Lighting layout not only adds functionality and beautifies your space, but also impacts your mood and productivity. With proper light layouts, you can thus enhance the overall ambiance of your room.
But where to place lights and what type of fixture to use? You will get answers to all these questions in this guide!
What is Lighting Layout?
Lighting layout is simply the arrangement of lights in a room or space. When you intend to light up a space, the first thing that comes to your mind is visibility. So, for proper visibility, you need to install fixtures for general lighting. Next, there are spaces that require more focus lighting for specific tasks. So, you need to add some additional fixtures to those spots, such as your workstation. Again, to enhance the beauty or add depth to your space, you can also mount some decorative lighting. This way, laying out different fixtures to light up your space is what we call a lighting layout.
Layers Of Lighting Layout
1- Ambient Lighting
Ambient lighting refers to the general lighting of your space. The purpose of ambient lighting is to provide sufficient illumination for proper visibility. This type of lighting is not installed focusing on any particular space. Instead, they illuminate the overall space.
The ceiling and upper part of the walls are mostly selected for ambient lighting. For instance, you can use chandeliers, multiple recessed lighting, or cove lighting on the ceiling. Again, wall sconces, bars, or tube lights are also popular general lighting options that target walls.
2- Task Lighting
Sitting on your study table, have you ever found the general lighting not to be bright enough? So, what do you do next? Use a table lamp or reading lighting on the desk, right? This is what task lighting actually is. The fixtures that focus on specific sports to aid you in tasking are all task lights. For instance, the fixture you install above your cooking spot or working station. The focused lighting from these fixtures doesn’t stress your eyes and lets you work with ease. Track lights, pendant lights, hanging lights, etc. are the most popular types of task lighting.
3- Accent Lighting
While lighting up your room, you surely have some special sections that you would love to highlight. Just for example, the showcase in your living room or the stair-steps of your duplex house. Here is where you need accent lighting. This will focus your desired spots and grab visitors’ attention as you want. You can use spotlight and LED strip lights for accent lighting.
4- Decorative Lighting
Even lights can be presented as a center of attraction. For instance, you can hang a long pendant light in your corridor as decorative lighting. This creates a statement and makes your space look more beautiful. Various types of decorative lighting pieces are available. This can be of a simple-sleek design, vintage style, Moroccan pattern, etc. Select one, considering your interior design.
How to Design a Lighting Layout? – Stepwise Guidance
Step 1: Access The Location and Purpose Of Lighting
The lighting needs vary depending on the location and purpose of the lighting. For instance, the lighting strategy for indoor space will be different than that of outdoor space. In outdoor spaces, you need to install bright lights to cover a greater area. So, the lighting layout in open spaces is mainly focused on general lighting. Again, when you light indoor space, there are several options for lighting layout. However, you must focus on the location of the room and the purpose of lighting while lighting layout.
Here are facts to consider:
- For the size of the room, consider both area and height.
- What is the use of the room? This will help you decide what type of fixture to use.
- Identify the focal point and specific spots that you want to highlight.
- What color light will suit the place?
- Availability of natural lighting
- What’s your lighting budget?
- Is this set up permanently or temporarily for any occasion, like Christmas or Halloween?
- Do you want smart control over lighting?
Step 2: Note Down Lighting Requirement For The Space
To decide the lighting requirement for your space, you must consider the color of light and brightness.
1- Light Color
The color of the light depends on the mood setting you want for your space. Every color has a specific impact on your mood. For instance, if you want layout lights for an office room, go for cool color lights that have a blue undertone. This will keep the employees energetic and enhance productivity. Again, if it’s your bedroom, choose a warm color light. Warm lights with yellow undertones facilitate better sleeping. Thus, you will be able to sleep well.
