I’ve got my next project lined up. It is a basement finish w/ a 23’x20′ family room. Two 4×4 daylight windows on the west wall.
I’m looking for advice on design and layout of lighting fixtures for this family room, admittedly not one of my strong suits. Typ. scenario has the electrician placing cans or flushmounts where they are convenient. …”Not so good.”
W/o bringing in a lighting consultant (not in the budget) how can I improve my skills?
What do you consider for design criteria?
How do you select light types? Cans, sconces, flush mounts, etc.
What sources could I research? (online, print, etc)
Advice appreciated
Replies
What do you consider for design criteria?
In the simplest sense, there's two things to design for in a room. First is some form of general lighting. Next is task lighting. Almost all rooms are better off with some proportion of those two. A hallway might need almost no task lighting, for instance, but a sconce with a low-wattage lamp at the light switch(es) really will "spiff up" the hallway design.
Now, how to convey this is tough sledding. Lighting design gets into technical details quickly (lamp selection & fixture selection). Oh, and one of the simplest ways to have flexible (or adaptable) task lighting is to use floor or table fixtures (which can create additional headaches for needing/wanting floor recepticles and the like).
Generally, for your family room, the furniture layout will "drive" the lighting design. The range of tasks you want to perform in there will also affect what goes in the mix, too. (Like do you need lighting for big tv's; christmas trees and/or decorations; craft projects with and without tv, etc. . . . )
Oh, and it can be a very, very, very, very good idea to consult with the "decorating committee (even if She's only the one person), on where artwork or the like will go in. Planning for illumination for artwork in advance always pays off in the end. Artwork illumination can add to your general illumination while being entirely "task" lighting, too--just to show how absolute the terms can become.
Hope that hasn't muddied the water over much--but, it's also one of those "how do I learn a lifetime's worth of info to do just this one project" questions that can draw flames every so often.
Hope that hasn't muddied the water over much--but, it's also one of those "how do I learn a lifetime's worth of info to do just this one project" questions that can draw flames every so often.
I appreciate the info. and I didn't mean to sound like I only want to do just this one project. Part of what I am asking is how to obtain the "lifetime's worth of info." I don't want to become a lighting expert, but I would like to increase my knowledge on the subject so that I can provide some intelligent advice to clients and offer some realistic budgeting numbers for the recommendations I provide.
Starting with the basics, you point out that there is general and task lighting. I understand this concept in my kitchen, Ceiling light vs. undercab light.
But what are the parameters for this? Should a ceiling fixture (general lighting) be able to provide xx lumens or watts for yy sq.ft.? Or should aesthetics and symmetry take precedence? Does task lighting need to be spaced at zz" apart?
I recently read some info on proportion for arch. trim suggesting that columns, for example, are divided into 9ths or 12ths and that the base and capital should be some multiplier of that number. I guess I was hoping that there might be some guidelines for lighting along those lines.
Lighting, like everything else in a project plays a role in the whole. Part of the struggle right now is defining how the room will really be used. We have some basic parameters, but we haven't defined how, what or where furniture will be used.
But what are the parameters for this? Should a ceiling fixture
Well, there is some science to it, as in there are texts that will give you things like hallway floors ought to be 1 or more FC at the floor leverl for general illumination, or a classroom is 5-10 FC at the desk tops (and diffuse so as to not send glare refracting back on the eyeline & such). The text books can help with much of that.
Th art of it is in knowing how to, to use one of my uncle's phrases, "cheat your way to right." So, maybe the hall way has a cove, which has a linear or rope or some such fixture, which bounces the light out of the cove and down the wall, and you get the 1 FC that keeps folks from stepping on toys or sleeping dogs or the like.
Some rooms suggest functions, which suggest lighting schemes. I rather like four ceiling fixtures for general lighting of a kitchen. Then each major task (ove, cooktop, sink, etc.) gets specifica task lighting. General workspace lighting (often undercounter) helps round out the scheme. If there is no furrdown above the uppers, I like to work strip or rope lights in, just as a "fill" (which, after all the bounces, might only give .2-.25FC at the floor, which is plenty to not step in the cat's bowl getting a cold drink i nthe middle of the night).Occupational hazard of my occupation not being around (sorry Bubba)
Yeah, is there a "Lighting Design for Dummies" book anywhere?
Dan,
I'm not sure how to take your post.
