City of Orange

""I've really been an evangelist," she says. "I've been noticing the same thing," says Paola Pietrantoni, a lighting consultant who lives in Bed-Stuy. She has picked bulbs for Madison Avenue jewelry stores and the TWA Hotel at JFK, and she calls me between fêtes at Milan Design Week to explain that home lighting has been trending warmer for years, but the move toward darker, deeper oranges is so recent and so local that she wonders aloud if it is due to our particularly 'horrible winter' - snow and ice, storms upon storms."

""I bet there is a caveman-brain-related thing where it's comforting to be in the glow of a fire," says Dan Goedeker, a director of photography. I had called him to ask about the flattery of orange - did it really make people more attractive? (It does, and he's used it to light on-camera interviews for television news.) That's why we love candles on the table at date spots."

""Orange is a resistance to the sterility of modern life," speculates my neighbor Grace Ginsburg, who turns on her orange lamps."

In Crown Heights, a noticeable shift to warmer orange lighting has emerged, affecting the ambiance of homes and streets. This trend has spread quickly, with residents reporting similar experiences across neighborhoods. Lighting consultant Paola Pietrantoni notes a growing preference for ruddier tones among her clients, possibly influenced by the harsh winter weather. Dan Goedeker highlights the appeal of orange lighting, suggesting it enhances attractiveness and provides a comforting atmosphere reminiscent of firelight. This shift represents a resistance to the sterility of modern life.

Read at Curbed