Are Lamps Objectively Better Than Overhead Lighting?

A: My daughter is visiting us and is currently making me watch “Summer House.” It’s a reality show in which young people drunkenly kiss and bicker in the Hamptons, all under the 10-million-watt, blasting, TV-ready glare of every overhead light in the house. It’s like watching the Stanford prison experiment take place in a West Elm. No, thank you.B: Just because your partner is wrong doesn’t mean your taste in lighting is correct. Are you trying to do it all with string lights and lava lamps, for example? Consult a neutral third party who can advise you both. A combo of strategic dimmable built-in fixtures and tasteful accent lamps can create a mood that feels both tidy AND noncarceral, I promise.C: Your girlfriend is right. Lighting only with table lamps and torchieres can make your space feel like a library or a haunted antique store. It’s also a huge pain to turn them all off one by one.