Perhaps you find my question dumb, simple or uninformed.
As I stated, my request was to learn more about how to plan lighting. My experience within residential building, is there is not enough planning for lighting in either a new house or remodel.
I am hoping to gain the insight of people who have more experience than I.
If I interpreted your response wrong, I apologize in advance.
Sorry you misunderstood, but it was a genuine question. I'd like to find an accessible book on lighting that covers common residential situations, including number of lumens for given situations, color temp considerations, etc.
So convenient a thing it is to be a reasonable Creature, since it enables one to find or make a Reason for everything one has a mind to do. --Benjamin Franklin
Dan,
Sorry, I just read your first post wrong.
Before I started this thread I was hoping to find a Taunton Idea book for lighting, but no luck.
Hmmm, ...perhaps I'll look in the archives of the mag for articles.
You have a number of resources available in the various lighting outlets, which are in almost every community. Go to where people buy lights and you'll find advice, not always the best advice, but it's a place to start.
Go to lighting manufacturer's websites and you'll find some more information.
Observe good and bad lighting as you visit buildings of all sorts.
Go to open houses in new construction and houses that are on the market. The high end builders will have at least decent lighting designs.
There are so many variables that it would take a great deal of experience to make every option work well, but many of us avoid that problem by sticking with good designs for various situations.
Kitchen lighting for my first kitchen project was very similar to what we do now, but with time it's the small details that are easier to identify and take care of. I've also become less effected by sticker shock. Good designs often use a lot of light fixtures.
A key principle for those of us who don't design lighting on a regular basis is to incorporate dimmers in almost every circuit. Turning down the lights, even switching to lower wattage bulbs, is much easier than trying to overcome too few lights.
It's easy to throw lights in a project, but it's much harder to understand how the individual client actually uses space and what they would benefit most from. For instance, a client who has never lived with can lights will only be able to provide limited input as to where they should go and how many makes a good design for them.
Yep, working with clients is the hardest part. If you aren't involving the client, your designs will only be soso. You'll find one of the biggest obstacles to a good design is the client and convincing them of the benefit a truck load of hardware provides. Not one client who complained about the high costs up front ever regretted extra hardware when the switch is finally thrown. Learn to say no when clients want to cut lights you know they'll like down the road.
Not to poo poo electricians, they are great at what they do, but what they are great at is not always lighting design. Know enough to see when a suggestion is to reduce costs, make installation easier, or some other purpose not related whatsoever to what's best for the client or contractor.
Electricians that work with designers are exposed to many situations that the typical sparky isn't and can provide great advice as to what works and what doesn't.
The worst thing you can do is jump into something you don't know enough about and end up with an expensive mistake. If in doubt put a light bulb and temp. cord on a fixture and have your helper stand on a ladder to see how it works in your situation.
Get good at the basics and expand little by little into specialty lights as they fit specific situations.
Best of luck
Beer was created so carpenters wouldn't rule the world.
Don,
I agree with what you said. The last project I did had a lighting plan (from the archy) and we had 20 + can lights, wall sconces, rope lighting, and a couple flush mounts, virtually all on dimmers. The price really adds up but as you said people don't regret it once they see it all lit up.
Go to open houses in new construction and houses that are on the market.
While the high end houses usually do have decent lighting, new construction even at the 200k-250k level are pretty sparce with the lighting. I see a lot of kitchens w/ 3-4 can lights and living/family rooms w/ 2 cans over the fireplace and a light kit on the ceiling fan.
Gotta spend some time in lighting stores.
One of the easiest ways to handle this is to double the number of electrical outlets in the room and either put the new ones on switches or switch the top half. Then lighting can be provided by floor and table lights, rather than overhead.
In the family room on which I'm currently working, I installed two fancy fluorescent fixtures from HD on one circuit and put in some switched outlets on another. That lets me have overhead lighting most of the time and dimmed floor lights for watching a movie or something.
George Patterson, Patterson Handyman Service
Edited 4/23/2007 11:23 pm ET by grpphoto
Regardless of your windows, you need a lot of light in the basement. How tall are the ceilings? If they are fully 8' you could put up a crown molding with strip lites running behind the moldings. Gives the entire room light. Sconces are good too but limited. And for a basement, better to overlight and then dim than to come up short.http://www.etherhuffer.typepad.com