Bentley Meeker Knows the Secret to Looking Better at Home

“You know when you don’t feel good,” says Bentley Meeker.

For Meeker, that observation gets to the heart of how we should think about lighting, particularly at home. Home is our most intimate space, the place where we begin and end our days, entertain friends, share meals, relax and, ideally, feel most comfortable. Yet lighting, one of the elements that most directly influences how a room feels and how we feel in it, is often treated as an afterthought. 

Meeker thinks we should have a much more considered relationship with light. And he would know. For more than three decades, the New York lighting designer and artist has built a career around understanding how light transforms not simply a room, but the experience of being inside it. As president and founder of Bentley Meeker Lighting & Staging and Bentley House Studios, he has spent 35 years creating environments with light.

His clients and collaborators have included Paul McCartney, Prince, Rihanna, Jay-Z, Beyoncé, Aretha Franklin, Madonna, Ralph Lauren, Carolina Herrera and Karl Lagerfeld. His work has also entered the art world, with exhibitions at the Whitney Museum of American Art, Southampton Arts Center, and the National Arts Club. He created lighting for the Temple at Burning Man in 2011, 2013 and 2015, and Michelle Obama commissioned him to create a bespoke sculpture for the Nordic States State Dinner at the White House. But when it comes to lighting the place where we actually live, Meeker’s philosophy is surprisingly straightforward.

The Case for Old-School Light

“I use incandescent light in my house, everywhere that I live,” Meeker says. For all the advances in LED technology, he remains devoted to incandescent lighting in the spaces where he spends time. Incandescent is traditional illumination created by a heated filament, and Meeker also favors halogen.

“The whole world has been changing from incandescent light to LED, and I never changed because I didn’t think it was as good,” he says. “You can bring me new technology, but I don’t think it’s as good.” For Meeker, the difference is about more than appearance. Light influences the way a space feels and, by extension, the way we feel inside it. “It’s softer,” he says of incandescent light. “It’s a more beautiful light. It feels better when you’re in it. So when you feel better, you think you look better.”

There are exceptions, of course. Meeker will use LED around a makeup area because it allows someone to see how makeup will appear under the type of illumination now encountered throughout daily life. He might also use it in transitional spaces, such as service corridors. But for living spaces, warmth wins.

Where You Put the Light Matters

The bulb is only part of the equation. Where light originates can dramatically alter a room. “If you can do it from the ceiling, it’s great,” Meeker says. “I try to keep all my lights in the air or I try to keep them on the ground shining up.” What he generally avoids is light positioned around eye level. The idea is to create an environment in which people naturally feel comfortable rather than making them feel as though a spotlight has been trained on them.

Bring the Luxury Hotel Home

There is a reason a beautifully designed hotel room can feel seductive the moment you enter. According to Meeker, part of the secret is remarkably easy to replicate. Dim the lights.

“What makes a hotel room kind of gorgeous is when the lights are kind of dim,” he says. In fact, Meeker believes people tend to use more light than they need. “What feels very luxurious is when the lights are just a little bit lower than you think they should be,” he says. “They feel good.” Rather than filling a home with additional fixtures, he recommends gaining greater control over the lighting already there.

The Best Party Trick Is a Dimmer

Dimming the lights becomes particularly important when entertaining. As homes fill with guests for dinners, cocktail parties, and holiday celebrations, Meeker says hosts should resist the temptation to turn every light on. And if there is money to spend before the next party, put it toward control rather than quantity. “If your house isn’t on dimmers, don’t invest in a bunch of lights,” he says. “Invest in a bunch of dimmers.”

Then consider warmth. Cooler white and blue light may have its uses, but Meeker prefers softer tones when the objective is making a room and the people in it look their best. “Find a way to make it warmer. Find a way to make it softer,” he says. “Pinker, more amber.” Or, as Meeker ultimately describes the desired effect, make it “sexier.”

After 35 years of creating elaborate lighting environments, his advice for the home is refreshingly simple. Good lighting is not about having more fixtures, brighter bulbs or the newest technology. It is about understanding how you want a space to feel. And sometimes the most flattering thing you can do for your home, and everyone in it, is simply turn the lights down.

bentleymeeker.com