Are Lanterns Used For Lighting?

Using lanterns for lighting design can be a fun and creative use of older lighting sources for your modern lighting design. However, because lanterns are so different than standard lighting fixtures, many people do not really know how to use them and so choose to forgo them entirely. In this article, I will discuss some of the creative uses to which you can put lanterns when providing quality lighting for your home.

There are two basic type of lanterns that, for the sake of convenience, I will simply call "Western lanterns" and "Eastern lanterns" (I am aware this is not entirely accurate). "Western lanterns" are the type of lantern that you might expect in the hands of someone walking the streets of London late at night, with opaque metal top and bottom and open sides through which one sees an open flame. "Eastern lanterns" are lantern that surround a light source in the middle with paper surrounding the outside of the light source.

Lights Lanterns

If Western lanterns are lit with an actual flame, they are not very bright (fire is actually a very dim compared with other sources). As a result, a lantern using a flame inside will not really provide proper illumination. Instead, it can provide two other important things: decoration and motion. It provides decoration because the lantern itself is very attractive and catches the eye. It provides motion because the flickering fire will make all the light around the lantern seem to move, which improves the light quality of your entire room.

When Western lanterns are lit with a bulb, they are the inverse of a standard lamp. Standard lamps usually emit light only from the top and bottom. A lantern emits light only from the sides. This provides something usually difficult to get in lighting design: horizontal light. By using lanterns, you will get some of the effect of sconces without the expensive installation costs.

Eastern lanterns provide excellent diffuse light, even indoors. The paper removes the shadows from the light and spreads it generally throughout the room. As a result, Eastern lanterns can be used even for general ambient lighting. Note, though, that you don't want to rely on Eastern lanterns exclusively, as they do not cast any shadows and using them exclusively would create a flat, textureless space.

Lanterns can therefore be a fun and creative part of your lighting design, providing unique opportunities and quality of light.

Are Lanterns Used For Lighting?

Daniel Bader, Ph.D., worked for years as a stage lighting designer before turning to more academic pursuits. He has now turned his interest to the stage of home lighting at his site Home Lighting Design. On that site, he has a section about outdoor lighting ideas, including a section about outdoor party lights.