Lighting question but not for garage

[Kevin54]

Ok people....I have a lighting question, or maybe two, or three......We have a large family room that is 24'x24'. I know that many people put in ceiling lights in their house. In a room that size, just one large square with a ceiling fan smack dab center, how do you know where to put your lights? The room ceiling is flat and at 8' tall.

If anyone has pics of their house with lights in the ceiling, could you post some pics? I'm just curious how it was decided to put the lights. I also have the same problem with the kitchen. It is 17' wide x 21' long.

Both ceilings are going to be redone this year as they have been a thorn in my side ever since the room was built. I hired a guy to do the drywall on the ceiling and I did the rest as I was working. I never paid a lot of attention when I come home the first day but the drywall was up on the ceiling. I drywalled the walls that night. And like a *******, I didn't pay a lot of attention when the drywall was getting finished. I taped and mudded the walls and corners, and left the ceiling to the other person. The ceiling was supposed to be stomped like the rest of the house. In one day he taped the seams and stomped the ceiling I should have hired a drunken monkey. We had to go back and roll compound on it to try and cover up his screwup. Then maybe 5 years ago we had it popcorned to try and at least make it uniform looking. The bad is that the drywall was ran the wrong direction. It was ran with the trusses instead of across the trusses, so when you look at it, you can see waves between each truss. In talking with my drywall guy, he said that he could drywall over it with no problem and finish it out correctly.

So in doing that, I want ceiling lights. So like the commercial on TV.

Blah, blah, members, person come help

And Mods...if this is in a wrong place, move it to FP or wherever. Well wherever except the dump!!!

 

[Steevo]

In a 24 x 24 room, it most likely has "use zones" of some sort. Are there any special lighting considerations for a desk or something other than general room lighting?

If not, then I'd go with four can lights, centered on each quarter of the ceiling.

My family room (16 x 16) is done that way, with a centered ceiling fan/light and four cans around the room.

My MBR is set up the same way.

It works well for me, because in the FR one of the cans is directly above my chair, which is good for reading.

 

[Zeke]

I agree that task lighting plus ambient lighting will produce the best results. So, in a nutshell. at least 2 switched systems.

Now, I don't like to see where light comes from, or at least have to look right at the source. So, recessed can lights do a good job. And redirected at walls and such is even better. Worse than that, I don't like lights in the center of the room. So, a ceiling fan with a light kit is the worst looking light to me of all time.

I much prefer lighting coming from the corners of the room. But 24 x 24 is going to need some down light out in the field somewhere and directed appropriately for when it's needed.

If you come to my house, you will see at least 3 shaded table lights per room mostly near the corners and very little overhead lighting except for task lighting. I do have a couple of antique milk glass ceiling fixtures in places like a hallway.

For the modern look, I like the egg crate lenses on fluorescent fixtures. You see the lit areas without seeing the light source.

 

[bczygan]

Wall sconces will also help you. And table lamps. Lighting should shape spaces and define uses with their lighter and darker areas. Positive and negative spaces. It can help create a focal point and also provide general illumination as well as task lighting. You are looking for a system of lighting that woks with your architecture and interior design and furniture placement. Don't forget lighting for artwork, sculpture and paintings. Spots, floods, recessed etc.

 

[frankush]

Lighting design is one of my passions. It's a field that's tough to get into. Some very good information above. Unless you're just looking to light up the room, you really have to put some thought into it. Good lighting is all about creating layers. Ambient lighting is one layer. Task is another. Does the room have any features that you'd like to highlight? Maybe a fireplace, Grampa's portrait or a display of collectables.

The difference that good lighting can have is best seen at night. The most drastic example of this is exterior lighting. You can walk up to a home in the daytime and say that's a nice house. You might see the same home at night with well planned exterior lighting that makes you say "wow". The difference is how it's features are highlighted, by light, at night.

I personally would use more than 4 cans in a room that large. The more the beam spread from one can overlaps the other, the fewer hot spots you'll have. Don't be afraid to use dimmers. They help fine tune what you've got. I prefer theatrical dimmers. They can fade to on, or off and create a little drama. Lutron makes a $30 version that can be had at Home Depot. The other thing to consider is glare. You don't want the lighting reflecting off the TV you're trying to watch. One or more may have to be switched or dimmed seperately. Play with it. If you do it "right", you're gonna love it.