Purple lights work great for yoga studios. This brings calmness, relaxation, and sleep. Likewise, every color influences your mood. The chart below will help you out with this:
Light Color | Impact On Mood |
White | Cleanliness, Purity, Virtue |
Orange | Happiness, Energy, Vitality |
Purple | Calmness, relaxation, and sleep |
Red | Love, Passion, Anger |
Yellow | Hope, Happiness, Deceit |
Blue | Energetic, Responsible, Calm, Sadness |
Green | Abundance, New Beginnings, Nature |
2- Brightness Of The Light
Now that it comes to the brightness of the light, calculate the area of the room to pick the right lumen rating. By multiplying the area by lumen requirements per square foot, you can easily calculate the total lumen needs. The below chart shows you the lumen requirements for different types of rooms or applications:
Location | Lumens per sq ft |
Residential drawing rooms, bedrooms, lounges | 10-20 |
Kitchens (General) | 30-40 |
Kitchen (Work) | 70-80 |
Dining rooms | 30-40 |
Offices | 50-75 |
Retail shops | 30-50 |
Conference rooms | 15-30 |
For example, if the area of your bedroom is 96 sq. ft, the lumen requirement will be:
(96 x 20) lm = 1920lm. Even if you are using multiple fixtures for general lighting, ensure the summation is 1920lm.
However, you can calculate the lumen ratings for each bulb. For example- if you are installing ten small fixtures all over the ceiling, the lumen rating for each bulb will be (1920÷10)lm = 192lm. Thus, by dividing the total lumen output by the number of lights, you can find out each bulb’s lumen rating.
Step 3: Choose a Lighting Approach: Even Or Cluster
In general lighting, the focus is always on the ceiling. Here, you can arrange the fixtures evenly or choose a cluster pattern. In the even lighting approach, you will install the lights all over the ceiling, maintaining equal spacing. Thus, a full room will have uniform lighting. However, In cluster arrangement, the bulbs are to be placed in specific areas. For instance, you can choose to add lights along the edges of the ceiling or highlight specific spots.
Step 4: Draft The Design as a Blueprint
To draft your lighting layout, you need to have the design of the room. Nevertheless, rather than just marking the lighting zone, also mark the electric sockets where you will connect the fixtures. Also, consider the location of the window, door, furniture, etc.
Step 5: Plan Lighting Placement
- First of all, place a general lighting source in the space. You can go for cove lighting to get a hidden lighting effect.
- Now, identify the spots where you need task lights. For example, if you are designing lighting for the kitchen, target kitchen island, cooking area, and dishwashing section. These spots require focused lighting. So, mark these areas in your design.
- Next comes accent lighting. Whether it’s a bedroom, kitchen, or bathroom, the under cabinet is the prime target to illuminate. This not only enhances the beauty of your space but also adds functionality. Therefore, mark cabinets in the blueprint, too.
- You can attempt floor lighting. Built-in lights are ideal for this. Go for LED strip lights on the floor, or install recessed lights on the lower part of the wall near the floor.
- Lastly, if you want to add fancy decorative lighting, add this to your plan. For instance, it can be a chandelier, panenet, or lantern lighting. Mark the location where you want to place them. Usually, fixtures like chandeliers are bulky, so considering the location and area will help you find the ideal size.
Step 6: Choosing The Right Fixture
Once you have planned your lighting, it’s time to look for the ideal fixture. You will find a wide range of lighting options. Such as:
- LED bar light
- LED bulb
- LED strip light
- LED panel light
- Recessed lights
- Spot lights
- Track light
- Wall sconce
- Flush and semi-flush light
- Chandeliers
- Pendant lights
- Lantern lights, etc.
You need to choose the ideal one from these options. However, for modern light setting LED strips and recessed lights are the most popular option.
Laying Out Recessed Lights
You can lay out recessed lights as general, task, and accent lights. They are a popular option for ceiling lighting. The built-in style of these lights gives a neat and finished outlook. These fixtures are available in different sizes. You can choose based on your design and planning. Depending on the size of the ceiling, you can install 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or more recessed lights. Here I am presenting an example of bathroom lighting to clear up the concept:
Lighting Layout In Bathroom With Recessed Lights (For general lighting) | |
Bathroom size | Total Recessed Lights Required |
7×7 | 6 (4 inch 8 watt) + 1 (6 inch 8 watt) = 7 recessed lights |
6×8 | 6 (4 inch 8 watt) recessed lights |
6×6 | 4 (4 inch 8 watt) recessed lights |
5×9 | 4 (4 inch 10 watt) + 2 (6 inch 8 watt) = 6 recessed lights |
5×8 | 6 (4 inch 8 watt) recessed lights |
4×4 | 2 (4 inch 8 watt) recessed lights |
Next, for task lighting, select zones like under cabinets, working stations, or cooking spots. The picture below will give you an idea of how to layout recessed lighting in the kitchen.
