Layered Light - How Much Is Enough?
February 24, 2021
One of the trickiest aspects of creating lighting plans can be working out how much light is enough.
It comes down to being able to quantify light, which we achieve through knowing the lumen output of a fitting (Lumens is a measure of luminous flux, which is how much light is emitted by the light source/fitting - refer to image at the bottom) and the mounting height at which it will be installed and then being able to understand the quality of that light for performing various tasks in the home.
Most homes in Australia are over-lit by rows of downlights in a grid pattern across the ceiling and many people move into a home and instead of using the lighting that has been installed, they bring in floor lamps and table lamps to create mood and give them useful light without being subjected to glare and over brightness.
A single wall light can provide all the light you need in a bathroom - positioned at the mirror where it counts.
A single wall light can provide all the light you need in a bathroom - positioned at the mirror where it counts.
When designing the lighting for your home, you need to keep in mind what colour your walls, ceiling floors and other finishes will be. White walls, ceilings and light coloured tiles will reflect light all around the home - and if you're not careful, leave you with glare (excessive contrast of light, that is, light which is too bright for your eyes to adjust to easily) and a stark home. Of course, the flip side of that is homes with dark timber floors, heavy dark furniture and strong feature walls. In a home with this decorative style, you need to compensate with the lighting to ensure it doesn't end up gloomy.
So - the question of the day - how much is enough?
Scientifically speaking, the following Lux levels (Lux is a measure of illuminance, which is how much light falls on a surface - refer to image at the bottom) constitute a basic structure upon which to plan your lighting:
Kitchens - 160Lx - 240Lx on the benches (work surfaces)
Bathrooms - 80Lx
Living Areas - 80Lx
Bedrooms - 40 - 80Lx
Functional Areas - 80Lx
Home offices - 320Lx for the work surface
So you can see, that for the majority of the home, 80Lx average light levels will give you want you need. The key word here is AVERAGE. This is your home - it does not have to be uniformly lit (meaning you don’t need the same output with each light fitting) unless that is what you specifically want. You can have bright walls for artwork and features, focused areas of light for performing tasks, ambient light for conversation and general relaxation.
Once you've nailed your general lighting - a few bright walls and enough light in each room for basic functions, then you can start to look at what the key features of your home are, and start adding task lighting to those spaces, reflective of how you live. This approach to lighting in a home is commonly known as "Layered Lighting" Essentially we create a neutral palette of light, and then add the key elements to bring the room to life.
Light Quality
I mentioned early about being able to understand the quality of light to assist you in knowing the light fitting will able to perform the layered lighting effect you are after.
Luckily the trend from manufacturers of LED light is to focus on QUALITY of light and not just energy saving. This means that designers like us (and home owners like you) have access to some truly beautiful light - we just have to know where to find it.
The massive influx of LED lighting over the past few years has resulted in some very disappointed people who were trying to do the right thing, but who were let down by the poor quality of light produced by many LED fittings.
Light Quality comes down to four main things:
Colour Rendering (the ability of a light source to represent colours faithfully)
Consistency of White (that's the colour temperature - how warm or cool the light looks, and then how consistent that colour is across different lights)
Glare control (creating light without glare has always been a key focus for luminaire designers)
Efficiency - how much energy is used to create the light - and how much of the light created actually leaves the fitting and enters the room.
All quality manufacturers now provide this useful technical information with their fittings, explaining their performance within these parameters and more. With the right data at our fingertips, we can all look forward to a clearer, brighter future.
If you would like professional advice to create a Layered Lighting solution in your new or existing home, contact Mint Lighting Design to arrange a consultation.
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