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Home lighting
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A bedroom, a living room, a kitchen, a dining room and a bathroom can not possibly all be illuminated in the same manner. Here's a quick walk through the various rooms in
the house.
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The foyer
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The desired goal is above all to create a welcoming atmosphere.
This entails distributing the light so that the lighting appears bright in some places, and weaker
everywhere else with gentle shadows for feeling
For background lighting, we recommend lights that point upwards - a wall sconce or ceiling light in the centre of the room offering a robust and
confident light (incandescents or halogens).
All to be finished with one or two lamps set on a console or even in a corner niche where they can illuminate the ceiling. Lighting a few pictures with
hidden light and localised sources creates a happy atmosphere and an impression of intimacy that draws the guest to enter and stay. For a more neutral effect, we can illuminate the ceiling with an
opaque suspension light in the centre of the room, or add a sparkling touch with a small decorative chandelier.
These are the key points, that we can avail ourselves of for all sorts of lamps to brighten up an entry foyer.
The lighting must be designed to create a feeling of intimate welcome.
For
exterior lighting and awnings, it is preferable to envisage equipment that automatically turns itself off or which is activated by movement sensors.
Often the lack of space in a foyer makes it
difficult to use table lamps, standard lamps and sometimes even wall sconces. In such cases we would look to recess the lamps or other fittings into the ceiling, and if that's not possible, you can
always set lamps on a cable or low voltage rail and power them with a dimmer switch that will allow you to control the light intensity.
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Lighting in corridors and stairways
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In a stairwell, lighting most all needs to make the edges of the stairs clearly visible. No direct blinding lights that wipe out the relief definition of the stairs, but
moreover bulbs that offer diffuse light. As in the corridor, wall sconces or wide beam lighting from above do the trick quite well. Wall sconces visually break up the visible spaces. Light fittings
installed at the base of the walls, along the corridor or beside the rising steps can create an original theatrical effect.
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The living room
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Make sure that the light is either natural, gentle and concentrated in certain areas, or uniformly distributed throughout. This is the room where we welcome our guests,
watch television, and listen to music.
Successful lighting here will bring out the best in the decorations and arrangement of the room.
As a way to reinforce the decorative effect,
don't hesitate to add in coloured lamps with low wattage that direct light towards or behind objects in the room. Carefully illuminated and positioned in a corner of the room can provide a centre of
visual interest which breaks the monotony of the background lighting.
This gentler lighting becomes more impressive by simply lowering the brightness of the lamp's light with the use of a dimmer.
We are able to create a relaxing atmosphere by lighting the walls with a central lamp fitted with a coloured bulb, delivering very gentle tones with a few highlights spread about the room, and
thereby obtaining a space that is washed in a uniform colour. The walls reflect almost all of a yellow-tinted white, which give us a better level of ambient light more conducive to a relaxing
atmosphere.
By placing the coloured light sources behind decorative glass items, we create some large shadows, as well as generating some new shades of colour by superimposing their reflections.
Or even simpler, by using the projection of a soft white (warm tinted) light from a spot towards the floor surface we give additional charm and warmth to the room.
To create a
night-time ambience, we will dim the lights, with only the colours and shapes shifting gently under a soft comfortable light in the aim of drawing attention away them.
There are ways to produce
many other spectacular effects with the light emanating from such concealed sources.
(In a groove set in a false ceiling or false skirting) which can illuminate an entire room with its light
reflections.
In summary, a variety of light sources well suits the living room that serves as the hub for a wide variety of activities. It is necessary to use several electric circuits and
dimming switches. You should expect to install special lighting for any reception rooms. And knowing how to replace clear bulbs with coloured ones is often enough to create a wonderful decorative
effect. Your installation needs to be designed so that there are adequate spots, sconces and light sources in the room to supply ambient lighting that encourages relaxation and makes it possible to
list to music or watch the television.
Don't hesitate to mix incandescent and halogen lights to create different atmospheres as the mood suits you, some being "warmer" and others
"cooler".
Choose standard and office lamps to create a welcoming, intimate and peaceful atmosphere. If the chairs are set low, lamps of differing heights will accentuate the
vertical aspects of the room. Small floodlights can be used to bring the best out of small decorative objects and pictures. The essential idea: don't use too many fixed light fittings, which can be
awkward if you decide to rearrange the furniture.
