How Much and What Kind Of Lighting Do You Need?
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.
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?
THE FORMULA
I read about 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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
via (designed by Caitlin Wilson)
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......
Have fun with this, and remember to always….
