Lighting advice

Buying lighting rarely goes wrong because of the lamp itself, but rather because of the light color, the amount of light, or the size. Below is what you need to make the right choice, without any calculations.

Light color: Kelvin

Kelvin refers to the color of the light, not the intensity. The lower the number, the warmer and more yellow the light.

2700K, warm white. The classic living room color. Pleasant in a living room, bedroom, hallway, and above a dining table. Makes wood, concrete, and brass feel warmer.

3000K, soft white. Slightly crisper than 2700K. Works well in a kitchen that flows into the living room, and in a bathroom where you don't want hospital lighting.

4000K, neutral white. Bright and professional. Above a countertop, in an office, storage room, garage, or utility room. Less suitable for a room where you want to relax in the evening.

Maintain the same color temperature within a room. A 4000K spotlight next to a 2700K pendant light is immediately noticeable, and not in a pleasant way.

Amount of light: lumens

Lumen is the amount of light. Nowadays, Watt mainly indicates energy consumption and barely reflects output anymore.

As a rule of thumb for general lighting, you can count on about 100 to 150 lumens per square meter in a living room, and 200 to 300 lumens per square meter in a kitchen or workspace. For a living room of 25 square meters, that comes to about 2500 to 3500 lumens in total, distributed over multiple light points.

It is better to distribute that over three or four fixtures than over one. A single bright lamp in the middle makes a room feel harsher and the corners darker.

Which fitting

E27 is the large screw base, the standard for pendant and floor lamps.
E14 is the small screw base, often used in wall lamps and smaller shades.
GU10 is the twist-and-lock base for spotlights, with two pins and a quarter-turn mechanism.
G9 is a small plug-in base with two thin pins, often used in compact designer fixtures.

The fitting is always stated in the product title. For multiple light points, the quantity is listed first, for example, 3x GU10.

Height above a dining table

A pendant lamp usually hangs comfortably with the bottom of the shade 70 to 80 centimeters above the tabletop. Low enough to define the table, high enough to see each other. With a high ceiling, it can be slightly higher, but keep the shade below eye level when standing.

The diameter of the shade is usually best around 30 to 40 centimeters for a table 90 centimeters wide. A row of three small lamps often works better above a long table than one large one.

Planning recessed spotlights

For recessed spotlights, pay attention to three measurements: the cutout size, which is the hole you cut; the installation depth, which is the space you need above the ceiling; and the outer rim size. All three are listed in the specifications.

Keep about 80 to 120 centimeters between spotlights, and stay at least 40 centimeters away from the wall; otherwise, you will get light spots on the wall. If replacing existing spotlights, measure your current hole first; a difference of a few millimeters means plasterwork.

Ingress protection in the bathroom

IP20 is for dry rooms. In a bathroom, you work with zones: directly above the shower or bath, you need at least IP65; in the rest of the room, IP44 is usually sufficient. The protection rating is listed in the specifications for every lamp.

Dimming

If you want to be able to dim, check whether both the fixture and the light source are dimmable, and whether your dimmer is suitable for LED. A standard incandescent dimmer often makes LEDs flicker or causes an audible hum. For fixtures with built-in LED, the specifications will state whether dimming is possible.

Still not sure

Email the room details, measurements, ceiling height, and what you want to achieve to info@interior-lighting.eu. We will be happy to help think along about the quantity, size, and light color.