Reddit reviews Hollowick Amber Thick Glass Tealight Lamp

I notice a lot of American homes have super bright lights. Especially recessed downlights in the ceiling that point downwards and generate harsh, unnatural shadows. (Very unphotogenic!) In my rented apartment, I have the awful fixtures turned off and only use my own lights.

A core tenet of light design is "light where you need it". Put the light source where it needs to be, not just for its own sake. Desks should have task lamps. Dining tables should have pendants. Living room nooks should have a floor lamp. And so on. Avoid ceiling lamps unless you know exactly what you're doing. Avoid wall sconces, though if you have a hallway or something, they can work really well, in which case you should pick either ones that have a shade like this, or are opalized like so.

You're right about indirect light. If you have directional lighting (like a floor lamp), make sure it's pointed at the wall or down and away. Some favourite floor lamps include Grasshopper by Greta Grossman for Gubi and Fog & Mørup's Studio by Jo Hammerborg for Fog & Mørup. These have fairly deep shades, too, so you're less likely to see the bulb even when it's at an angle. Spotlights should always point at the wall or ceiling.

Pendants with shades should be positioned above tables in such a manner that you're not exposed to the bright light of the bulb. Otherwise, get lamps that are diffused somehow -- such as with fabric shades or opalized glass. A cheap example is IKEA's FADO lamp, which looks a lot more stylish than it should for that price. Another, less cheap example is George Nelson's Ball Bubble.

We Scandinavians also love what we affectionally call "living" lights -- that is, candles. Tea lights are very atmospheric, too. Note that ordinary candles product quite a lot soot (they will coat your nice white Scandinavian walls and ceilings). You can get beeswax tea lights and candles that burn cleanly, though they're expensive. You can also get decent battery-powered tea lights that flicker (make sure the battery is replaceable!) that you can insert into your own candle holder.

I like the white frosted tealight holders. I also really like Sagaform's products. These Hollowick ones are also lovely.

We also love fireplaces, for the same reason. These days you can get very good-looking, fairly clean-burning free-standing fireplaces.