Easy Process Of Laying Out Recessed Lighting Properly
While recessed lighting is considered ultra-fashionable nowadays, selecting the right type of recessed lighting layout for your purposes needs special attention and careful planning. Your final results should be a well-lit room that caters to the needs of your unique space, whether it’s task-oriented, a relaxed zone, or an area with multiple uses, & is useful, comfortable, and has the right ambiance. Using a recessed lighting kit will help make the entire process easier. They group all the materials that you will need for multiple light installations into one box.
Step 1: Determine The Purpose Of Your Lighting
The first step when it comes to planning your recessed lighting layout should always be to identify the purpose of your lighting. The four main purposes when it comes to lighting may include the following:
- General Lighting: A bright, even lighting pattern that covers an entire room.
- Task Or Accent Lighting: Bright lighting that mainly focuses on one small area.
- Wall Wash: Lighting which highlights a wide surface, for instance, an entire wall.
- Specialty Lighting: Lighting with specialized trimming, generally for wet zones like bathrooms.
As far as your recessed lighting is concerned, the exact type that you will need is entirely dependent on several factors. If your ceiling is within reach, then you can use new construction housing. If it is not, then you might use remodel housing. If the housing is in contact with insulation, then IC-rated housing is highly recommended. Size-wise, the most common & well-known housing size used is 6-inch, in spite of the fact that 5-inches may fit more snugly around the bulb, and 3-inch/4-inch housing is used generally for small areas. Beyond these considerations, the style of your recessed lighting housing is largely based on your preference.
Step 2: Sketch A Room Plan
Take the measurements of your room and sketch the general dimensions of the space on grid paper. Insert markers to indicate the placement of items such as workspaces, counters, shelves, and furniture, along with any wall hangings or other artwork. Make the room's focal point the start of your recessed lighting layout plan. Build outward from there. If there is no specific focal point, simply start your lighting plan from the center of the room.
Step 3: Measure And Calculate Your Lighting Placement
A general principle when it comes to the amount of space to leave betwixt each light is to divide the height of the ceiling by 2 and space your lights in accordance with that. For example, general lighting in a room having an 8-foot-high ceiling need to be spaced 4 feet apart. However, an ideal light placement can still differ generally from room to room, which is entirely dependent on what the room is used for. For example, in a kitchen, where you will need ample light in specific areas, leaving approximately 14 to 18 inches of space betwixt the light canisters and the cabinets can help avoid lost light.
- Recessed Lighting Layout For Basements
Recessed lights can actually change the feel of a basement, easily brightening the whole area and making it a more pleasant place to be. The number of recessed lights you will use is entirely dependent on the size as well as the height of your space and the lumen output of your fixture. If your basement is 100 square meters (or 1076 square feet), and you are using LED recessed lights, then you will, in all likelihood, need at least 15 lights (100 square meters x 150 lux =15,000 lumens). In order to prevent casting shadows, it is important to place your recessed lights at least 3 feet from your basement walls. - Recessed Lighting Layout For Living Rooms
The lighting in your living room is entirely dependent on its uses as well as layout. Withstand the action or effect of the inclination to base your lights’ placement exclusively on the placement of objects or furniture. Assume your recessed lighting layout lands you with a light directly above your TV, instead of eliminating the light, you only need to separate your layout into two control zones. In that case, this will help you to control one or more lights separately from the rest, giving you greater flexibility. For instance, with two zones, you could dim or switch off the lights in front of the TV, and at the same time still have some light over the sofa. - Recessed Lighting Layout For Kitchens
Any kitchen lighting layout plan should include a variety of lighting sources. For instance, tasks including cooking need focused lighting, while areas, where people will get together and share meals, need more inviting ambient lighting. Using one recessed light for every 4-6 square feet of ceiling space is one of the common ways when it comes to provide quality lighting overall. Another common strategy is to position your recessed lights around the perimeter of your room, aiming them at countertop edges, to illuminate work areas and prevent casting shadows. - Recessed Lighting Layout For Bedrooms
Recessed lighting is an ideal choice when it comes to low-ceiling bedrooms. Due to the fact that bedrooms do not have highly specific lighting requirements, there may be a need to use dimmer switches in order to adjust your lighting levels more easily. Recessed lighting in your bedroom can also be used if you are looking to highlight specific features or areas of your bedroom, for example, artwork or relaxed reading space. A strong recessed lighting plan for your bedroom will pair accent lighting with general as well as task lighting as needed.