So, the fun and excitement of the festive season are over for another year. January brings short days and cold nights. It’s no wonder that many people experience a bout of the January blues. The third Monday in January is famous for being known as Blue Monday, as it is thought to be the most depressing day of the year. So, in 2022, Monday the 17th of January is when people may feel a little blue.
There are many positive ways that you can lift your mood on Blue Monday. Wrap up warm and get some fresh air by going on a walk with a friend. Take time out of your workday to have an in-person or virtual social with work colleagues. Spend some time doing activities that you enjoy, such as reading a book, cooking your favourite meal or heading off to the gym. The home is where you can retire on cold winter evenings to keep warm and relax. So why not grab a blanket, make a warming hot chocolate and put on your favourite movie.
So how can you harness the power of Lightwave smart home technology to beat the blues? We spoke to one dynamic design duo who managed to do just that. The McGee’s are very successful professional renovation experts. When they bought their new house a few years ago, they decided to combine professional expertise with Lightwave Technology to tackle a thorny issue.
Fi McGee suffered the adverse effects of seasonal affective disorder (SAD). Symptoms of seasonal affective disorder can include a persistent low mood, feelings of worthlessness, and irritability. Fi wanted to create a home environment that allowed her to beat what is sometimes known as the ‘winter depression’.
The key to alleviating her symptoms lay in changing the environment of the couple’s master bedroom. Fi wanted to simulate the sunrise in her bedroom. She was unhappy with the aesthetic and feel of the “sunrise simulator” alarm clocks she used to wake each morning. This posed the conundrum of whether there was another way to simulate the sunrise in the bedroom. What if they could install sophisticated Lightwave technology to create lighting programmed to act like Lumie lights, preventing SAD symptoms? The couple soon hit upon integrating Lightwave smart automation into their sleeping routines.
After researching Lightwave’s solutions, a three-light system was devised especially for the bedroom; two wall lights and additional ceiling light. This setup used a Lightwave Link Plus and Two Gang Dimmers to control the overhead light, the left-hand wall light and the right-hand wall light. Each Lightwave switch had a pre-installed LED light, with the option to change the colour of the LED light or even turn off the LED if not required. The couple was impressed with the subtle but modern look of the Lightwave Switches, as they blended in well with the rest of the bedroom.
Creating A Brighter Bedroom
The installation proved to be straightforward as the Link Plus hub plugged directly into the router, and compatible bulbs were easy to find. The Lightwave software was also easy to set up and fully compatible with Google Assistant. The switches could be controlled by voice command, the physical dimmer switch, or the Lightwave App. Once Fi had downloaded the Lightwave App onto her smartphone, it was a simple process to group and name each of the lights within the bedroom. She was also delighted to discover the joy of using Google Assistant to control the lights, “I can feel like I’m aboard the Starship Enterprise by using voice commands to control the lights. I now spend 90% of my time saying things like, “Hey Google, turn lights up by 5%”.”
The couple fitted beautiful brass Loaf Gaston lights on either side on a Lightwave Smart Dimmer and installed smart electrics to make both lights switch on and off with the sunrise. The dimmer was programmed to increase the brightness of the three-bedroom lights incrementally over ten minutes to ease the couple into their morning. As a result, the couple woke up feeling refreshed and ready for a new day after installing the Lightwave package.
The result was that Fi McGee was able to beat the winter blues!
To discover great tips about combining Lightwave technology with home renovation, dive into the Fifi McGee website, where the couple have recorded every stage of their Lightwave journey. Also, why not check out the original Fi McGee case study here.