However, when purchasing recessed lights, always consider the IC rating. Installing a non-IC-rated recessed light on an insulated surface can be very dangerous.
Laying Out LED Strip Lights
If you are looking for a flexible lighting option with easy installation, LED strip lights are the best choice. Cove lighting with LED strips is the most popular form of general lighting. You can use this lighting technique in your bedroom, living room, office room, and any commercial space too.
Moreover, these lights are cuttable! That is, you can cut them to any desired size. The flexible body of these lights also offers folding and bending features. Therefore, you can experiment with this lighting in many ways. They are suitable for under cabinet lighting, mirror lighting, display lighting, bed lighting, and more. Besides, you can also make small to big decorative light pieces, creating different shapes and sizes with these lights.
Layering Multiple Fixtures
Moreover, you can use spotlights and track lights to highlight artworks, paintings, or special textures on your wall. For task lighting, hanging fixtures will also work. You can place them over your dining table or kitchen island. Again, if you want to bring a rustic or vintage vibe, choose designer fixtures accordingly. This way, by combining different types of lighting, you can elevate the ambiance of your space.
Step 7: Placing The Lights
To place the lighting, you must consider the height of the ceiling and the fixture’s beam angle. Wider beam angle lights cover larger spaces. So, it’s ok to keep the spacing apart. However, narrow beam-angled lights created focused lighting. Therefore, you need multiple fixtures installed with minimal spacing.
Nevertheless, if you are installing hanging fixtures, note down the distance between the bulb and the ceiling. As the distance increases, the beam angle becomes wider. So, place the lighting considering the lighting effect you want.
As per the thumb rule, the spacing between two fixtures (recessed) is calculated by dividing the ceiling height by two. For example, if the height of the room is 10 feet, the spacing between the lights will be (10/2)= 5 ft. However, you should consider the brightness of the fixtures in this case.
Step 8: Be Creative With Design
You can always go creative with designing lighting layouts. For instance, instead of ready-made designer fixtures, go for DIY LED strip lights. You can create a suspended design by placing the LED strips in irregular shapes on a hanging panel. This will work great as task lights and decorative lighting.
There are more options to choose from while designing a lighting layout. Such as go-for-motion senator lights, smart controllers, color-changing bulbs, etc. This way, you can set up smart lighting in your house.
Consideration For Lighting Layout
Size Of The Room & Its Function
The size of the fixture, its brightness, and layouts directly depend on the room’s size. For example, if you are laying out small rooms, choose small and built-in types of lights. Hanging bulky fixtures in these narrow space worlds is a bad idea. This will eat up space and make the room feel more congested. So, for a small room, use LED strips, recessed bar lights, or spotlights for layout.
However, in a large room, you can experiment with lighting layouts. Considering the area, you can even hang multiple bulky chandeliers for ambient lighting. However, when installing hanging fixtures like chandeliers and pendant lights, the height of the ceiling is a crucial factor.
Color Temperature
Have you ever noticed that the lighting of hotel lobbies and fine dining rooms is always found in warm tones? Why so? The yellowish hue of the warm lighting creates a welcoming and relaxing ambiance. That is why warm lighting is always preferred in hospitality facilities. Again, in hospitals and offices, cool lights are used. These lights create an energetic and clean ambiance. To understand these things, you need to have a proper idea of color temperature or CCT (Correlated Color Temperature). CCT measures the hue of light in kelvin (K). A lower kelvin rating gives warm tones, and higher ratings bring cooler tones.
You must choose color temperature correcting considering the location of lighting. The chart below will help you out:
Kelvin Color Temperature | Associated Effects and Moods | Appropriate Application |
2700K | Ambient. intimate, & personal | Living, bedroom, family rooms, commercial and hospitality |
3000K | Calm and warm | Living, family rooms, commercial and hospitality |
3500K | Friendly and inviting | Kitchen, bathroom, and commercial |
4100K | Precise, clean, and efficient | Garage, and commercial |
5000K | Daylight and vibrant | Commercial, office, industrial, and institutional |
6500K | Daylight and alert | Commercial, industrial, and institutional |
CRI
CRI stands for Color Rendering Index. It determines the color accuracy of fixtures compared to natural lighting. It is measured as level 0 to 100. Higher CRI means better color accuracy. In kitchens or retail stores, a high CRI>95 is mandatory. Even in your bedroom or bathroom lighting, you should consider CRI. This is because, in these places, you have your vanity where you get ready. A poor CRI rate bulb can mess up your makeup!