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Lighting in the TV room
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Watching television in the dark tires your eyes very quickly. But too much light that reflects off the screen is just as annoying. So you'll need to create soft lighting, smoothing out the contrast
between the screen's luminosity and the background darkness. But the essential thing is to make sure the lights are concealed and that they do not reflect on the screen. To do this: a lamp behind the
television directed on to the wall, a standard lamp with a front-facing shade, or wall sconces with diffuse light covers set into the wall behind the spectator will all deliver the goods.
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The lounge
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Here is the problem is quite a different matter. First of all, what is the room used for? For prolonged usages, it is recommended to use compact fluorescent lamps, preferably indirectly, or
fluorescent curtain bands. In any circumstance, it's best to opt for light sources that provide general background lighting.
If you expect to read in your lounge (in a library corner, for
example), it is recommended to provide a directed light that fills out the background lighting. In fact, high contrast if very tiring on the eyes, and for a pleasant reading experience you will need
to light on the book but so much that the background becomes too dark by contrast.
To bring out the best of your works of art, pictures or other objects, you can supplement the background
lighting with lamps pointing on to the objects that you wish to highlight, using tight beam dichroic halogens for example, which, when coupled with the right choice of reflectors, makes it possible
to show such objects to better advantage. The narrowness of the light beam is chosen to correspond with the size of the illuminated object. Few people know it, but the dichroic bulbs that we find in
any regular supermarket have three types of beam apertures: 12° beams for lighting specific objects, 24° intermediary beams for lighting larger objects or small pictures, and much larger 36° beams
used for ambient lighting and which are therefore less often used than the directional beam bulbs. These indications are always listed on the sides of the packaging.
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The kitchen
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The kitchen is warming and convivial place, and when fully lit at night, it takes on a futuristic appearance.
Lighting needs to be pleasant but most of all suitable for carrying out delicate tasks.
The lighting must primarily be functional and essential for any hour of the day, and then we can add a few decorative touches. It needs to be installed in such a way that the various work
surfaces are adequately illuminated, either with halogen or neon spots, and not overlooking a more gentle light for the dining area. In fact, we recommend planning an installation that will make it
possible to provide light where it's needed during meals and yet still leave the rest of the room in the shadows for dining comfort.
Make sure the light is available in the working areas - sink stovetop oven refrigerator.
Halogen spots enable a flexibility in lighting for provisioning both background and pinpoint lighting needs.
The furniture as well as the plumbing fixtures also contribute to the play of light within the room.
It's important to provide both ambient and functional lighting that can either be provided
by the same lamp or by several lamps, like spots. When reflected on the floor, their reflections similarly contribute towards the general ambience while still overall providing functionally useful
light.
We would generally opt for spots mounted in recessed frames set into the ceiling, with a concealed bulb to make sure the eye is not subject to any harsh raw light.
The lighting can be
both classical and functional, by fixing light rails under the skirting set onto kitchen furniture, thereby shedding an abundance of light into the working surfaces. As such lights are hidden and
their light floods over the floor, they are an equally useful source of ambient light as well.
Designing a schematic is therefore an essential step before you can have both ambient and functional
lighting at the same time.
Separate light sources must be used to light particular areas devoted for various particular activities.
In this "technical" room, lighting should
ensure a pleasant environment and provide enough light without creating shadows over the working spaces.
To get started, you first need some background lighting, set into the ceiling, to provide
overall light for the room. Then add in localised lighting like spots, rails or strips, carefully installed to avoid shadows, to specifically illuminate the working zones.
If the kitchen opens to
a living area, install dimmers so that you can dim the lights when the kitchen area isn't being used.
The kitchen is an essential "living" zone that is often difficult to illuminate. And
there's also the question of utility. For cooking, you need to ensure the work spaces are clearly lit. Fluorescent lights are not well suited for kitchens: they are cumbersome and often too strong,
when it would have been perfectly adequate to use CFLs instead. Better to use two or three CFLs to light up the working space that one very bright large tube, which, after all is said and done,
doesn't light up the working area well at all. Too much light on a working surface is disturbing. In such cases, sometimes all you need to do is hide the bulb by concealing it with a cover strip.
There are two essentials: the central lighting which lights the whole room, and the multitude of diffuse light fittings over the work spaces and sink (a small neon tube with a diffuser or behind a
cowling).
So we can create an atmosphere in our kitchen, though it must first of all work as a functional room before it is modified to be a living space as well. To get the lighting right,
you need to play the roles against each other: function and pleasure.
