7 STEPS TO PERFECT LIGHTING

The first thing you need to learn about lighting is “Lighting is Everything”. And the second thing to know is: “Lighting is Everything”. Although the tendency amongst home owners/renters is to leave lighting design decisions until the rest of room is complete you should actually start with a lighting/electrical plan. This does not mean to go out and buy your dream lamp and build a room around it. It is more about setting a mood where the lamp and you will feel comfortable based on the function and ambiance of the space.

I believe Lighting has the most impact as a single design feature that can completely transform a space. I used to dream I would be rich enough or have a big enough house that required hiring a lighting specialist mainly because there seemed to be so much to know, and so many choices. However, after a little research (Grad school class), and years of reading labels I discovered that there is in fact a lot to know and a million choices. However, I feel I am expert enough to guide you thru a simple lighting plan that you can use in your home.

You can read thru this article to understand how to determine the amount of light needed per room and how to read light bulb packaging in order to buy the right bulb (the first time). Or you can skip to the cheat sheet in the next blog.

There is going to be some new vocabulary but don't worry there will be no quiz but, memorizing the definitions will make learning a little bit easier.

STEP 1

Assess the room and your goals. Ask yourself: what is this room’s purpose? and how do I want it to make me feel? Your room could have many functions, separate areas and even different moods. All of this is possible and will be taken into consideration. Take note of all the functions and moods overall and in each area.

STEP 2

The key to lighting is layering – actually the key to all design is layering. There are many different types of light fixtures that produce different types of light. All fixtures can be labeled in one of the 4 categories.

Ambient Light:

There is going to be some new vocabulary but don't worry here will be no quiz but, memorizing the definitions will make learning a little bit easier. /or are directable. ex. chandelier

Accent Lights:

The Accent light shines onto objects and architecture that we want to accentuate. ex. stair lights

Decorative Lights

The decorative layer is really not about the light but more about the fixture. ex. lava lamp

Task Lighting;

Illuminates the area in which we are focused and need dedicated lighting. ex. desk lamp

Your plan should include ambient and task lighting layers at the very least.

STEP 3

Now you need to determine how much light you need in your room for its size. Light is measured by Foot Candles and Lumens. It’s important to know 1 Foot Candle (FC) is the amount of light produced by one candle at a distance of one foot. There is a standardization in lighting that has determined what the minimum amount of FC/sq.ft are needed per room for proper lighting.

Living Room FC 10-20/sq. ft.

Kitchen General FC 30-40/sq. ft. Kitchen Stove FC 70-80/sq. ft. Kitchen Sink FC 70-80/sq. ft. Dining Room FC 30-40/sq. ft. Bed Room FC 10-20/sq. ft. Hall Way FC 5-10/sq. ft. Bathroom FC 70-80/sq. ft.

Now then to determine how much light you need in your room, just run this simple formula

Total room sq. ft. x standard FC/sq.ft = X Lumens

100 sq. ft Kitchen x 30 - 40 FC/Sq.ft. = 3,000 – 4,000 Lumens

Your number will be in Lumens. A lumen is a unit of measure for the total amount of brightness output from a light source (bulb). The higher the lumen rating the “brighter” the bulb, the brighter the room. Lumens are a replacement for Watts

If you are old enough you’re probably wondering why we are not using Watts as a measure of light anymore. Watts are a measurement of power consumption, typically the higher the wattage, the brighter the light, also means the higher energy consumption. With energy efficient bulbs such as LED their output is no longer tied to their energy consumption. So LED manufacturers decided to label their bulbs by their lumens output. In some cases light bulb advertising might state X watt equivalent but there is no standardization for the Watts-Lumens translation. The more and more we adopt energy saving bulbs as the norm we will slowly do away with the wattage terminology for bulbs. This is why it is more important to take a look at Lumens versus Watts.

Step 4

The mood of the room is also influenced by the color of the light or more accurately the temperature of the light. Color temperature is a way to describe the appearance of the light provided by a light bulb. It is measured in degrees of Kelvin (K) on a scale from 1,000 to 10,000. The higher the number of Kelvins the cooler (bluer) the light. As the Kelvins reduce the light becomes warmer (more yellow). Light bulbs come in an array of Kelvins and you should choose the Kelvins based on the mood you want to set.

STEP 5

Now you know the number of Lumens you need for the brightness and the amount of Kelvins for the color. Other factors when determining what bulb to buy are the bulb shape and the bulb base. Fortunately there are standardizations for these as well.

These are the most typical bulb shapes and their names are important. Light bulb shapes are labeled with the first letter of it’s type of bulb i.e., A- for arbitrary and G- for globe shaped and so on. They will have numbers after that denote the size of the bulb. You certainly do not need to memorize the following

However, since the A- shaped bulb is the most common you probably want to note:

Different type of bulb bases are also plentiful and tedious.

See I told you.

The most common bases in the US are the Edison screw bottom (E). The number after the E is the size of the diameter in mm. The most common bulb is E26 or E27.

STEP 6

And now finally you need to know what type of bulb. Currently all fixtures in the US are wired for either LED, Incandescent and Halogen bulbs. Here is a quick synopsis of each type of bulb.

LED

LED stands for Light Emitting Diode. Basically,* it is an electronic device that emits light when an electrical current is passed through it. The energy efficient nature of LEDs allows them to produce brighter light than other types of bulbs while using less energy.

*Very basic

Pros: Energy efficient and long lasting. Getting better all the time – now dimmable

Cons: Not as true light as incandescent

Incandescent

An incandescent light bulb, is an electric light with a wire filament heated to such a high temperature that it glows with visible light. The original Edison light bulb is an incandescent and is still the truest form of light

Pros: Best light, cheap

Cons: Not energy efficient

Halogen

is a specialized incandescent light that contains halogen gas inside the bulb. The gas causes a chemical reaction with the tungsten material of the filament. The process constantly recycles the tungsten filament thus making the halogen bulbs longer lasting and more energy-efficient than regular incandescent bulbs.

Pros: Energy efficient

Cons: Super hot, more expensive then regular incandescent

Most lighting fixtures specify LED light bulbs be used as this is the way of the future. LED lights are getting closer and closer to revealing the same light as incandescent. I still use incandescent for dimmable lights but that’s just because I’m old fashioned – I’ll catch up soon.

STEP 7

Now you are ready to go bulb shopping. You should have the following information at the ready for every fixture:

Lumens (brightness)

Kelvins (color)

Size

Shape

Base

Type

Once you know this info you will be able to read lightbulb packaging.

Now just buy enough bulbs for each fixture and you should be good to go.