Properly lighting rooms of a house is one of the most important parts of architecture and interior design. Before you decorate a house, you have to light it. Light has the power to transform spaces which is why it is so important for comfort. If rooms are well lit we will find pleasant spaces where you want to spend time. As each corner has its needs, it is good to know the key to properly choose and plan the house lighting.

There is no better way to learn about a subject than through an expert on the subject, so today we give the voice to Oscar Abril, architect lighting specialist, with whom I had the pleasure of sharing a stage of my studies in Madrid.

Know about Oscar:

Oscar Abril Revuelta is an architect although in the last eight years most of his professional life has been related to lighting. He is a freelance lighting designer, although he dedicates almost exclusive collaboration to Linealight group performing lighting projects in Spain, Portugal and other countries in Latin America.

Fortunately, lighting has been a good professional niche for him (and many other colleagues in the profession) at an important moment of economic crisis in the construction sector. It is a booming world, where there are even educational programs, masters programs and specialization courses dedicated to it.

Oscar has answered all my questions with which you will discover the Keys to correctly illuminate your house:

Why is lighting important?

Lighting is essential for any space. In the absence of natural light, it is necessary to satisfy a basic qualitative and quantitative human need that can be summarized in three points:

• Visual comfort, that is, to ensure that the illumination generates a sense of well-being;
• Visual performance, so that in the case of workspaces we can perform visual tasks for long periods of time, even in difficult circumstances;
• Safety, so that you avoid hazards or falls, and allow you to see any obstacles.

 

What is the right way to face the lighting design of a house?

Sense and common sense.

It is necessary to know how to interpret spaces that require more intense or reduced lighting, in which places an effort or work can be carried out where an important visual performance is required or which are for rest.

Once the functionality is solved, you can go to the lighting of singular or special points or the aesthetics of the luminaire.

Photo: Architonic

What are the typical mistakes that people make when choosing lighting?

Possibly looking too much into the aesthetics of a luminaire. I am not saying that it is not important but first you have to be clear the luminous power (lumen – lm) you need, the glare that it can cause, or the color temperature that is most adequate.

Where is it convenient for the points of light to be directed?

Depends on the space that illuminates:

-In a hallway or staircase, you should always light well the floor you step on;

  

Photo 1: Hometalk; Photo 2: IconsCorner

-In a place of work or reading, it should be directed towards the point of visual performance;

Photo: IconsCorner

-In a quiet place like a living room or a bedroom, maybe a soft indirect light (ceiling or walls) is the most appropriate.

Photo: © Fernando Alda Fotografía

Depending on the type of lighting that you are considering we can define three types of lighting: general, environmental and punctual.

The general illumination is usually fixed and serves to make the space visible. It can be placed on the ceiling or walls depending on how the room is.

The ambient lighting provides a pleasant atmosphere and to achieve it, table lamps, floor lamps and suspended luminaires are used.

Spot lighting is functional and necessary to develop specific activities such as in the kitchen or a study table. It is achieved with directional lights.

Are there main and secondary light points? What should they be?

Yes there are, but these should not be overused in all spaces. For example, in a bedroom it is good to have a general illumination that is not very intense and some more direct lighting on a closet or a place of reading.

Photo: Francesc Rife Estudio

In a corridor, it is usually very general, although perhaps you can resort to some point that emphasizes a decorative element.

Photo: Archilovers

How can we know how many lighting points are needed in a standard room, for example a typical dining room?

The first thing would be to know how to differentiate or separate what types of environment exist or what type of activities are to be carried out.

For example in a room we normally have (speaking of a conventional home) at least two clear situations: one of rest and another of dining. You should have at least those points of light.

Photo: Decoratrix

However, if what we are looking for is something different, we can increase some point of light, on a reading space or on a singular piece of furniture (bookcase, display case, etc).

  

Photo 1: Bloglovin; Photo 2: IconsCorner

The important thing is to have good control. You don’t need a demotic system that you will typically see in many luxury houses, but possible pushbuttons to regulate the intensity, which are not so expensive in the market.

What are the key points to illuminate each of the following rooms: living room, kitchen, bathroom and bedroom?

I tend to look for two or three types of basic luminaires for the general illumination in a home and resort to more singular ones that characterize the space. You shouldn’t turn your home into a catalog of lamps. In a house everything is very subjective, but to give some basic patterns I propose the following (always for typical homes):

– Living room: a pendant on the dining table with direct light (the light has to be about 70 cm from the table) and something more discreet around the living area that can be very different, such as some built-in lighting on the ceiling or some luminaire of diffuse light surface.

