Lighting 101:
Your lighting choices could be making you sick
Unless you have a family member who’s an electrician, chances are you don’t know much about lighting. Did you know that the lighting choices in your home could be making you sick? IT’S TRUE. Not only is lighting important for the functionality of a room, but it also plays a vital role in your health.
How can lighting make you sick?
Poor lighting can cause dizziness, headaches, eye strain and fatigue, nausea, and sensitivity to visual input. Fluorescent lighting emits UV light which can cause skin irritation in addition to eye strain and other symptoms. Bright light can cause headaches and even increase anxiety. Flickering lights can cause vertigo. These risks are especially important to consider for senior citizens and those with epilepsy or photophobia.
Historically, lighting hasn’t been much of a priority during home renovations. As the lighting industry has evolved and more research has emerged about the health implications of wrong lighting, it’s become increasingly important to incorporate thoughtful lighting in your design.
“Design Pros recommend allocating 10 to 15 percent of a kitchen renovation budget to lighting – even more for luxury design.”
— From NKBA | KBIS Lighting in Kitchen & Bath Report
Let’s explore the three essential types of lighting that every well-designed space should incorporate:
Ambient Lighting: Sets the overall tone of a room by providing general illumination. It’s the canvas upon which other lighting layers are added. You’ll find ambient lighting in ceiling fixtures (recessed lighting and chandeliers). Positioning these fixtures strategically can make a room appear larger and more comfortable.
PRO TIP: To enhance flexibility, consider using dimmers to adjust the brightness throughout the day as natural light levels change.
Task Lighting: Task lighting is all about functionality. Whether you’re reading, cooking, or working, task lighting ensures you have concentrated illumination for specific activities.
In a living room or home office, table lamps with the right light bulbs serve as excellent task lighting. Keep reading to learn about how to choose the right lightbulb!
In bathrooms, focus on lighting the vanity area with fixtures above the mirror, sconces on either side, or a backlit vanity mirror.
For kitchens, under-cabinet lighting is essential for well-lit workspaces. Toe kick lighting provides a safety element, preventing tripping and accidents by illuminating potential hazards. It’s also functional, providing a pathway and/or night light.
Accent Lighting: Accent lighting adds flair and visual interest to a room. Pendant lights, especially in spaces with high ceilings, create a decorative accent. They work beautifully over kitchen islands and dining areas, casting a softer, diffused light through hand-blown glass. In living rooms, use accent lighting to highlight architectural features, artwork, sculptures, or indoor plants. Remember, a well-balanced combination of ambient, task, and accent lighting transforms any room into a welcoming and functional space.
How do you choose the right lighting?
To choose the right lighting, you first must understand the basics. There are 3 elements to look for when choosing lighting: Lumens, Kelvins, and Watts.
Lumens: A lumen measures how bright the bulb is.
Both LED bulbs and traditional bulbs use lumens to measure brightness. Many people confuse lumens with color temperature. Daylight light bulbs do not mean the bulb is brighter than, say, a soft or warm light. Lumens are what you should be looking at if you want to adjust the bulb brightness in your home or commercial space.
Kelvins: Kelvins represents the color temperature output of a lightbulb ranging from warm to cold. Here’s a general breakdown of Kelvins and their uses:
2000K-3000K: Warm light. Typically calm and inviting, bulbs within this range are great for indoor use in residential areas.
PRO TIP: Our personal favorite sweet spot is 2700 Kelvins for general lighting in residential areas.
3100K-4500K: Cool white. Bright and vibrant, often used in corporate offices and hospitals.
4600K-6500K: Similar to daylight, they produce a bright, crisp light. These are typically used in warehouses and industrial areas.
Watts: A watt is a unit of power. This will tell you how much energy the bulb will consume to stay lit. In the past, watts indicated the brightness of a bulb, however that changed with the invention of LED’s (light emitting diode) & CFL’s (compact fluorescent). These types of bulbs can now emit the same amount of light but use less energy.
When choosing a wattage, consider the wattage rating and energy efficiency. You will have to get a wattage rating that is compatible with your light fixture. This is usually printed on the fixture itself, the installation instructions, or in the bulb socket on your fixture. Energy efficiency will increase with the use of CFL’s and LED’s.
Lighting can truly make such a difference in both the aesthetics and functionality of a space. We recommend using all three lighting types: ambient, task, and accent, for the best results. We also recommend bulbs at 2700K for general residential lighting. Wattage will depend on your fixture, and lumens is based off preference and amount of natural light in a space. We always recommend dimmer switches so that you can adjust brightness throughout the day as natural light changes.
Save this post for the next time you are renovating, going to buy bulbs, or updating your lighting!
-Kayla & Shawn
