How Much Is Enough light?

WITH THE RIGHT LAYERS OF LIGHT, YOU CAN ACHIEVE THE “ENOUGH” YOU NEED.

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 and the mounting height at which it will be installed (Lumens are a measure of luminous flux, which is how much light is emitted by the light source/fitting - refer to image at the bottom). This enables us 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. Many people move into such 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.

When designing the lighting for your home, you need to keep in mind what the colour will be of your walls, ceiling, floors and other finishes.  White walls, ceilings and light coloured tiles will reflect light all around the home - and if you're not careful, will 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 constitute a basic structure upon which to plan your lighting (Lux is a measure of illuminance, which is how much light falls on a surface - refer to image at the bottom): 

• 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

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" and is most important in rooms where you are using the space in lots of different ways – for example the kitchen, living and bathrooms in your home.

Essentially, we create a soft ambient layer of light, and then add the key focus and feature light to bring the room to life

Light Quality

I mentioned earlier the importance of being able to understand the quality of light so you can know the light fitting will perform the lighting effect you are after.

Luckily the trend from good 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.  

Light Quality comes down to four main things:

1. Colour Rendering (the ability of a light source to represent colours faithfully) 

2. 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)

3. Glare control (creating light without glare has always been a key focus for luminaire designers)

4. 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.  You can check out our blog detailing the key measurements of light. 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.