Consider Energy Efficiency
Whether you are laying out for residential or commercial space, choosing an energy-efficient bulb is a must. For this, LED lights are best as they are highly energy-efficient compared to traditional lights. This will save you electricity bills by many times. Moreover, you can also consider solar energy facilities for more sustainable options.
Power Source & Sockets
Don’t ignore the position of the socket or power source while lighting layouts. For instance, you are planning for under-cabinet lighting, but there is a socket nearby. This will leave you in trouble in powering up the fixture. Therefore, the position of sockets should be planned while designing lighting layouts. Place the switches in a safe and convenient location for better access. Again, the voltage of the power source is also important to note. For instance, your power source supports 24V, but you ended up buying a 12V fixture. This will overpower the bulb and cause fire breakout risks.
Availability Of Natural Lighting
Utilize the daylighting possibility in the best way possible. For instance, if you have an enlarged window in the room, place a mirror in front of it. This will reflect the natural lighting coming from outside and brighten up your space. Thus, it will reduce the reliance on artificial lighting in the daytime.
Lighting Layout Tips For Different Location
The laughing layout will vary for different locations. For instance, in some places, you will need to focus more on task lighting. Meanwhile, in some other projects, accent lighting gets more priority. Below I have shared some tips for lighting layouts in different locations:
1. Bedroom
The bedroom opens up a lot of options for lighting layouts. For the ceiling, go for cove lighting, which combines LED strips and recessed lights. Install the strip lights beneath the false ceiling to create a hidden lighting effect. So the lighting will not cause any glare. Here, the tunable LED strip lights will fit best. You can change the color temperature as needed. Moreover, if your bedroom is large in size, you can also install a chandelier in the middle.
Next, for accent lighting, you can target the bed. Install LED strips beneath the bed and behind the headboard. You can also light up under the cabinet, mirror, and vanity section to highlight. For task lighting, installing lamps on the bedside tables works great.
2. Kitchen
Task lighting is very important for kitchen lighting. Therefore, while lighting layout, focus more on task lights. For this, you can use hanging fixtures on the kitchen island, sink, and on the corner breakfast zone. Also, use recessed or LED strip lights under the cabinets and on the shelves. This will help you find ingredients easily.
3. Bathroom
Cove lighting is a common approach for bathrooms. However, I’m sharing some game-changing tips with you for bathroom lighting layouts. Install LED strip lights beneath the bathtub and cabinets. This will create a floating illusion and make your bathroom look mystic. Also, light up the mirror. If you are using an LED mirror, that’s great. If not, you can DIY mirror lighting. Also, highlight the niches or shelves where you place shampoos, shower gels, etc.
4. Office Room
While laying out lighting for the office room, ensure the fixture doesn’t cause any glaring issues. This can impact the productivity of the employees. Suspended LED strip lights are a very popular task lighting option for office rooms. However, you can also install hanging fixtures to facilitate proper lighting on the desk.
5. Outdoor Spaces
Lighting layouts in outdoor spaces should meet practical and aesthetic roles. You can use pole lights, flood lights, etc for landscape lighting. This will provide adequate illumination for safe walking or driving at night. However, to beautify your outdoor spaces, use wall washers, LED strip lights, spotlights, or wall lights outside your building. You can also go for bollard lights for walkways or pathways. Motion sensor lights are a great option for pathway lighting. Besides, highlighting gardens with fairy lights, LED strips, globe lights, etc, will make your surroundings pop up.
Why Choose LED Fixtures For Lighting Layout?
Compared to traditional lighting like incandescent bulbs, LED lights are highly energy efficient. Where incandescent bulbs use only 20% of med energy to light, LED light converts 80% to light. So, energy waste in LEDs is minimal. Thus, it saves you electricity bills. Moreover, they have a longer lifespan. You will also get more designs and advanced features in LED lights.
