Ways to Choose the Right Lighting for Each Room

Edit ArticleHow to Choose the Right Lighting for Each RoomLighting is one of the key elements that helps make your house a home. The proper lighting enables you to perform tasks easily, makes you feel safer and more comfortable, and allows you to enjoy your home at its full potential. Each room, however, has specific and unique general and accent lighting needs. Here are some tips and ideas to consider when planning your lighting needs for each room in your home. If you are uncertain about what type of lighting fixture you need, or you're just looking for inspiration,LED Table Lamps take a few minutes to browse through this guide!

Use recessed lighting to light a general area. This is preferred because the light source is concealed. Close to ceiling fixtures, wall sconces, and interior lamps are also excellent choices and provide ample lighting. These fixtures are not only decorative pieces, but are ideal sources of task lighting for reading or playing games.

While traditional wall fixtures with arms remain the most popular form of wall lighting, more contemporary wall sconces are gaining popularity for accent lighting.

Use a chandelier or pendant for general lighting. Both fixtures are excellent sources of lighting and are sure to set the tone of your dining room. Recessed wall washers can also provide additional light while helping to create an illusion of a larger room space.

When hanging a chandelier, make sure that the chandelier is 6" to 12" smaller than the narrowest side of the table. The bottom of the pendant or chandelier should be approximately 30" above your table.

Chandeliers with 200 to 400 overall wattage provide abundant illumination for a dining room.

Consider a chandelier with an integral downlight for additional light on the table.

Realize that the kitchen is often the busiest part of the house. Not only are your meals prepared here, but your family and guests gather here as well. Sufficient and adequate lighting is a must for performing all your culinary needs, helping your kids with their homework, and reading the paper.

Sketch a plan of your kitchen that focuses on activity areas and then decide what kind of light each area will need: general, task, accent, or decorative.

Use higher watt bulbs in task areas.

A glass or plastic pendant will provide ample "up lighting" to cover the entire dinette area with light.

Use under cabinet lighting to help prevent shadows on the counters, while adding critical light to the workspace. Fluorescent under cabinet fixtures are also a cost efficient lighting source. In open areas over sinks use recessed downlights mounted directly over the sink.

Mounting mini pendants 18" to 24" above the work surface is an ideal way to light up a breakfast bar or counter dinettes, a pendant on a dimmer, hanging 24" to 30" above the table, is ideal for task lighting. Size the fixture to roughly 12" less than the diameter of the table.

Don't forget about the bathroom. Bathroom lighting is probably the last place people want to invest time and money. Mirrors go unlit, and oftentimes one ceiling fixture is used to light up the sink, mirror, and shower. However, as whirlpool tubs become larger and steam showers are added, more and more time is spent relaxing in the bathroom.LED Table Lamps Since you begin and end your day in the bathroom, why not spend a little extra time considering which fixtures and lights would work best?

Halogen bulbs are generally the standard for bathroom lighting, but the newest compact fluorescent bulbs are also a great option.

Mount one fixture over the mirror to light a bathroom, but realize it can cause shadows on the face. If using recessed lighting, avoid creating shadows by not mounting them directly over the mirror.

Adding wall brackets to the side of the mirror is one of the best way to eliminate shadows on the face. For mirrors under 48" wide use, vertically mounted wall brackets and position them 75 to 80 inches (190.5 to 203.2cm) above the floor.

If the fixture uses exposed lamps, do not use a higher wattage than 40 watts. Fixtures with clear or well diffused glass use nor more than 75 watts. Color corrected fluorescent lamps should be used when fluorescent fixtures are desired. A crisp white light renders skin tones most accurately.

Use decorative fixtures are used along pathways, on walls and posts, and entrance foyers. The design of these fixtures should complement the look and feel of your house and landscape while providing sufficient lighting for safety, security, and functionality.

When installing a wall lantern, size the fixture to the door and surrounding space. Wall lanterns should be mounted slightly above eye level at about 60" to 66" from the center of the fixture to the floor. Post top lanterns can be selected to match the style of the wall lanterns. Large post top lanterns make a better impression when used in large open space.

While LED lights are very good eco options, don't be fooled by claims of 50,000 hrs. (about 20 years of use). These claims are for the tiny light producing chips, not for the electronics that allow them to work. LED's and their electronic components are very sensitive to heat, moisture, and voltage spikes.

You can get a better sense of how long an LED light will really last by looking at its warranty. If a light claims to last for 20 years, but only has a one year warranty, then that's a clue.

If the LED lamp is inside the home and is open to air (such as with track lighting) then truly long life can be expected. If, on the other hand, the LED lamp is in an enclosed fixture (especially in the outdoor environment) then life could be drastically reduced because enclosed fixtures are like ovens that bake the LED's and make them very unhappy.

If you purchase a light with a three way switch, you will need a three way bulb.

Add on a dimmer and really set the tone of your room.

Use increased wattage in areas where tasks are performed, in rooms with ceilings higher than 8 feet (2.4m), and in rooms with dark colored floors and walls.

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