy because they make us very happy, they return us to a happy time of our lives or simply nostalgia to a time in which we would have liked to live. The same happens in decoration and in this case, in lighting.

A luminous invention

The light bulb is one of the inventions that marked a milestone in our history. The bulb that we now know as Edison, was not exactly an invention of Thomas Edison, but rather he developed and perfected the bulb of Joseph Swan, and finally on January 27, 1880 patented the electric bulb or incandescent bulb. The very first bulb was the electric arc lamp invented in 1811 by Humphrey Davy.

Incandescent light bulbs have been used mostly in our homes, but in recent decades, due to energy saving issues, we have replaced them with energy saving light bulbs (or low consumption), and currently with LEDs.

Edison vintage bulbs today

Edison bulbs are still very fashionable in the interiors of vintage, industrial and Scandinavian style. They can be easily found in houses of these styles, and also in reception halls, shops or restaurants.

These vintage bulbs are a nostalgic design, that we can find in two versions, the incandescent ones and its LED version. Obviously, the LED version implies energy savings. But how functional and aesthetic are these bulbs?

  • When its function is to illuminate an area or a specific area, and I mean it gives us enough light to be able to see, this type of vintage bulb will not fulfill its purpose. It is rather an aesthetic element.
  • Depending on its location from the level of our eyes, the excessive brightness can produce that annoying glare in the eyes.
  • The original vintage bulbs, the incandescent, consume much more electrical energy than the LED lamps.

Ideas for a better use of these vintage light bulbs

  • If we want to take advantage of its aesthetic characteristic, but we need to illuminate adequately, we can use several bulbs in LED version. Although this depends a lot on the place where they will be located and how we assemble them, so that they integrate well with our decoration.
  • To avoid that annoying glare in the eyes when using the exposed bulbs, it is better that they are placed over the level of our eyes. If possible high enough, it illuminates us well but does not bother us.
  • If we only want to decorate with these vintage bulbs, then the best option is to use LED bulbs, thus saving on energy consumption.
Edison light bulbs should we use them exposed or not 03

Via: Tumblr

  • If we want to illuminate with these vintage bulbs, but avoiding glare, you could place them in dark spherical glass luminaries, as in the photo. The spherical glass and the vintage bulb are perfectly integrated.
  • An optional alternative to these vintage bulbs is to use spherical glass luminaires. Just give them a chance!

As you can see, there are several alternatives to use this type of bulb. The most important thing is to select what goes with our decorative style, in addition to not forgetting the energy saving.

Do you have this type of vintage Edison bulbs at home?

Have a beautiful day!

Fiorella