Did you know that there are typical types of color and brightness for indoor lighting depending on the location within the home?
Lighting can really add to the ambiance of a home, which means that poor or inadequate lighting can take away from the atmosphere of the home. You can choose to light up your home however you wish, but the following information can help guide you in any lighting choices you have.
Indoor Lighting Brightness Based On Location
Depending on the specific area or location that the lighting is in, the brightness level will likely be different.
Highly lit areas should have bulbs with higher lumen numbers. Lumens measure the total amount of visual light from the light source. So, rooms that need brighter lights should have higher-lumen bulbs, while dimmer areas can have lower-lumen bulbs.
The areas that will need the most lighting within the home are any kitchen workspaces, bathrooms, and even offices.
Other areas like bedrooms or hallways can have less lighting than the brighter rooms mentioned above, but workshops and garages or any place where you will need to work will have more lighting than just a bedroom or hallway.
Living Rooms
Living rooms and dens should have lighting that is 1,500 to 3,000 lumens so that one can enjoy the atmosphere without having to shade their eyes or squint to see.
Kitchens
Because of the tedious work within kitchens, lighting should be anywhere from 5,000 to 10,000 lumens.
Bathrooms
Bathrooms should have lighting that has 4,000 to 8,000 lumens.
Dining Rooms and Offices
This area should have lighting that consists of 3,000 to 6,000 lumens.
Bedrooms
Because bedrooms are usually used for sleeping and not spending a lot of active time, the lighting should be lower in lumens, like 2,000 to 4,000 lumens.
Entries, Hallways, and Stairs
Lights in these areas should only need 1,200 to 4,000 lumens.
When In Doubt
If you are still unsure how bright your location in your home should be, the best guess is that you should go brighter. With this, you could also install a dimmer switch so that you can adjust the lighting levels in the location to your needs.
Dimmer switches allow you to restrict the light fixture that it’s connected to, which allows the light to dim or brighten.
Lastly, when in doubt about what type of light bulbs to installing, the best all-around option would be LED. LEDs give the most flexibility of color, brightness, and efficiency compared to other lighting types!
Shades of Lighting
The right combination of lights and bulbs can give very flattering and useful results throughout the home to support the ambiance.
The light or color appearance of the bulbs is measured on the Kelvin scale. Lower Kelvin numbers will have a more yellow hue to the color, whereas a high Kelvin number will be more white or blue in color.
2,700 to 3,000 Kelvin is a soft white which is standard for incandescent bulbs and perfect for bedrooms, living rooms, and dens.
3,000 to 4,000 Kelvin will be a warmer white that is great for kitchens, workspaces, and bathrooms.
4,000 to 5,000 is a bright white hue and is also really good for kitchens and bathrooms, depending on the type of lighting you want.
5,000 to 6,500 Kelvin is considered to be “day bright,” and it’s a wonderful reading light because it’s bright but also easy on the eyes.
Can I Have Help With My Indoor Lighting?
Whether you are remodeling a home and replacing lighting or building a new home and adding lighting, we would be thrilled to assist you with any questions or installation duties you may have for us.
Fusion Electric serves those in all residential and commercial electrical services throughout the Overland Park and Kansas City Metro area. Whether you’re looking to add lighting to your home or commercial business or seeking further advice on your indoor lighting hue and brightness, we are happy to help you.
We have received an “A+” rating from the Better Business Bureau (BBB). We want to demonstrate to you exactly how we received such a high rating, so allow us to work with you.
Let our qualified electricians at Fusion Electric light up your indoors for the perfect ambiance throughout your household. Contact Fusion Electric today and add the perfect indoor lighting to your home!
