More Great Advice From Randall!

Sizing Light Fixtures

Helpful advice for calculating proportional decorative lighting based on a room's dimensions.

Question: 

What is the rule of thumb for determining the size of a chandelier or pendant fixture for a given space? I have a 25-by-30-foot area over a stairwell and I don't want too large or too small a fixture. If you could help me out, it would make me very happy. 

Answer: 

Just think of me as verbal Prozac. Try this formula: Add the dimensions of the width and length of the foyer area together. This number will be the measurement in inches what the width of your fixture should be. Based on the dimensions that you have given me, I think you should be looking at a chandelier that is 55 inches in diameter. The length will be a little bit harder to determine, as it depends on the ceiling height. Taller ceilings can take longer fixtures. Somebody in your family or your contractor could make a mock-up out of wooden dowels and strings to get a feel for what the fixture would look like in the space.

Randall Whitehead, IALD, is a professional lighting designer and author. His books include "Residential Lighting, A Practical Guide." Whitehead has worked on projects worldwide, appeared on the Discovery Channel, HGTV and CNN, and he is regular guest on Martha Stewart Living Radio. Visit his websitewww.randallwhitehead.com and follow his blog www.lightmakesright.com for more information on books, upcoming seminars and the latest lighting trends.

Ask Randall: Recessed Lighting in a Living Room

Supplementing Recessed Lighting in a Living Room

Q: I recently installed eight recessed downlights in my 16-by-16-foot living room -- three rows of three, two and three. I used Halo 6-inch LED lights that have an 8-foot beam spread from a 9-foot ceiling. The room is super bright and awesome.

 

A: This is more of a declaration than it is a question. I’m still trying to process the lighting installed in your living room. I had to lie on the floor in a darkened space just to create a mentally safe environment. This lighting would be "awesome" if you were interrogating eight prisoners all at the same time. Have you learned nothing, Grasshopper? Your living room must feel like an alien spacecraft is just about to land and tractor beam you up for a quick probe. I applaud you for using an LED source. All I am asking for is that you use some other sources of illumination in the space, too. Since you have a 9-foot ceiling, consider installing one or two pendants. Maybe add a pair of sconces flanking a tall piece of furniture or a painting. The journey to good lighting begins with a single step light

 

Randall Whitehead, IALD

Randall Whitehead, IALD, is a professional lighting designer and author. His books include "Residential Lighting, A Practical Guide." Whitehead has worked on projects worldwide, appeared on the Discovery Channel, HGTV and CNN, and he is regular guest on Martha Stewart Living Radio. Visit his websitewww.randallwhitehead.com and follow his blog www.lightmakesright.com for more information on books, upcoming seminars and the latest lighting trends.

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Residential Lighting: Ask Randall

Sufficient Lighting for a Master Bathroom The question is not whether two ceiling-mounted fixtures will offer "enough light" for a master bath, but whether that approach is "enough" period, says our expert. By: Randall Whitehead, IALD Q. I am planning to install two ceiling-mount fixtures in my master bath. Each fixture will accommodate 100W. Do you feel that this will be a sufficient amount of light? A. You know how I feel about trying to make one type of light fixture do all of the work. This is the master bath, your very special and personal domain. Do you really want to be back-lit by 200W of light when looking in the mirror? Your face will be in silhouette, like on a news program where they are trying to protect your identity. Install a pair of vanity lights, flanking the mirror, mounted at 5 feet 6 inches above the finished floor. This will provide even task lighting for your face. I'm fine with you keeping the two ceiling-mounted fixtures, but I am recommending that you put them and the sconces on dimmers. No one needs to be blasted with light, especially first thing in them morning. Finding that stray false eyelash attached to your shoulder is horrifying enough.

 

			Randall Whitehead, IALD, is a professional lighting designer and author. His books include "Residential Lighting, A Practical Guide." Whitehead has worked on projects worldwide, appeared on the Discovery Channel, HGTV and CNN, and he is a regular guest on Martha Stewart Living Radio. Visit his website (www.randallwhitehead.com) and follow his blog (www.lightmakesright.com) for more information on books, upcoming seminars and the latest lighting trends.

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Ask Randall: Mounting Outdoor Lanterns

Residential Lighting has another great Ask Randall Section. See below the correct way to mount an outdoor lantern.

Mounting Outdoor Lanters

The right height for placing outdoor lights depends on the positioning of the light source in the fixture, says our expert.

Question: I am wiring a new room and want to include outdoor wall sconce lights by French doors. I haven't picked out the lights yet, so I want to leave options open as much as possible. What sort of junction boxes should I install: round or single-gang rectangular, metal or plastic? How high? The exterior is lapped siding with a 6-inch reveal. Answer: First off, I want to congratulate you on having the forethought to add exterior sconces flanking the French doors. This will help keep them from becoming black mirrors at night and add a little architectural jewelry to the facade. As far as a junction box goes I would use a round 3-inch box. This can be a noncorrosive metal box or plastic. It would be really good if you could pick a fixture ahead of time before installing the boxes because that will help greatly in determining what the correct mounting height should be. A good rule of thumb is that the center of the light source should be 6 feet above the patio or deck (whatever the French doors are leading out onto). Some exterior fixtures do not have the electrical feeds exactly in the center of the backplate; sometimes they are closer to the top. Also, some fixtures hang down from an arm, or are raised up on an arm. These configurations affect the correct mounting height. For example, you’ll see the ELK Lighting Freeport fixture (left) has the electrical feed toward the top of the backplate. It’s not centered on the backplate. In contrast, the Quoizel Oasis lantern (center) hangs lower than the junction box. So in this case, the junction box has to be mounted higher than 6 feet so that the light source ends up at the 6-foot height. The Sea Gull Wynfield lantern illustrates a light source situated above the backplate. For these styles, the junction box would need to be installed lower in order for the light source to situate at 6 feet. My advice: Just bite the bullet and find the fixtures that you’re going to use. You need to buy the horse before you hitch up the cart. It will also help knowing the size of the backplate so that you can cut the right size opening in the siding.

			Randall Whitehead, IALD, is a professional lighting designer and author. His books include "Residential Lighting, A Practical Guide." Whitehead has worked on projects worldwide, appeared on the Discovery Channel, HGTV and CNN, and he is a regular guest on Martha Stewart Living Radio. Visit his website (www.randallwhitehead.com) and follow his blog (www.lightmakesright.com) for more information on books, upcoming seminars and the latest lighting trends.