When building a new house or overhauling an existing home, you should think in advance about the lighting of each room, hallway and utility rooms. The correct choice of lamps will help create a special atmosphere of coziness and a feeling of comfort, especially at night, when there is too little natural light.
Lighting types
Indoor lighting is divided into the following categories:
- basic - fills the entire space with light;
- working - brightly "highlights" only a certain area - for example, the working surface of a kitchen set;
- accentuating - draws attention to a certain place in the interior, focuses on it;
- decorative - does not bear the main burden of lighting, but serves only as an element of decor.
In a modern interior, it is customary not to limit ourselves to just one basic lighting, but to use all four types.
Basic lighting
This light fills the space, so its color should be as neutral as possible and not attracting attention. The most suitable fixtures you can choose from the LightStar product catalog are chandeliers, ceiling lights, wall lamps and floor lamps.
The main requirement for luminaires to create general (basic lighting) is the ability to produce diffused light, which will be reflected from the ceiling and walls. Lamps are preferable to use those that give warm light. But fluorescent lamps will look good in the hallway, because they will not distort the rendering of colors.
The most common general lighting options are:
- chandelier in the center of the room;
- several bright lamps like sconces or floor lamps near different walls;
- chandelier in the center of the ceiling + spotlights around the perimeter;
- spotlights almost over the entire surface of the ceiling.
When designing the number of lamps needed to create basic lighting, proceed from the following standards: for 1 square meter of ceiling area, 20 W should fall on the living room, rooms with moderate illumination (nursery, kitchen) - 15-18 W, dim light (bedroom) - 10 -12 W. The required value is multiplied by the number of square meters of the room and divided by the power of the incandescent lamps. When calculating the number of halogen or fluorescent ones, you need to remember that, in comparison with an incandescent lamp at the same power, they give light: halogen 1.5 more, luminescent - 5. In more accurate calculations, the illumination formulas are used relative to the intensity of the luminous flux, they are taken in attention to such indicators as the height of the room, the colors of the walls, ceiling and floor, the presence of a plafond / lampshade on the lamp or its absence.
Work lighting
This is additional light concentrated on a separate area. It allows you to make the local area more illuminated than others. Most often, additional light is used in the kitchen (work surface, stove, sink), in the nursery (desk where the child learns lessons), as well as in any rooms in the areas for needlework or reading, which requires increased visual load.
Also, additional lighting will be required in the bathroom in front of the mirror (in order to shave or do makeup) and in the hallway (the need to take a look at yourself before going out).
Lightstar has a wide range of pendant and spotlights, floor and table lamps that are used to create work lighting.
Accent lighting
An accent light is needed to draw attention to an element of decor - a photograph, a figurine, a painting or any other object. Such lighting can be found in cabinets where family porcelain or crystal is kept.
LEDs, spotlights, track lights and wall sconces successfully provide spot illumination.
Decorative lighting
These are candles, antique lamps, decorative lamps. They do not carry a functional load, but are an important part of the decor.
Features of mounting luminaires on the ceiling
Chandeliers, spotlights, pendant and track lamps are most often attached to the ceiling.
Chandeliers
If you plan to install 1 lamp on the ceiling, then its approximate size is determined by the formula: chandelier diameter, cm = (room length, m + its width, m) x 10. The number of lamps is calculated using the basic lighting formula (see above).
Chandeliers vary in weight, size and light source. For example, there are chandeliers for conventional incandescent lamps, and there are LED ones. They can be mounted on concrete floors without any problems. When mounted on a suspended ceiling, the lighting fixtures must be mounted on a suspension firmly fixed to the concrete base.
In the case of stretch ceilings, the chandelier can be attached to the suspension. However, the distance from the luminaire lamps to the ceiling must be taken into account. Incandescent light bulbs can heat up the film and the ceiling deforms, losing its attractiveness.
Spotlights
Recessed models are mounted directly into a suspended or stretch ceiling. In the latter case, incandescent lamps cannot be used, since under the influence of high temperatures, deformation of the ceiling coating will occur.
Luminaires should be placed at least 20 cm from the nearest wall and 30 cm from each other. The maximum power for stretch ceilings in order to avoid overheating of the coating is 35 watts.
When installing 12 V spotlights, a converter must be installed.
Track lights
Track lights are mounted directly into the concrete ceiling or lowered to the required distance using pendants. If a suspended version is supposed, then good quality models are chosen so that the busbar trunking does not bend over time under the weight of the structure.
They favorably emphasize interior details, are popular for creating working and accent lighting, and are widely used in apartments and houses.
