How to Choose the Best Light Fixture for Each Room in the House
Estimated reading time: 8 minutes
There’s nothing quite as enchanting as the perfect radiance that your home can display! From your kitchen to your living room to the bedrooms – even the outdoors – the choices are endless and can highlight and demonstrate your style and everyday preferences. Let’s look at the most common areas of the home, along with some recommended types of lighting.
THE KITCHEN
High visibility is a must when cooking or preparing food in the kitchen, regardless of the color of the cabinetry, floor, or walls. Although it does take some work to cut holes in the ceiling and install electrical connections, recessed ceiling lights and track lighting are often the best choices because they don’t get in the way of normal kitchen activity and provide plenty of brightness. They also accommodate a great variety of types and styles of bulbs, including fluorescent, incandescent, LED, and halogen lamps.
Pendant lights are always good choices for additional lighting over kitchen islands, dining tables, and breakfast bars. The shades on these fixtures vary, but all provide downward lighting in specific areas and create a decorative focal point for the space. A variety of bulbs can be used, and the best type will depend on the light’s location. A dining area usually calls for softer, less bright natural light bulbs, while the center island may require a bright LED for working in the kitchen.
Under-cabinet lighting or a small lamp on the counter may be used to create a soft glow in the kitchen area and helps to balance an otherwise utilitarian space with a warm, cozy feeling. LED strips come in bright or warm colors and in a number of lengths with adhesive tape and a plug-in for easy installation. They are useful under cabinets, kickboards, above the cabinets, or next to any corner cove molding next to the ceiling. A small accent lamp can be placed anywhere on the counter where additional lighting or a decorative accent is needed. Just be sure it’s plugged into a GFI outlet if it’s within 6 feet of a water source.
THE LIVING ROOM
Whether it is right next to the kitchen or in a completely separate space in your home, the living room (sometimes referred to as the family or great room) offers a larger space, usually with more natural lighting thanks to windows. It is not uncommon to see a few different types of lighting in this room as needs vary in each smaller space. Recessed ceiling lights as an overall room lighting solution have recently become a favorite option because they can fit in with almost any décor and wall color and provide a lot of general light. In the center of the room, you will often see a ceiling fan with a light or a large chandelier. If your tastes in furniture are more traditional, chandeliers can complement the look as well as provide additional ambient light.
On end tables or a sofa table, you will most likely need to use a table lamp, which provides additional light for a smaller area. A 60-watt bulb (or its LED equivalent of about 800 Lumens) is the recommended brightness for reading. Table lamps also allow you to use lighting that complements the other lighting in the room with countless colors, heights, and materials to choose that will reflect your style. This House Beautiful article provides information about various types of lamp shades for your table lamp. If you’re considering Track lighting, it works well in accenting bookcases, wall units, or art on the walls. And if you have a wall-mounted TV in the room, track lighting may be suitable since the light can be directed away from the TV screen as needed.
THE BEDROOM
Bedrooms, like living rooms, often need several lighting fixtures layered throughout the room. As a room brightener, overhead ceiling mount lights, a ceiling fan, a chandelier, or even recessed lighting will suffice. You will also likely want to place nightstands next to the bed with reading lamps, and touch lamps with USB ports may be just what you need for charging your smartphone. If there is a desk in the room, you will probably want a table lamp there as well. Finally, if some ambient accent lighting is needed, a smaller pendant or decorative lamp in a nook or corner might make a good choice.
THE CLOSET
Having a well-lit closet is important for practical reasons and aesthetic appeal. Brighter lighting makes it easier to locate and organize clothing, shoes, and accessories, saving time and reducing frustration. Additionally, a well-lit closet enhances visibility, allowing you to assess colors and details accurately, and contributes to a pleasant and inviting atmosphere in your living space. Usually, a bright flush-mount fixture or recessed lighting is the best choice in these spaces, along with natural light LED bulbs.
THE BATHROOM
Bathrooms, like bedrooms, may need more than one kind of light fixture. Bright lights around the sink and mirror, a flush-mount overhead fixture or recessed lights, and perhaps a heat light in the ceiling above the shower area are all good options for a variety of reasons. You may also wish to add more style with a chandelier above a garden tub or backlit mirrors to provide a soft glow or nightlight feature.
THE WORKSPACE
Any workspace, such as the garage, laundry room, craft room, or office, needs good, bright lighting to make tasks easier to see and do. For indoor workspaces, these overhead lights will brighten the majority of rooms. For the garage, consider these adjustable panel lights that give off an amazing 20,000 lumens!
In addition to overhead lighting, task lighting, such as a floor or table lamp, may be necessary for a desk or table. There are many styles to suit every need, but a lamp with a USB port seems to be the most popular for the office.
THE OUTSIDE
Homeowners often have to balance their choices with the requirements and restrictions of their neighborhood. Lighting for the outside of the front door is always a good idea, especially if you’re looking to install motion sensors or detectors for your front yard or provide a safe and secure path to your doorstep.
Spotlights are good to use if you have a large enough property but you should always keep in mind any restrictions if you’re part of a Homeowners Association (HOA). The most common restriction is that a homeowner’s outside lights must not emit excessive light on a neighbor’s property. Beyond that, you should also pay attention to the brightness of any spotlights (usually as measured in lumens or wattage). This not only could cause problems with your neighbors but also make for an uncomfortable environment if you wish to enjoy an outside patio or courtyard from time to time.
Landscaping lights, when properly placed and maintained, will showcase the best features around your property and also serve as functional pathway lighting. Some examples include these yard spotlights that can be placed at the base of trees or these patio lights or fairy lights to bring character and warmth.
HELPFUL LIGHTING FIGURES
To better understand how much light is needed in each room, use this handy Lumens Calculator from Insights (Alcon Lighting). Choose the room type, enter the room’s approximate dimensions, and select your lighting preference, along with paint color and light placement. It will tell you how many lumens and watts are needed for that room. If you would like to convert Lumens to types of bulbs, review the conversion table below.
| Lumens | Incandescent | LED | CFL | Halogen |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 450 | 40 Watts | ~9 Watts | ~11 Watts | ~29 Watts |
| 800 | 60 Watts | ~12 Watts | ~15 Watts | ~43 Watts |
| 1100 | 75 Watts | ~20 Watts | ~23 Watts | ~53 Watts |
| 1600 | 100 Watts | ~22 Watts | ~26 Watts | ~72 Watts |
A FEW REMINDERS
Be careful to avoid certain kinds of light sources in your home. Bright white and cool fluorescent tube bulbs and incandescent bulbs emit the most UV radiation and cause the most damage to your eyes. You should also be careful to limit their use to very small areas, specific uses, and limited time exposures. These are a few more situations to keep in mind as you install or upgrade the lighting in your home.
Whether you’re looking at new or existing homes, I can provide contact information for service contractors to repair or replace light fixtures in a home, regardless of the results of a home appraisal or inspection. If you’re interested in upgrading some light fixtures in a home that I’m assisting you in buying, I can also provide contact information for home improvement specialists. You can always count on me to make sure that they are well-qualified and certified because my goal is to ensure your satisfaction throughout the home-buying process!