Kitchens therefore need 2 types of lighting: directed and ambient light sources.
Localised lighting: working space,
sink, cooking space, cupboards…
all of these zones must be carefully lit, as they facilitate activities that require close attention and which must be carried out in complete safety. Give priority to light sources over each of your strategic locations.
Fluorescent tubes with diffusers or cowlings (to hide them) offer some great benefits: they deliver an exact rendition of tones, respect the colour of foods and naturally diffuse their light.
You might well consider low voltage halogen bulbs, preferably with reflectors, to concentrate the light shed on to particular zones in the kitchen.
Ambient lighting: it is essential to
complete point lighting in order to avoid unwelcome shadows. For this, choose a descending suspension light and shade (cone or bell) to define the eating area for example, or an indirect lighting
with a spot combination fixture. When using these, direct the spots upwards to the ceiling and down on to the actual table to avoid blinding the diners. .
Because of steam, oils, smokes and all
other manner of projections, it is better to use shades and supports made of glass, porcelain and steel, and avoid materials that do not wash easily.
Make sure that all light fittings are easy to access so you can clean them regularly.
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The dining room
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The dining room is like the living room, a place where guests are often likely to be invited. Sometimes they come to read, sometimes to drink tea, sometimes to play cards, so the light needs to be
favourable for a convivial atmosphere and clean enough to encourage all kinds of activities. Several types of lamps avail themselves beautifully to these roles.
Lamps are controlled from a central
switching system that we combine with light dimmers in order to provide a range of different feelings to the room.
An intimate dinner for two, for example, is best dressed in a soft and flattering glow.
The central point of the room reinforces the impression of intimacy, a suspension lamp above the table
fitted with low wattage bulbs perhaps, rounded off with one or two table lamps set on a sideboard.
And not forgetting about that special atmosphere you need when guests come over for a dinner
party, by setting some other decor items in relief - picture lighting or architectural standard lamps ... and turn the lights up for a tea party or familial activities. These kinds of results can be
obtained by distributing lamps all around the room, without forgetting to direct some light towards the table so that it's easy to read a newspaper or execute similar delicate operations.
Lighting a dining room should therefore incorporate artistic, decorative and functional lamps at the same time.
In summary, expect to use bulbs which can be dimmed as you wish and according to the
occasion, and don't forget to illuminate sideboards and tables where food dishes might be set aside in waiting.
You can complete the lighting arrangement with a sconce or directional lamps (spots
or table lamps) that enable the creation of spectacular effects by pointing them up or down or onto a plant or other feature object in the room.
For a welcoming environment, suspension lamps
allow the light to be reflected down on to the table. The reflected light is even more pronounced if the table has a light colouring. For a warmer feeling, provide a sprinkling of small chandelier
type lights above the table. Suspend them low enough so that they don't dazzle the eyes, and high enough so that it's still possible to distinguish objects on the table. A single wide beam lamp is
well-suited to lighting the entire table surface by itself. In the background, discrete lighting (standard lamps, side lamps or sconces) will provide a lovely background light.
It is better to
illuminate the eating area with an incandescent lamp, or even better with a halogen that offers better colour rendition, but only so long as the light itself is not too bright. As for food colours,
this is another matter altogether. The fact of being poorly lit won't affect the perception of taste, quite the contrary, as being in an over-bright environment can only detract from the dining
experience. This is why many restaurants are actually quite weakly lit.
A basic recommendation: provide just enough light for the guests without blinding them!
Multiply the number of light sources: this will soften the overall atmosphere.
Avoid using just a single hanging lamp: they can often cast light that is simply too aggressive. However you can
still use a single chandelier-type fitting.
Affix a telescopic lamp on a ceiling-mounted platform, and raise and lower it over the table as suits the occasion. You can always supplement it with
smaller side lamps.
Avoid lamps pointing at angles and spots located directly over the heads of your guests: they are often the cause of disfiguring shadows on people's faces. In the same vein,
avoid lights directly behind their heads: your friends don't need unflattering back-lighting either.
Think about light as a function of the decorations and colours in the room. Sandblasted
lampshades harmonise well with colder colours, and incandescent lights associated with rather softer light intensities will be best featured using warmer colours.
Wall sconces contribute towards
creating a luminous atmosphere, and soften the contrast between the centre and the often too-dark background to provide a guaranteed convivial flavour to the ensemble.
