Livingroom Lighting
Nowadays living rooms are not reserved just for special occacions. The living space is frequently the social center of the home.
It is the place to curl up with a good book, watch tv, visit with friends or entertain formally.
Unlike the kitchen and bathroom, where the position of the light fixtures is pretty much determined by the built-in furniture and appliances, the living room needs a more flexible lighting plan.
Lifestyles change over time, and furniture gets moved around. That’s the reason portable lamps work so well in a living area.
It’s amazing how good lighting can change a space. And it doesn’t even have to be expensive. A few tricks make a huge difference in making the living room feel comfortable and inviting. I do so many home consultations where all I do is to haul a few floor and table lamps out from various nooks and crannies throughout the house and demonstrate how creating “pools of Light” creates atmosphere.
Most living areas have some form of overhead lights, from a lone ceiling fixture to recessed cans or track lighting.
Recessed lights are great, especially if they are on a dimmer.
Track lighting does wonders for illuminating artwork or interesting architectural features and will add to the overall interest of the space. BUT it is the most uncomfortable light for trying to create general lighting to a room.
Last week I did a house consultation in a home where there was no overhead lighting in the living room except for two rows of track lights aiming towards the sofa “for reading”. Horrendous glare, no matter where you were sitting or standing in the room.
Simple fix: By moving the track close to two opposite walls and aiming the track heads at a beautiful painting, a huge rough-hewn beam and a colorful wall with family photos the room received enough general light bouncing off the walls. The rest was then filled in with table- and floor lamps. We changed a ratty looking shade for a new one in a neutral tone.
Result: An inviting space with warmth and focus on what matters to this couple.
Cost: a few hundred dollars.
The following excerpts from an article from the American Lighting Association will guide you through the steps toward creating your ideal living room lighting.
Designing With Light In The Living Room or Family Room
When designing a lighting plan for a living room or family room, you need to consider the variety of activities that occur there. You’ll want to include general lighting for entertaining and watching television, task lighting for reading or sewing, and accent lighting for artwork, plants, and interesting architectural features. Dimming controls are ideal for the living room because they allow to design the lighting to suit each mood and activity.
General Lighting
General lighting for social gatherings-conversation, watching television, listening to music-needs to be only 5-10 footcandles. Where you perform other visual tasks such as reading or hobbies, the ambient level should be at least 20 footcandles to balance the additional task lighting. Also, remember to provide electric lighting to balance the interiors of deep, daylighted spaces.
Recessed Downlights
Downlights place the most brightness on furniture and floor surfaces. Three-dimensional forms stand out; the lighting blends into the ceiling. Space downlights 4′-6′ apart for even illumination. Arrange the pattern so it relates to doorways and windows. You do not have to keep downlights in a single grid pattern; they can be clustered over conversation areas and spread out in between.
In low ceilings, use A lamps (or compact florescent where dimming is not important). In high or sloped ceilings, use reflectorized lamps. If you cannot recess, mount track lights to beams.
Wall Lighting
Bright walls enhance the sense of spaciousness. You wash or graze the walls, light artwork, or build in flourescent lights behind fascias and valances against the wall. For the most even wash, use track mounted or recessed wall washers 2′-3′ from the wall and an equal distance apart. Built-in fluorescent works best in small rooms or to supplement other general lighting. Allow about 1.5 W/SF for 20 footcandles.
Uplights
Uplighting makes the ceiling the brightest surface in the space and enhances the sense of volume. You need a high celing with a light finish for uplighting. Use wall brackets, torchieres, or indirect pendants for a decorative treatment. Mount fluorescent strips over cabinets or on beams (at least 18″ below the ceiling) for built-in lighting.
Perfectly even uplighting is very difficult to achieve. To avoid the most obvious hot spots on the ceiling, use fixtures with a broad distribution and space them around the room. For 10 footcandles of indirect lighitng, provide 1.5-2.5 W/SF of incandescent (generally halogen). Note that torchieres are more efficient than wall brackets and so require less wattage. With fluorescent, 1-1.5 W/SF will produce about 20 footcandles.
Portables
Portable lamps with diffusing shades provide a warm and friendly ambience. Their light fills in people’s faces contributing to a comfortable and social environment. Portables can double as task light for reading and create intimate pools of brightness. And, of course, they are very flexible.
Controls
Control each group of lights separately: downlights, wall brackets, florescent uplights, etc (make each a separate zone or channel). Where the living area divides into spaces that are used separately, provide separate controls. Provide a control location at each entry into the room, using three-way or remotes.
Use dimmers instead of switches to adjust the intensity to sit various moods or activities and the preferences of the people who use the space. Watching television or a home theater is generally more enjoyable with the lighitng dimmed. The more elaborate the entertainment center, the more receptive a customer will be to sophisticated controls.
A multi-scene push-button control adds convenience. Portables can be incorporated into a control scheme using power-line carrier or wireless receiver modules for the outlets.
