In the organization of home lighting, two characteristics come to the fore - functionality and design compliance with the interior. In other words, the instruments must be easy to operate and aesthetically pleasing. Moreover, for each room, the internal lighting is implemented differently, taking into account the conditions of use.
Basic rules for organizing home lighting
At each stage of development and implementation of the lighting project, situations of ambiguous choice will arise - for example, which is better, the saturation of light in the room or its moderation. Some of these questions can be dropped in advance thanks to the following recommendations:
- The optimal brightness level for comfortable lighting varies from 200 to 300 lux. But even in this range the exact choice will depend on the material and texture of the furniture, the color of the walls and ceiling, the finish, the type of flooring, etc. It should be borne in mind that each surface in the interior reflects light: dark - absorbs, matte - scatters, and brilliant - makes it saturated.
- Monotonous illumination will expand the boundaries of the room. To increase this effect, the placement of identical lamps around the perimeter of the room with equal indent from each other will help.
- In a small room, you should refrain from using the chandelier in the central ceiling part, as it conceals the height. In this case, the best solution would be the placement of compact wall lights for indoor lighting around the perimeter of the room.
- When using ceiling lights, it is important to maintain a distance of 2 m from the floor to the bottom of the appliance. Therefore, in the same small rooms with low ceilings, it is better to abandon the elongated models.
- The total power of the chandelier lamps for a room with an area of 18–20 m should be at least 300 watts.
- In the local lighting system when using sconces and floor lamps in an zonal way, the total power is at least 100 watts.
- The emphasis is often placed on uniform illumination in the room, but it is much more profitable from the point of view of energy saving, and for design reasons there will be a division of the interior lighting into zones with different sources in accordance with specific needs.
- In the living room and lounges, it is recommended that the lamps be arranged so that people's faces appear under the shade, and the streams of light spread lower.
- For the organization of central lighting, it is worth using tungsten lamps and fluorescent strips. The former are more expensive, but give soft and warm light, while the latter are distinguished by sharp radiation, but more economical.
Selection of luminaires for general indoor lighting
The main emphasis is on diffused light, which will cover all corners of the room. First of all, this task will be performed by ceiling lights - these can be either traditional chandeliers with a lampshade, or original suspended and luminous balls with integrated LEDs. Many turn to groups of directed vertical reflectors, but they will not allow to achieve the same result. It is worth giving up on halogen ceiling lights, because their potential is enough only for fragmented lighting of the floor and walls, especially when it comes to a large room. Separate lighting of the ceiling will also be a challenge . To do this, the device should be slightly lower, hanging down. In this case, indoor plafonds or pendant chandeliers will help. A sconce in a glass shade will also give good support for direct lighting - from the top of the room to distant surfaces and corners.
The choice should be given to fluorescent lamps, which are just characterized by the supply of uniform light. Moreover, you can safely use several ceiling lamps of this kind - this will not lead to a significant increase in energy consumption.
If you focus on originality, then a light lamp will do. Models representing this segment are distinguished by the presence of frosted glass covering the lamp. When placing this type of indoor lighting fixtures, it is important to ensure uniform glass arrangement. Shallow lights can be attached to the side surfaces, but the ceiling versions will give more visual space.
Selection of luminaires for functional lighting
In the organization of such light, the main rule will be the placement of lamps above the table with the possibility of scattered radiation, for example, people should see objects located on the work surface. Luminous fluxes are also directed to the faces, but do not irritate the eyes. This task will be solved by a lamp with a deep shade that covers the lamp. In the areas where the sofa or chair is located near the wall, lamps with soft radiation, convenient for reading, are installed. Structurally, it can be a floor lamp or sconce.
Particular attention is paid to the light oriented in the field of mirrors. Again, the stream should illuminate the faces, but without blinding. You can use wall lights for indoor lighting above the position of the eyes. At the next level, in addition, you can use small lamps fixed above a mirror in a lowered ceiling. For purely working surfaces like a kitchen worktop, ironing board or desk, directional light is used. Devices are selected with the narrowest possible flow angle.
Selection of luminaires for decorative lighting
The technique of directional light is widely used in design lighting. This implements spot lighting of photographs, paintings and other interior items that have a decorative function. Installation is carried out in the walls with the expectation of supplying clean concentrated light to a specific area. You can also entrust this task to ceiling spots, also built-in or overhead. If the device itself should play a decorative role, then a sconce of suitable forms is preferred - it can be stylish aluminum boxes, or classic reflex models.
The line of console lamps intended for installation directly above the paintings is also in demand among interior designers. Arranged in a row with the help of directional beams of light, they can also serve large decorations - murals, paneling, masonry, fireplace lining, etc. From the point of view of textured expression, LED wall lights will be beneficial. For interior lighting of objects with distinct shadows, the presence of a reflector in the device is necessarily provided. Automatic flow control allows you to take advantage of daytime and evening time.
To highlight objects on a shelf, it is better to use rear sources. A small lamp is built into the same shelf at the location of the object, creating a vertical streak of light. The flow can also flow due to a fragment of the wall integrated into the furniture, or it can be guided from under the cabinets.
How to choose indoor lamps?