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The bedroom
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It is necessary to think of providing several types of lighting for bedrooms that will suit the various uses of the room, which can be very different in some cases. For example, a reading lamp is a
tight-beam spot that is very well suited for reading, but poorly suited to a bedroom where it's generally preferred to have a warming soft-light environment. This is why a central lampshade is not
recommended for a bedroom, as indirect lighting is much better suited for the desired effect. But since they're still so useful for reading, reading lamps will still often be found in hotel bedrooms.
The other peculiarity about bedrooms is that of wardrobes and drawers. If you opt for indirect light, the resultant effect is very pleasant in the room, but quite insufficient inside the wardrobes.
This is an important factor to consider, because the frequent usage of wardrobes means that lighting them needs to be considered very carefully.
We do try to increase the overall luminosity.
For a bedroom, the primary lighting requirement is for an ambient feeling in order to facilitate relaxation. The key function of lighting here is to provide an overall well-lit environment, notably
for the wardrobes, and yet make things gentle enough for reading in bed in the evening. Directable lamps with dimmers are useful on both sides of the bed as a way of being able to modify the room's
atmosphere at night as you so choose.
The bedroom is a place both romantic and practical, so you must be able to alter the light intensity depending on the hour of day or night, the season, or the
moods of its occupants. A concealed source of indirect lighting is perfect for relaxation, which can be easily obtained by installing a dimmer on each of the electrical circuits.
A traditional
bedroom is often illuminated with a combination of several sources: an indirect light projected on the ceiling or walls or charmingly dressed in an opaque glass can avoid tired eyes from being
blinded. And of course, two bedside lamps can admirably complete the decor, as their concealed bulbs provide the light necessary for a calm and relaxing atmosphere. It is important to stress that the
height of a bedside lamp is critical, and it must be carefully calculated since the bulb needs to be just high enough so that its light falls on the pages of the book, and yet the lampshade needs to
descend just far enough so that the reader isn't blinded by the direct glare.
In such lamps, it's common practice to use incandescent or halogen bulbs because of the warmer tints that they offer.
A tube concealed above a wardrobe or a lamp set on a piece of furniture will be useful for creating the ambient light in the room. Avoid using ceiling lights which are glaring. But note that
if the light is insufficient, it can become difficult or even unpleasant to try reading. In these cases, localised point lighting will sort things out quickly: a spot above the reading position or an
office lamp just behind the reader. From a practical point of view, think about being able to control the lighting at the bedroom doorway and from in bed itself.
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The bathroom
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The aim is to create a soothing atmosphere, underlining the sensual aspect of the bathroom, introducing special lighting here or there as is necessary to accord a special quality to the everyday
objects used in the bathroom - dispensers, mirrors or glasses. And warm and sensual light is the order of the day.
Highlight the bathtub, marbled surfaces and glass as well as mirrors, which can
be surrounded with halogen spots fixed in the ceiling, highlighting its importance and bringing out its whiteness, highly correlated with feelings of clarity and purity. By directing other spots on
to the shelving, we have made a stunning show of the coloured bottles that are arranged there. These various well-lit objects are reflected in the mirror, in various other glass surfaces and even in
the water in the bath. The manner that light is spread around creates an impression of calm.
Only a minor lighting modification is required to transform a classical peaceful bathroom into a
Turkish hammam, with just a few ceiling spots and gently illuminating the room with a waterproof lamp fixed to the floor, the wall or even recessed in the ceiling. Being controlled by a dimmer switch
helps spread diffuse light just as well as it frosted glass cover. A waterproof (IP68) fitting set into the base of the bath, or several point lights like LEDs can supply plenty enough light while
still fulfilling a decorative role, drawing attention to movements in the water, which similarly contribute to creating a peaceful atmosphere.
But above all make sure that the areas devoted to
facial care - for make-up or shaving - are well lit. Surround the mirror with a multitude of low power bulbs, placed well away from the centre of the mirror where they won't risk blinding or
distorting the face.
In general light fittings should be almost completely unmovable, meaning you can install fixed lamps for overall lighting like spots set into the ceiling. For lighting around
mirrors, it is far better to install them on each side rather than directly above: a technique which avoids unwanted shadows on the face. Lastly, be careful of the electrical fittings and keep them
far away from water sources. It's best to favour incandescent bulbs in the ceiling or in wall sconces, since their light offers a healthier tone to skin than do fluorescent bulbs.
