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Lighting Design Dilemma living room

Advice on living room lighting desperately needed.

last year

last modified: last year

I've replaced the graphic with one that has all the room measurements, except for the foyer that is 7' long.

The ceiling height is 8'. I have a 40"x60"-ish mirror and buffet lamps from my grandmother that will go on the back wall of the dining room so am not concerned about needing additional lighting there.

I'm building a house and need to tell the electrician where I want recessed lights installed in the living room, which is 14' x 16'. I'd appreciate any advice on how to best light the space to meet our needs and so there isn't a dead zone between the dining room and living room. The layout is so different from our current house that I'm struggling to visualize what makes sense. The dining room is 12' x 12' with a five-light chandelier and the foyer has a flush mount light. Ceiling is 8' high.

The TV is above the fireplace. We'll also be reading, using laptops, etc. on the sofas, so need decent but not overpowering light. The sofas may get shifted to the right so they are symmetrical with the windows, which would make a sconce a perfect solution for one sofa, and I've thought about a sofa table with a table lamp behind the other. The challenge is that I need to leave wide enough paths for someone in a wheelchair and I'm afraid these will make it feel too tight, even if they meet standard requirements.

Thank you all,

Comments (9)

Yvonne Martin
last year
We need exact measurements on your floor plan. Also, do you plan to have outlets on the floor to use for lamps for the floating couch?
Lynne thanked Yvonne Martin
kandrewspa
last year
How high is the ceiling?
Lynne thanked kandrewspa
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OH BOY! well, the dining fixture looks right lol. Im not sure you need penants over that peninsula I dont know why you would want to light up the top of the tv area? I dont know why you would want to light up just behind the sofa area? And Im not sure why you have all these LED strips? Not sure why you would put lights in the beam? you need to have an electrician and a consultant look at this space, so you can get a real plan together. I do not know all the constraints but you would have the most uneven hot spot, shadow making lighting here. How tall are the ceilings? This is not a complex space, nor is it very large, the space in your 3D image appears much smaller than your floor plan. Also, no ones has the coffee table that far from the sofa so I am just not sure you need all the decorative lights you have suggested.
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muhammad haseeb
last year
Given the size and layout of your living room, a good rule of thumb is to have at least one recessed light for every 4-6 square feet of ceiling space. Based on the dimensions you provided, you could potentially install 9-12 recessed lights in your living room to provide adequate lighting without overwhelming the space.

To avoid a dead zone between the dining room and living room, consider installing a few recessed lights in the ceiling along the shared wall to provide additional lighting in that area. You may also want to consider installing a dimmer switch for the recessed lights to allow for adjustable lighting levels depending on the task at hand.
PRO
BeverlyFLADeziner
last year
Here are my suggested locations for downlights. I think you will want ones with a gimble
Lynne thanked BeverlyFLADeziner
PRO
Patricia Colwell Consulting
last year
last modified: last year
IMO if yoou have enough lighting layered in a LR you do not needgimbals which often cast weird light on walls and art. If you have specail art pieces then those can be high lighted . I think in a DR 2 pot lights i enough above the buffet 5 light chandelier tells me nothing since IMO all chandeleirs should light the table and most light the ceiling . I think you will have some issues with llighting in the LR 2 floor lamps either side of the FP could help I like arc lamps to get light closer to the middle of the room Most laptops can be used even in dark rooms . The paths for a wheelchair are tricky so make sure every path is the right size . Any more help can only come after you post a to scale floor plan showing every measurement , windows , doorways and in thta kitchen the width of all the walkways too. Using graph paper makes it easier to do scaled drawings . tHe post that here in a comment you need to use jpeg format . Do not start another post on this space you are asking about.
Lynne thanked Patricia Colwell Consulting
Lynne
Original Author
last year
Hi all -- thank you for the comments. I've updated the main post to include measurements on the graphics. The ceilings are 8' high. There is no floor outlet, but that's a great addition to my list.
Lynne
Original Author
last year
For what it's worth: Ethan Allen Shelton is the sofa that I'm using - it's got the perfect combination of support, a comfortable arm to lean against for TV watching, etc. and style. It comes in 88" and 98." I'm having it done in a bench seat but keep going back and forth on the length.
PRO
BeverlyFLADeziner
last year
I personally would rather have the walk-around space in the room than push a sofa a smidge too large in the space.

Are you sure you want facing sofas? Looks visually cramped to me
Lynne
Original Author
last year
last modified: last year
I updated the main post, but in case this is easier: I've attached the floor plan with all the dimensions I could think of, and reduced the size of the sofa to the 88" version. To answer some of the other questions - the ceilings are 8' high; I have a large mirror and buffet lamps that I will use on the dining room back wall so am not concerned about light there. And, yes, I do want two parallel sofas. We are both loungers, feet up on the sofa, so it works well for us, especially with the TV mounted over the fireplace.

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