Having determined the approximate set of required fixtures, their designs and functional features, you can proceed to the selection of lamps. This is a more subtle task, which takes into account a whole range of technical and operational parameters. Among them are the following:
- Power. An indicator that determines the rate of conversion and transmission of electrical energy is measured in watts. The most productive and at the same time economical is considered internal LED lighting, which even with a small voltage of 12-24 V will fill the room with a sufficient amount of light. For other types of lamps, designed for large rooms, 220–240 V. will be required.
- Type of cap. It depends on the lamp holder, under which the lamp is selected. The most common standard base E27, for screw structures require the marking E, and for minions - E14.
- The shape of the flask. The most common designations are B35, T60 and A65. Accordingly, the letter indicates the shape of the flask, and the number indicates its thickness in millimeters.
- Dispersion angle. Marking of halogen lamps with reflectors. The indicated degree (for example, 38 °) determines the range in which the light beam can be reoriented.
- The temperature of the light. Do not confuse this characteristic with the direct thermal energy released during the lamp operation. This value indicates the color perception of the light flux - from warm (red and yellow) to cold (blue and green). Comfortable interior lighting with wall-mounted LED lamps for the living room or bedroom, for example, will help to create lamps with a temperature range from 2700 K to 3200 K. Incandescent lamps optimally show themselves in the same spectrum, moreover, their light is more natural and comfortable for the eyes.
Instructions for organizing an electrical circuit
Even before the start of finishing, a planning map with points of installation of lighting devices should be prepared. Based on it, the corresponding wiring is performed. The network must be divided into separate circuits - they will supply current to groups of outlets, lighting points and single devices that require power supply.
The wiring is laid parallel or perpendicular to the floor in a closed or open way. Closed gasket is usually performed under a layer of finishing material, and open - on wooden surfaces, which requires a fire safety technique.
Experts recommend organizing communications for the internal lighting system along walls with a distance of 15-20 cm from the edge. If the current loop is designed to supply the outlet, from which the luminaire will also be powered, then the distance from the edge should be up to 30 cm.Within one room, the wiring lines should preferably be placed at the same level with the bends in height relative to specific points of installation of the device. Trails with several circuits should be enclosed in electrical boxes. In this case, no wall chipping is required and laying can be done directly on the floor along the corner.
Installation of lighting devices
At the first stage, a hole is formed in the wall of the desired diameter. At this point, an electrical connection will already be made, but special installation of a wall niche may be required to integrate the device body. Various methods can be used to fix the lamp, the choice of which is determined by its weight and design. For example, for lightweight models it is quite possible to limit oneself to self-tapping screws, twisting them through the holes in the device body. But it is also important to keep in mind the features of the wall surface - whether it can cope with the load that the same screws or other screws will provide. For example, for soft-body drywall and wood panels, it is necessary to use anchor connectors, recessed to a greater depth for a rational distribution of the load over a larger area. If the interior lighting of the premises is organized in a room with concrete walls and plastering, it is better to use dowels in this case. Plastic elements with antennae and protrusions will reliably place self-tapping screws, facilitating their entry. After installing the main fixture, the supporting plate or the entire body is mounted, depending on the design of the lamp.
Lamp connection
The standard electrical circuit for the supply of the lighting device provides for the inclusion of a current source shield, a distributor box, a switch and a direct working device in the circuit. The phase circuit is laid through a protective circuit breaker, which is located inside the shield. Then it is passed into the junction box of the room, and then to the switch and the lamp. The zero circuit from its bus through the same junction box goes directly to the lamp with a cartridge. Also, internal electric lighting is not complete without a PE conductor having its own bus with an output to the device case from a relay with a wiring.
Wall-mounted models with an integrated switch and an external cord with a plug do not at all imply a special connection - just plug them into previously provided power outlets. For reliable control of the operation of a group of spots or spotlights from a single switch, all lamps are connected in parallel. In more complex circuits, special control panels, motion sensors, drivers, and glow parameter adjusters may be provided — separate contactors and connection lines are provided for them.
Features of the use of spotlights
Such devices are small in size, low power consumption and not quite the usual configuration of the installation. Installation is recommended to be performed in thin-walled partitions made of plastic, wood-chip panels or drywall. A cut is cut under the body into which the device with the cartridge is placed. Next, multicore wires are connected to the lamp, which are connected through the output terminal blocks.
Power lines are usually laid in a subceiling niche during the installation of panels. After that, the device with wires is integrated deep into the prepared hole so that the mounting mechanism of the device is wound up behind the finishing panel with a slot and abuts against it from the inside. As a rule, antennae-brackets act as clamps, which subsequently perform a retaining spring function. If desired, the contours of the connection of the lamp housing with the edges of the slot can be sealed, but rigid fixation will complicate the repair in the future.
This type of interior lighting can also be serviced without complete dismantling, but the operations of replacing the wiring and its elements cannot be disassembled. One way or another, most often the repair of spotlights is to replace individual diodes. This is done by soldering after detecting faded dark crystals.
Conclusion
The lamp in the room performs much more functions than in landscape design. Whereas in the garden, spotlights and lanterns bear primarily the practical tasks of lighting and backlighting, then a chandelier or sconce often sets stylistic accents in the interiors. At the same time, there are general trends in the organization of indoor and outdoor lighting of both aesthetic and technological properties. Switching to LED sources is quite indicative in this respect, which, with small sizes, allows for efficient, beautiful and economical lighting. Also worth noting are the innovations related to management technologies. At home, for the convenience of operating devices, it is possible to provide means of automatic control and regulation up to the innovative software level.