As in the
kitchen, two complementary lighting methods are required in the bathroom: a background lighting and point lighting.
The first of these must be diffuse to create a relaxing atmosphere. There's
nothing more agreeable that letting oneself drift away in a bath under a gentle light. Chandelier and ceiling-mounted fittings are perfect: their higher position make it easier to spread the light
throughout the room. Spots or recessed fittings are similarly well adapted. Very low wattage halogens tucked into a false ceiling will create both a restive atmosphere and a decorative elegance.
The second centres around the principal activities in the bathroom that orient themselves about the mirror: washing, make-up, shaving, and hair-styling are all functions that require perfectly clear
vision. And so very particular lighting is required. The light must not be too gentle or indulgent for the viewer, and colours must be rendered almost perfectly (at the risk of applying too much
garish make-up!) yet must not be too aggressive, especially in the early hours of the morning. The ideal is to have uniform, frontally flat lighting. Directed from below, the light will create
shadows; from above, it will accentuate wrinkles. Band lighting on both sides, or 2 symmetrical sconces, are both good solutions to eliminate any shadowing. But the best solution is that of the
artist's mirror, completely surrounded with small lamps so that their light frames the face entirely.
To avoid glaring, it's better to opt for incandescent bulbs around mirrors.
In order to
reduce to much reflected light, avoid walls that are completely white. Rather, favour yellows, ambers, beiges or pastels to provide a more intimate feeling with a diffuse light.
Important: make absolutely sure you respect the regulatory distances from water sources.
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Lighting in the office
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To illuminate without glare, an upward flood light will diffuse an excellent background light. Ideal for use in working areas, pay particular care to avoid reflections appearing on computer screens.
Ensure that you install a point light directed onto the working area as a focal point (reading, writing): this is to make sure that your eyes do not fatigue too quickly. Lastly, a workbench is best
suited to fluorescent strips fixed on the wall and concealed behind panelling to diffuse a uniform light.
Lighting an office or workbench must primarily be a matter of function than style. It
needs to be the subject of considerable forethought.
For the light, you can separate the office space from the rest of the house by giving your work space its particular own identity.
A tight
circle of light around the table will facilitate concentration. Fixing spots pointed to the ceiling, or even to the floor, will work well for a background glow.
Provide less lighting for the
immediate surroundings of your work desk by using recessed spots that brush over shelves and files with a more gentle light.
Think of using dimmers so that lighting can be adjusted depending on
what kind of work is currently undertaken.
At all costs avoid any glaring spots, and think seriously about fitting the windows with venetian blinds or curtains.
As for your work desk, avoid surfaces that reflect a lot for the worktop, like melanin or lacquered coatings.
Concentrate all the light on the desk and don't hesitate to invest in a good quality
lampshade. The best choice is definitely the articulated counterweight lamp, whether you choose it for purely functional or additionally decorative reasons. Pick one with a head that is also
redirectable.
Place the articulated lamp not directly in front of you, but in one of the table corners so that you can illuminate your papers from the diagonal. Position it
carefully so that the bulb is not directly visible from your seat.
If possible, favour using tungsten bulbs or extended mini-fluorescents to provide a light which is soft yet still efficient.
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Lighting a child's bedroom
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Lighting in a child's bedroom requires particular attention where the watch word of the day is safety. Generally speaking, lighting this room should be at a functionally strict minimum and avoid any
electrical overloads. It is essential to check that all plugs and lighting switches are compliant with safety regulations and constraints.
The lighting installation must be as high as possible,
which presents the advantage of avoiding extension cords and the risk of tripping.
The most practical and safest solution is lighting that is fixed to the wall, to the side of the bed or to a desk.
Ensure that all lighting switches are easily accessible from the bedroom doorway.
Don't forget to expect providing an additional light that can be controlled from in bed.
You can also
install lighting recessed into a cupboard or into furniture. There's plenty of choice to be had: fluorescent strips under the desk shelving, systems integrated into the headboard…
Avoid any little unstable lamps standing on long, thin legs, and likewise for clamping lamps...
To correctly light a desk, prefer to opt for an architect's lamp: it can be firmly affixed to the
desk with a vice and it offers perfect lighting for a child's activities. It can be equally well fixed to a wall, which has the added advantage of freeing up space on the desk.
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Information
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