What type of overhead lighting for toy room/living room

16 years ago

I would like to put in overhead lighting in the 'formal living room' which functions as the very informal toy room in our house. It will function this way for a few years, I expect, then it will grow into some other use... I'm not sure what. Maybe a library/study type of thing. I can't really see it ever being used for a formal living room while its my house. The room is probably 16x16 and has one big window.

I have no idea what type of light would be best, both aesthetically and functionally. One single flush mount light? Some recessed lights (how many?)

Thanks

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Comments (2)

modernhouse
16 years ago
The thing that really helped me to begin to understand lighting was reading the back of the Juno and Aculux Residential Recessed Lighting catalog. It showed the light output of different bulbs from different ceiling heights. It also gives some recommended light levels to shoot for. In my own living room, I am hoping to achieve a 20-25 footcandle light level. A well lit kitchen is about 50 fc.

If you get ambitious, look at the Lightolier or Halo lighting sites. They have a web tool that calculates how many light fixtures you need for a particular light level. It takes a bit of study to use.

For my own Living Room, I am using directional PAR30 50W recessed lights for task lighting, and cove lighting to provide ambient light.

Here is a link that might be useful: Juno literature
mogul
16 years ago
I would consider downlights for your room. I dont necessarily agree with the previous post about going in the detail of lighting calculations for your room. I do light calculations every day at work and sometimes they can be misleading as there are a lot of factors that they dont take into account, at least the basic programs. One of the biggest factors is the color of your wall and ceiling.

If you use downlights and if you would prefer a bright room. I would say 9 lights 4 foot on center. Or 4 downlights 8 foot on center for lower level of lighting and the obvious cost of fixture and installation. In both scenarios I would recommend dimming to give yourself flexibility and increase the life of the bulbs.

There are lots of chooses with different sizes and lamping in downlights.
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What type of overhead lighting for toy room/living room

Comments (2)

modernhouse

mogul

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