How Much Lighting Do I Need for an Average-Sized Room?

Many customers who visit our showroom often ask, how much lighting do I need for an average-sized room?

Contemporary lighting can change the mood, ambience and overall feeling of different spaces within your home, making it an ideal way to enhance your aesthetics.

When designing your room, it's important to include the right amount of light. Too little and your space will be dark, gloomy and characterless and, conversely, too much may look harsh or create unflattering shadows and perhaps even affect your eyes.

The following article is designed to help you figure out how much lighting you need.

How much light do you need in a room?

As a useful guideline, a sitting room or bedroom would typically need 10-20 lumens per square foot, whereas a bathroom or kitchen will demand a stronger degree of illumination, at roughly 70-80 lumens per square foot. To do a quick calculation, simply multiply the room's square footage by the relevant number to determine how many lumens are required.

Bedroom lighting

For a bedroom you'll want at least 300 lux (lx), which is the minimum amount of light needed to keep your eyes healthy and your circadian rhythm on track. If you don't have enough lighting in this area of your home, it can cause all kinds of problems including poor sleeping patterns.

Also, if you're going to be reading a book or flipping through some paperwork in the evenings, it's not healthy to do so in a space that's badly lit.

To help illuminate your bedroom beautifully we'd recommend the Cube Black Wall Lamp from our FCI custom lighting range. Not only will it brighten up your space, but its clean lines and geometric design will help to infuse your aesthetics with an Art Deco vibe - one of the biggest trends of 2023.

If you've turned a part of your bedroom into an office space, you may find that you need some extra lighting to meet your needs. We suggest filling empty corners with a stylish floor lamp or finding a table lamp for your desk. This will ensure that, whether you're seated, lying in bed or standing, you'll be able to see properly and protect your eyes from any strain.

For some fresh inspiration, check out our interior design portfolio. We've been creating beautiful living spaces for over 40 years and have worked on many modern lighting projects, both interior and exterior.

Home office lighting

If you have a home office space, you'll need to make sure that it is properly lit. This will help you to work comfortably and stay alert. We recommend that you use a minimum of 500 lx in order to create a comfortable, productive environment.

If your current office space only has between 250 and 500 lx, it's definitely time to consider an upgrade! After all, it's one of the rooms in your home that requires you to stay focused on what matters the most: your work!

A contemporary task light like our Berlin Floor Lamp placed next to your desk for optimal luminance would be a perfect option.

Living room

For a living room, you'll want between 500 and 1000 lx.

This is the amount of light that the average human eye can see and will enable you to perform most of the events that take place in this space comfortably, including reading, entertaining and engaging in multi-media activities.

Bear in mind that some tasks require more illumination than others, so plan each section of your living room accordingly.

In addition to making the room look bigger and more inviting, lighting is crucial to helping your eyes adjust to the dark when you want to watch movies or TV.

Natural light

Natural light is another important component when considering the luminance in your room and will help to enhance the brightness of your space. Keep your curtains and blinds open during the daytime to optimise this. Capitalising on the sun's warmth will also help make your home more eco-friendly.

If you don't have much window space or need to keep your drapes closed during the winter months, consider installing a skylight. It's a wonderful way to let the sunlight filter through and will help imbue your living area with a general sense of wellbeing.

Things you can do to optimise the lighting in your home

As a family-owned business, we pride ourselves on our ability to listen to our client's needs and create environments that reflect their personalities. Our suggestions are aimed to help you plan beautiful, functional spaces that make you feel happy and at ease.

Here are some simple ways to ensure that you explore all your lighting options:

• If your room is dark, consider adding wall sconces and floor lamps or using brighter light bulbs.
• If you have a suspension light that's not bright enough, try adding a lamp on each side of your desk or sofa to increase the lighting efficiency in your room.
• If you have trouble reading at night but don't want your room to be right all the time, install dimmers so that you can adjust the intensity of your lights whenever you need to.

In conclusion

Your lighting needs will depend on both the type and function of the room you're furnishing. The bottom line is that it should be lit well enough to make you feel relaxed, no matter what you're doing.

To avoid headaches and eye strain, take the time to determine how many lumens are required per square foot of your home and plan accordingly.

Browse our contemporary lighting collection for the perfect lighting in your home or get in touch with one of our professional designers for some guidance.