Shorter Days, Brighter Home: 5 Easy Ways to Light Up the Dark Spots

Every fall it sneaks up on me. One week I'm making dinner in daylight. The next week I'm feeling along the hallway wall for a switch at 6 o'clock.

The clocks go back on Sunday, November 1. That means darker mornings, earlier evenings, and more trips around the house when it's dim. So this year I walked through my place after sundown and asked one simple question in every room: where do I wish there was a little more light?

Here's what I found, and what I did about it. No electrician, no drilling into the walls, and nothing that needs a ladder.

1. The hallway: light that turns on by itself

The hallway was the first spot. It's the path between the bedroom, the bathroom, and the kitchen, and it's where I'm most likely to be carrying something.

A few motion sensor night lights along the wall fixed it. They come on when you walk by and turn off when you're gone. They're rechargeable by USB, so there are no cords to trip on and no batteries to buy.

2. Closets and cabinets: see what you're reaching for

Closets get dark early, and the back of a kitchen cabinet is dark all year. A rechargeable under-cabinet light sticks on with a magnet strip and lights up when you open the door. I put one in the pantry and one in the coat closet. No more digging around by feel.

3. By the bed: a soft light for late-night trips

Turning on a bright lamp in the middle of the night is no fun. A small wooden wall lamp with a motion sensor gives just enough glow to get your feet in your slippers and find the door.

If you'd rather keep things extra dim, the red motion-sensor night light gives off a soft red glow that's gentle on sleepy eyes.

4. The reading chair: real light for long evenings

Reading is one of my favorite ways to spend a fall evening. But a dim lamp turns a good book into a squint. The Bright Reader dimmable floor lamp has a bendable neck, so I can point the light right at the page. I turn it up for small print and down when I'm winding down.

5. The living room: a warm glow, not a glare

Once it's dark at 5:30, I don't want every overhead light blazing. I want the room to feel cozy. Two things help:

• A rechargeable LED light bar on a shelf or side table. It's cordless, so you can move it wherever you need it.
• A candle warmer lamp that melts your favorite candle from above. You get the scent and a warm glow with no open flame, and the timer turns it off for you.

Try this tonight

After the sun goes down, take a slow walk through your home with the overhead lights off. Notice where you slow down, reach for the wall, or wish you could see a little better. Those are your spots.

Most of them take one small light to fix. And once they're lit, the shorter days feel a lot less gloomy.

You can find all of these and more in Luna's Picks. Every one was chosen to make everyday life at home a little easier.

— Jonine