The comparison chart below will show you how LED light is better than other options:
Comparison Between Common Lamp Types | ||||
Light Source | Energy Use | CRI | Life (Hrs) | Application |
LED | Low | Versatile(70-100) | 50,000 | General, task, accent, decorative |
Compact Fluorescent (CFL) | Medium | 80 | 10,000 | Ambient, task |
Linear Fluorescent | Medium | 80 | 20,000 | Ambient, task |
Standard Incandescent | High | 100 | 1,000 | Tak, accent, decorative |
Halogen Incandescent | High | 100 | 4,000 | Accent, task |
Advanced Lighting Design Techniques
Controls and Dimmers
Adding dimmable fixtures to your lighting layout allows you to control the light intensity. For instance, when you are reading books in bed, give the brightness at the highest level. Dim it when you are relaxing in bed. This way, dimming the light will provide your comforting ambiance. Different types of LED controllers are available to facilitate dimming; these include many advanced features too. Popular LED controllers include:
Using these LED controllers, you will get more control over your lighting. They enable wi-fi/Bluetooth connection, a color-changing facility, and more.
Smart Lighting Options
There are many automated color temperature and brightness adjusting fixtures available. These lights will increase or decrease their brightness depending on the day. Again, they provide cooler tones in the morning for energizing and warmer tones in the evening for relaxation. In corporate sectors, such automated fixtures are growing popular. You can also have motion sensor lighting in washrooms and staircases.
Creating Visual Interest with Lighting
By implementing different lighting techniques, you can create visual interest. For instance, place spotlights behind the statue or artwork to create a shadow. You can also install floodlights to highlight wall textures.
Common Mistakes to Avoid While Lighting Layout
Opting only for general lighting: Typically, we focus more on general lighting, ignoring task and accent lighting. For example, in a traditional kitchen, you will see only a hanging fixture in the middle or a bar light on the wall; that’s it. Such lighting doesn’t facilitate tasking convenience. Rather, you should install task and accent lighting along with ambient lighting.
Not combining multiple fixture types: You should add different types of lighting to your layout. Installing one type of light makes the room look basic and boring. Instead, use multiple fixture types like LED strips, recessed lights, pendant lights, chandeliers, etc., to layout your room. This will add a dimension, and your room will look gorgeous.
Ignoring Scale and Proportion: another common mistake you might make is not considering the size of the space. Remember, installing a bulky fixture in a narrow space or small room will make the space look even narrower. Therefore, consider the height, length, and width of the room while selecting and installing fixtures.
Neglecting Control Options: LED Controllers offer greater flexibility and control over lighting. If you do not have smart controllers, you are surely missing great features. This allows you to control light from a remote. Besides, you will get extended color changes, brightness adjustments, and more features.
FAQs
A lighting layout drawing is to make a blueprint of where to set the lights. Here, the outline of your entire room is printed to help you decide on lighting points. For instance, you will mark which section needs task lighting and where to mount accent lights. Thus, a lighting layout drawing helps you to draft the light placement.
The purpose of lighting layout is to ensure proper visibility and add functionality to your space. This divided lighting layout into four steps- ambient, task, accent, and decorative lighting. By laying out the lighting following these steps, you can have a well-lit room.
Three-point lighting is quite an old-school method of lighting layout. In this technique, an object is lighted from three directions to add height, width, and depth. These three points are named as key light, fill light, and backlight. However, modern lighting layouts do not follow such a strategy.
To determine the lighting layout, you need to consider several factors. For instance, the location, height, and area of the room. Considering all these, you need to choose the brightness and spacing of the lights. However, to find the gap between lights, divide the height of the room into two.
Use low CCT lighting to create a warm and inviting atmosphere. You can choose a fixture of color temperature ranging from 2700K to 3500K. The yellowish tone of this lighting creates coziness. Thus, visitors feel relaxed and have a welcoming vibe.
Not, really; if you reach a bit, you can easily plan your lighting layouts on your own. However, for commercial lighting, you can get help from professionals to get the best result. They have better knowledge of light placement.
Wrapping Up
To sum up, having a well-drafted design before a lighting layout is a must. First, you should ensure proper ambient and task lighting, then move to accent lighting. However, you can also use our LEDYi LED strips to lay out your lighting. These are versatile and can be used as general, task, and accent lighting.