The other night, I went to a friend’s party, and the apartment glowed. Candles and lamps peppered each room, and fairy lights twisted around tables filled with cheese and crackers. The vibe reminded me of Cafe Cluny (above), a restaurant we’ve loved forever.

Also, Balthazar! You might even say the lighting is crepuscular.

Alex always says he loves “Mad Men lighting.” Inspired, I remembered reading these tips from Pilar Guzmán in the Yolo Intel newsletter:

After a few times at our Brooklyn house for dinner, a couple who are old friends finally pulled us aside to ask, “How do you get the lighting to glow like this?” The short answer, and a perennial tip of ours, is alliteratively easy to remember: Lots (a dozen sources in a single room is not uncommon), Lateral (sconces, lamps, and accent lighting that hits you at or below eye level from all sides), and Low (warm, sub-3000KW bulbs — or nothing higher than a 25-40 watts if you still use incandescent).

Noted! In our living room, we have mostly overhead light, so table lamps are now on my holiday wishlist. Here are three pretty ones:

How cute is this?! It has a real personality.

I LOVE this Stockholm-designed concrete number (and here’s a “steal” version from Target).

Lastly, the British shop Pooky has tons of cool prints and patterns, and you can mix and match lampshades and bases. How cute is the combo above?

What lighting do you have in your home? Any pro tips when it comes to creating glow? (A portable lamp also seems like a cool idea!)

P.S. How to beat the winter blues and an apartment with the prettiest paint colors.