One last thing. If you are going to laminate your ceiling, a thin sheet of drywall over the existing, do NOT buy remodel cans. Most of the clips that hold them in place are not designed for that thick a suface. Cut a hole big enough in your existing ceiling to get a regular rough-in can in place.

 

[Kevin54]

Lighting design is one of my passions. It's a field that's tough to get into. Some very good information above. Unless you're just looking to light up the room, you really have to put some thought into it. Good lighting is all about creating layers. Ambient lighting is one layer. Task is another. Does the room have any features that you'd like to highlight? Maybe a fireplace, Grampa's portrait or a display of collectables.

The difference that good lighting can have is best seen at night. The most drastic example of this is exterior lighting. You can walk up to a home in the daytime and say that's a nice house. You might see the same home at night with well planned exterior lighting that makes you say "wow". The difference is how it's features are highlighted, by light, at night.

I personally would use more than 4 cans in a room that large. The more the beam spread from one can overlaps the other, the fewer hot spots you'll have. Don't be afraid to use dimmers. They help fine tune what you've got. I prefer theatrical dimmers. They can fade to on, or off and create a little drama. Lutron makes a $30 version that can be had at Home Depot. The other thing to consider is glare. You don't want the lighting reflecting off the TV you're trying to watch. One or more may have to be switched or dimmed seperately. Play with it. If you do it "right", you're gonna love it.

One last thing. If you are going to laminate your ceiling, a thin sheet of drywall over the existing, do NOT buy remodel cans. Most of the clips that hold them in place are not designed for that thick a suface. Cut a hole big enough in your existing ceiling to get a regular rough-in can in place.

I don't want the lights to be used as task lighting. I would rather use it to create mood and atmosphere, if that makes sense. No doubt that whatever I put in, they will be on dimmers. I like lighting, but I don't like to be overlit if that makes sense too. I would like it to be bright enough that if we were going to paint the walls at night, then it would be bright enough to do it, but also want to be able to dim it down where it's just a little more than dark.

In the kitchen, it will be used more for task lighting, but then again, would like for it to be dimmed to create a mood. For instance a dim but romantic mood. Something along those lines.

The problem with the kitchen now is that it is ore or less in the center of the house with no natural lighting. The house is kind of screwed up with the way it is laid out. When we originally bought the house, the kitchen was at the back of the house with a 6' wide window, and a 6' wide Atrium door. Great natural light. When I added on the Family Room, we took the window and the door and basically moved them 24' back and made two archways where they originally were. That was fine for a few years. Then the wife started collecting Longaberger and was a Consultant, so we ended up with a shitload of dishware. With that came a need for more storage room. We bought some cabinets that matched the others. When those were put in, there were only two places to put a bank of wall cabinets. One was on a wall that ran front to back of the house in the kitchen. In doing that though, the cabinets were right in line with the front door and archway from the Living Room and could be seen from outside. The other place was on the wall that was previously the back wall before adding the Family Room on. In doing that, we had to close off a 6' archway, So it now leaves the Kitchen fairly dark. Like I said, it's just a screwed up layout.

I'll try to make a sketch and post it so you see what I mean and maybe it will spark some ideas from someone. Myself, I'm at a loss. Ultimately, I would really like to have the back wall taken out all together and have an open concept to things, but I don't know if it is possible to do that and have it look right with the rest of the house. The way everything is laid out now, each room is divided by walls and nothing open like you see in newer houses.

And Lord knows that I have racked my brain looking at pics but am still at a loss. I'm looking for ideas or pics that will just kick the gray matter into gear.

BTW....No wall sconces. I don't like lights hanging on a wall unless the house is an older home and they fit in with the style of the house. And as far as wall art being lit up....no wall art. We're not in that category where we have hanging pics everywhere.

Later on, there will be a wood-burner but it will probably be a freestanding unit and not a fireplace that has the walls covered with stone or something similar.

I'll try to get some pics later on tomorrow and post them up.