Photo: Gravity Home

If there is a lamp that allows the incorporation of an LED strip, it would be a good option.

Photo: Decofilia

There are very decorative floor lamps that can be an excellent solution.

Photo: Emily Henderson

– Kitchen: Interesting lighting here. It is a place of work, especially when it comes to cooking or cutting food. Typically this has always been the location of Downlight, but there are many more alternatives, such as linear recessed in the ceiling. If there is a dining table it is also good a spot for light above that table.

Photo: Amenagement design

– Bathroom: there are also two spaces. One general and one accent lighting over the mirror. Be very careful with a single point of light on this mirror, as it can generate shadows on both sides of the face if someone is doing makeup or shaving. The most sensible solution is to place a linear luminaire or two spotlights to avoid the shadows.

Photo: SF girl by bay

– Bedroom: admits many possibilities. If it is youthful, in addition to general lighting, substantial lighting should be incorporated on the study table. If it is a master bedroom, on the bedside tables or at the headboard there are many options, even with wall lamps. The lighting is usually dim.

Photo: Amber interiors

What parameters do we need to know to choose the right bulbs correctly? In what range of values should we move?

For a home, which should be a place of rest and tranquility, we should choose a warm color temperature, below 3000ºK.

Photo: Instagram

Instead, for a work place, something cooler above 4000ºK is recommended, to be more attentive to tasks.

Photo: Archilovers

To see the necessary power we must look more at the lumens (power of light) than in the watts (power consumption) and their efficiency (lm / w). It is here that, a priori, the new LED technology has invaded the market of lamps. I say a priori because it is what they have sold us, because the true success of the LED emitted by LEDs is in the enormous useful life they have (above 50,000 hours).

However, there are many more types of lamps that are still used to, such as fluorescent or halogen lighting, which are economically more competitive. We must take into account that we spend less time at home and that the consumption of light is very low compared to other spaces such as offices, factories, establishments, shopping centers, etc., where it is logical to incorporate this technology.

And regarding the traditional lamps we can say that the incandescent and the halogen have passed to better life, being some of these already forbidden for sale.

What kind of luminaires are the most suitable? Why?

We can say that in terms of its way of placement there are three main types of luminaires: recessed lamps, surface mounted lamps or hanging lamps.

• The recessed lamps are the most demanded when this option is possible, since they allow a greater cleaning of ceiling and walls, being free of obstacles.

Photo 1: Architonic; Photo 2: Pinterest

• Hanging lamps come in well to mark a specific space or when it is necessary for the light source to generate light from a lower position than the main lighting point.

Foto: Architecture art designs

• Surface mounted lamps are the easiest to install and surely are the ones that have been imposed.

Photo: Amber Road

According to the needs or requirements you must choose the most appropriate type. For example, direct it to a specific point or bathe a wall.

Photo: Architecture art designs

On the other hand as to the form of the luminary, there exist many types, but mainly we find:

• Spotlights or projectors to illuminate something very specific.

Foto: Poppytalk

• Diffuser luminaires, to make the lighting more homogeneous and to avoid glare.

Foto: Pinterest

They can be roof, floor or wall; Or garden or pool. There are many options.

A good tip is to open a manufacturer’s catalog. If it is good, normally all luminaires are sorted by type. It is one of the best tools to clear doubts when lighting a stay.

What is the most revolutionary right now in lighting?

It is a world in constant evolution. In LED technology, progress is made in achieving better yields in terms of minimum energy consumption, 100% color reproduction, heat dissipation, etc. Of course taking advantage of the small size of diodes, the design of the luminaires is being revolutionized continuously. Organic LEDs (OLED) have been working for some time.

Photo 1: Dezeen; Photo 2: Eden design

 

Give us a final tip when it comes to lighting our house.

Behind a good lighting there must be a good electrical installation and have a professional that can incorporate the points of light needed and required.

But most importantly: look for functional lighting and that which makes you happy.

 

A final tip of my own is that if you can plan the lighting at the project stage, because the distribution will help determine the location of the luminaires according to the furniture and the heights of the plugs.

I hope these guidelines have served to address the project of your home or part of it and if you have more specific doubts I will be happy to help you. You can leave me your doubt in comments.

[Front photo: Pinterest]