Lighting too dim or too fancy for a laundry?
The current overhead fluorescent light in our laundry/panty has started to die, coincidentally just as we are about to begin some renovations in that space.
First I fantasized about this as a replacement:
Why this one? It seemed so perfect, since the walls are various shades of aqua, the price was good, and it's sort of my style (vaguely Art Deco/Arts&Crafts). In the reno we'll be adding this flooring:
BUT (isn't there always a BUT in these dilemma stories?) my concern is that even with two 100 watt bulbs that it uses, the light would be too dim and not distributed well enough in the rectangular space (7.5x12 feet). So I looked for a more rectangular shaped thing, didn't find an appealing, sleek LED in my price range (abut $150-200), and came upon this chandelier that really caught my eye:
(here's the link -- couldn't get the image to load)
It might sound silly to even contemplate crystal lighting in a laundry, but I already have one in my dining room, do spend alot of time in and out of this laundry room since it's right off the kitchen, and I use the space as a workroom for any number of project. And the glass pieces are all pretty rounded which seems to tone down the formality a bit.
BUT it might be too dim.
This adjustable height, kitchen island pendant accommodates four candelabra-base lightbulbs up to 40 W each over its 30 inch length. So while the light might be distributed a bit more than the colorful light I looked at earlier, the watt total is less, 160 vs. 200.
In terms of lumens, if I used the 40 W equivalent LED bulbs, E12 base clear, which evidently are 300-350 lumens per bulb, then there would be roughly 1200-1400 lumens. I am not sure how this would compare to the light we have now, which really will be our psychological "standard." it was there when we bought the house so I have no idea what kind of bulbs are in it..... I did find a blog called something like LouieLighting which states: "We recommend 1180 lumens for each ceiling mounted fixture in an 8×10 laundry room."
So maybe I could "get by" with the pretty chandelier, especially if I add an undercabinet light over the washer as I am contemplating. But I want everyone who uses the room to feel like it is bright enough when they walk in and flip the ceiling light switch without resorting to task lighting.
Comments (17)
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5 years agoKarenmo
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agoAh, I wonder if everyone is looking at the picture of the light with the stained glass panels? I finally figured out how to load the image (instead of just the link) for the crystal one......(sorry it's so dinky!)
This shade would not impede the light, but I am still not sure the 1200 lumens would be enough.Karenmo
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agoKarenmo
5 years agoKarenmo
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agoI ended up ordering the stained glass fixture the other day and it arrived today! When I hold the shade up to a light it doesn't seem to block too much -- for one thing the largest part of the shade is the round piece on the bottom which is a very translucent piece. And many of the sections of the stained glass portion are clear glass with a texture.
When I ordered it, I also purchased two LED bulbs for it which are the 100w equivalent. GE makes a bulb that is between the 5000K daylight color and the 2700K soft light, which they call "Reveal." Its color is 2850K with a CRI of 100. The reviews were so great that I thought I'd give it a try, since so many say that the 5000K bulb give their home the look of a Walmart, and I don't really want that. This bulb has 1140 lumens so that will give me 2280 for the room overall. We'll see how that works; if it isn't enough along with the undercabinet light I plan to add, then Elizabeth's suggestion would be a good solution, especially since the shade is so pleasing to me that I wouldn't mind two.
Karenmo
5 years agolast modified: 5 years ago
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