For reasons that remain a mystery to me, I recently made the mistake of allowing a local real estate agent to visit my apartment to do a valuation. He’s a nice enough guy, but as with most real estate agents, everything about him made me uncomfortable: the teeth, the hair, the incredibly tight suit.

He arrived at 5pm wearing shoes without socks, and it took all my strength not to pretend we were one of those no-shoes-in-the-house places to see if he would feel weird about going barefoot. Unfortunately, I never got the chance because he strolled in, surveyed the living room and turned to me with disappointment: “Why are you sitting in darkness?”

Let there be light! But not too much. Less is more when it comes to getting the right light.Credit: Michael Howard

Without asking, he walked around the apartment, switching on every light until it felt like I was about to be raided – or operated on. “See?” He said. Sweating under the glow of a thousand bulbs. “Much better!”

For what it’s worth, I wasn’t sitting in darkness; instead, I was appropriately lit by two tasteful lamps, which provided just the right amount of light and shade. Working in harmony with the room’s natural light, the lamps created an atmosphere that was relaxing, pleasant, and warm – all things........

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