How Much and What Kind Of Lighting Do You Need?

   

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Lighting is the jewelry of the room!

When choosing lighting for a room it is somewhat  like when you choose jewelry for an outfit. 

You look at the style of how you are dressed, and add your jewelry according to the look, and feel you want to achieve when looking at your over all outfit.

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The same thing goes for a room. You need to first look at your basic furnishings, and decide what style, type and amount of lighting your room needs.

Every room needs a certain amount of lighting, and most rooms  are….

“Lighting poor.”

So how much lighting is enough?

Did you know that there is a formula on how to figure out how many watts of light your room needs?

I read a little formula a long time ago that said  find your square footage (example 12ft X 16ft = 192sq.ft)

Then multiply your square footage by 1.5 .

(192 sq.ft. X 1.5 =288 watts) so that means your room will need 288 watts of lighting sources.

An average room should have approx. 4-5 lamps.

Once you have this figured out you are ready to start the process of figuring out the how much and what kind of lighting you will need in your room.

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FIRST

Look at your room and figure out where you will be placing your lighting sources. Are you going to have enough, or do you need to add some more?

There needs to be different types of lighting as well…..

Overhead/Chandelier

Wall

Table

Floor Lamps

Up-lights

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When choosing fixtures I like to start with the star of the room, and that is usually a chandelier of some kind.

It doesn’t matter what your style is, or what you gravitate towards, it is just a good idea to choose this main piece first because it will truly dictate the style, and feel of the rest of the room.

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Think of it as the necklace in an outfit. You will choose, your earrings, bracelets, shoes and purse according to the style of that necklace, and your base pieces in your outfit.

NEXT

If you are going to have sconces in the room I would suggest choosing those next.  These are like the earrings in your outfit.

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Notice we are choosing the more permanent lighting first. Once you purchase those, and pay an electrician to install them you most likely will not change them. These are your base pieces and usually the more expensive lighting fixtures.

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Once you have chosen the chandelier, and sconces you can add floor lamps, and table lamps that will work in the room. These are easily changed out, or replaced, that is why I would choose them last.

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In choosing your floor, and table lamps don’t miss the opportunity to add texture. Do you need more shine, or do you need rougher textures to add contrast in the room.

You can also use color and pattern in these fixtures to add to the overall interest in the room.

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Now you have the basics to choosing, style, type, and amount of lighting fixtures you need in your room.

HOMEWORK

1. Go into your room, figure out how much lighting you will actually need in your room by using the above formula.

2. If you are short on lighting sources, figure out where you need to add more.

3. Think of different types of lighting that you can use in the areas that need more lighting.

4. What style, texture, design or color would look best in each spot?

5. Do a little on-line window shopping to play with your new additions before making a final purchase.

6. Once you are solid with your over all design, then you get to do the really fun part.

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Have fun with this, and remember to always….