Designing a lighting plan for a living room is dependant on a number
of factors. One thing common to any of these factors is the ability to
create different moods with levels of lighting and switching
combinations.
One factor to consider is style. In an old house with let's say a cabin
type look with heavy timbers, we wouldn't want to use recessed
lighting. In a room like this the lighting design should try to
incorporate fixtures that blend well into the setting or are hidden.
The first thing one needs to decide on when doing a living room
lighting plan is if the plan will be for the room or for the way the
room is going to be set up. If the lighting is set up around the
furniture and contents, it can be very specific and highlight these
aspects for a beautiful effect. The thing to remember about this is if
you want to change the room layout at a future date, the lighting will
be in the wrong places. A sometimes better approach is to have
focus only on objects that won't normally change. A fireplace for
instance can be highlighted with some accent lighting. Another
example would be a bay window where lighting can be installed in
the soffit above.
In a living room lighting can be accomplished with recessed, track,
lamps, wall sconces, ceiling fixtures, ceiling fans in any combination.
If you need help designing a recessed lighting plan visit the How to
Layout Recessed Lighting page.
A few things to keep in mind with a living room. Figure out what the
path of traffic is, into and out of the room, so that switches can be
placed properly. If you have natural light during the day that
dominates one side of the room, be sure to have some form of
lighting on the opposite wall to prevent a dark feeling on a bright
day. Consider floor receptacles if your furniture is going to be placed
off the walls and more to the center of the room. If you think you
are going to have any nice wall decoration, such as a framed
painting, consider accenting it with light.
of factors. One thing common to any of these factors is the ability to
create different moods with levels of lighting and switching
combinations.
One factor to consider is style. In an old house with let's say a cabin
type look with heavy timbers, we wouldn't want to use recessed
lighting. In a room like this the lighting design should try to
incorporate fixtures that blend well into the setting or are hidden.
The first thing one needs to decide on when doing a living room
lighting plan is if the plan will be for the room or for the way the
room is going to be set up. If the lighting is set up around the
furniture and contents, it can be very specific and highlight these
aspects for a beautiful effect. The thing to remember about this is if
you want to change the room layout at a future date, the lighting will
be in the wrong places. A sometimes better approach is to have
focus only on objects that won't normally change. A fireplace for
instance can be highlighted with some accent lighting. Another
example would be a bay window where lighting can be installed in
the soffit above.
In a living room lighting can be accomplished with recessed, track,
lamps, wall sconces, ceiling fixtures, ceiling fans in any combination.
If you need help designing a recessed lighting plan visit the How to
Layout Recessed Lighting page.
A few things to keep in mind with a living room. Figure out what the
path of traffic is, into and out of the room, so that switches can be
placed properly. If you have natural light during the day that
dominates one side of the room, be sure to have some form of
lighting on the opposite wall to prevent a dark feeling on a bright
day. Consider floor receptacles if your furniture is going to be placed
off the walls and more to the center of the room. If you think you
are going to have any nice wall decoration, such as a framed
painting, consider accenting it with light.
| Forte Electric Inc. |
| Living Room Lighting Design |
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