The Most Effective Lighting Styles for every Room in Your House
Every room should have a different purpose in your home,
and your lighting preferences must reflect the purpose of each room. Certain rooms, like the kitchen or laundry room, need task-oriented lighting. Other areas, such as living rooms, could be better suited to indirect light. That means the kinds of fixtures, intensity of lighting,
and the locations of lighting must differ between rooms. The American Lighting Association has the expertise to help you determine the right lighting for your home. Here's how to best light each room in your home. See this
task floor lamp for more information.
Lighting for Kitchens
A variety of lighting options are needed in kitchens, especially large ones. If you want ambient (or
general) lighting, a ceiling fixture is a good choice. Recessed can lights are also excellent options. For task lighting, you can place light sources right above the work areas. Pendants (which should be placed about 35-40 inches above the surface) can be used as a lighting solution.
Accent lights are an excellent method to improve the lighting scheme in your kitchen. Tape-lights can be placed
within the toe-kick (between the floor and the cabinet) to create a soft lighting for those late-night trips to the kitchen. You can display dishes on shelves that are open or glass-front cabinets that have downlights or strip lights.
The kitchen's task areas like the island or other spots where you typically chop vegetables need more intense lighting. It is important to keep in mind that lightbulbs should be rated 70-80 lumens for every square foot. A light bulb with 30-40 lumens is sufficient for the general areas of the kitchen that are not employed to cook food.
Dining Room Fixtures
A dark and sombre dining room is a place where people can gather and have conversations. Ceiling fixtures such as flush-mount or recessed can lights are great for dining rooms.
For lighting for dining rooms that creates a more dramatic impact, a chandelier can be both decorative and functional to provide general lighting. A chandelier should be installed at 33 inches higher than the table in dining rooms that have ceilings of 8 feet. For every foot over 8 feet. Lightbulbs ought to be able produce around 30-40 lumens per square foot.
Room Lighting for Living Room Lighting
Living rooms can serve a variety of functions. Lighting needs to be flexible and is able to adapt to casual entertainment film nights, casual entertaining or other activities. Since it can be used to provide ambient, task, as well as accent lighting, track lighting that is flexible is an excellent choice for living spaces. To change the lighting scheme you can move, turn and swivel individual lights. Adjustable beams can be used to produce any desired pattern or wash, without the need for changing bulbs.
Make use of lighting that creates shadows and glare to make your living space appear like a movie theatre. Pendants can be used for lighting in the living room even when the TV is off. Pendants are the ideal lighting for your living space. If you turn on the television, track lights, dimmable lamps, and molding with uplights permit safe motion. Living rooms typically require 10-20 lumens, which is around the average for a room.
Bathroom Lighting
Poor lighting in the bathroom could result in unpleasant, or even harmful effects. Avoid lighting fixtures that point directly at the mirror. This will create unwanted shadows. Instead, place fixtures, like pendants or sconces, to both sides of mirrors for more even lighting. If you have a shared bath, adjustable sconces may be used to provide the right lighting. Bathrooms require bright light So aim for 70-80 lumens/square foot. Brands such as
modern forms are worth a look.
Lighting for Hallways
The hallways function as areas of transition between rooms, so they don't require as much lighting as other spaces. For dim lighting an overhead fixture that is flush mounted is the best option. Or you can attach the wall with sconces for indirect lighting. It is not common to require light sources that are bright in hallways, so 5-10 lumens per sq. feet is enough.