26 Frequently Asked Questions about Home Lighting

When decorating your home, you often encounter many small problems, such as how to choose the lamp, what color temperature to choose, what the beam angle is, how far between the lamps, and so on. Let's find the answers from this article.

Q1: How long should the track rail be for my sofa and TV background wall?

A1: Generally, the track rail length should be about two-thirds of the sofa and TV background wall.

Q​2: How far is the distance between recessed downlights from the wall? Should I choose the same downlight or different ones?

A2: The distance between recessed downlights is generally 80-120cm, and they should be 30-50cm away from the wall. It is recommended that you choose the same one for the same space.

Q3: How should the living room LED strip lights be arranged, installed, and illuminated?

A3: This installation method is recommended: The LED strip light illuminates the wall from the side and achieves a wall-washing effect through diffuse reflection.

Q4: What is the approximate distance between the dining pendant light and the dining table?

A4: Generally, the distance between the lamp and the table is determined according to personal needs.

It is recommended that the bottom pendant lamp should be about 80 cm away from the table so that people sitting on both sides of the table will not be blocked from each other's sight.

Q5: If multiple pendant lights need to be installed, how far is the long dining table usually installed between the pendant lights?

A5: For a long dining table, it is generally recommended that the pendant lamps be placed about 45-50 cm apart.

Q6: What color temperature lamps are used for the dining room?

A6: Dining rooms generally should use warm white(2700-3200K), which makes them look more cozy and creates a dining atmosphere.

Q7: Without a main light design, what is the installation distance between recessed downlights in the dining room?

A7: It is recommended that the about 50-70cm between recessed downlights.

Q8: What body color of LED lamps should be installed?

A8: If the overall decoration style is light-colored, installing the white body color LED lamp is recommended.
       If the decoration style is dark-colored, it is recommended that the black body color LED lamp.
       However, it is important to choose according to your personal preference. You can also choose gold or silver.

Q9: What lamps are needed for the dining room?

A9: Pendant lights should be installed. They can enhance the dining environment and atmosphere and have a decorative effect.

Q10: What is the installation height of the bedside wall lamp?

A10: Generally, the wall lamp is about 1.2m away from the ground.

Q11: How many watts are enough for the bedside wall lamp to be installed? Is it enough for reading at the bedside?

A11: Generally, 3-6 watts are enough for reading and lighting at the bedside.

Q12: What color of lamps should be installed in the room?

A12: Warm light 3000k is recommended for the bedroom. The color temperature of warm light is warmer and helps sleep.

Q13: How many downlights are suitable for installation without a main light design?

A13: The number of downlights installed without a main light design is determined by the lamp's wattage. The simplest method is to calculate the total wattage required according to three times the area of the space and then divide the total wattage by the wattage of a single lamp to calculate the number.

Q14: Is the light anti-glare? Will it be dazzling?

A14: When choosing lamps, you should consider the anti-glare design. The anti-glare methods on the market include deep tube anti-glare, honeycomb mesh anti-glare, anti-glare covers of different colors, and deep hidden light sources.

Q15: What kind of lamp is suitable for the dressing table area, and what is the appropriate wattage?

A15: Both the exposed downlight and spotlight are OK, and 7 watts is generally enough.

Q16: How long should the LED strip light be installed in the bedroom area?

A16: If it is installed on the ceiling, it can be installed according to the length of the ceiling. A little space can be reserved at the corner to avoid overlapping light and affect the overall effect.

If it is installed at the head of the bed, it can be installed according to the length of the head of the bed.

Q17: Should the bedroom lamps be near the head of the bed or the foot of the bed?

A17: It is generally recommended that the lamps installed above the ceiling be near the foot of the bed; there will be no glare and discomfort when lying on the bed, and it is also conducive to cultivating sleepiness.

Q18: When using spotlights to illuminate paintings, how far should the spotlights be from the wall? How many watts should be selected?

A18: 7W is generally recommended for ceiling heights below 3.2 meters, and 9W is usually recommended for ceiling heights above 3.2 meters.

Track lights are generally 40-60cm away from the wall, recessed spotlights are usually 30-50cm away from the wall, and surface-mounted downlights are generally 20-30cm away from the wall.

Q19: Will it look bad if the living room uses both natural light and warm light at the same time?

A19: It is not recommended to use two color temperatures at the same time in the same space.
If you want different color temperature effects, you can use dimming lamps.
You can also choose basic light and functional light with different color temperatures, but you cannot use lamps with different color temperatures for the same functional light.

Q20: If there is a lot of oil in the kitchen. Are the LED lamps easy to clean?

A20: Dark-colored lamps are recommended for the kitchen area. They do not need to be cleaned specially.
 You can wipe them with a cloth when the lamps look dirty.

Q21: Do the kitchen lamps need to be waterproof?

A21: Kitchen lamps are recommended to be IP54 or above with moisture-proof function.

Q22: Do bathroom lamps need to be waterproof? What is the waterproof level?

A22: Bathroom lamps must be splash-proof, fog-proof, moisture-proof, etc., so IP65 waterproof LED lamps must be used.

Q23: How high is the installation position of the mirror lamp? What light color is better?

A23: The height from the ground is about 1.8m, and the light color is recommended to use natural white(4000-4500K).

Q24: What color temperature is recommended for the corridor?

A24: Warm white and natural white are recommended for the corridor as long as the area's color temperature is uniform.

Q25: If the corridor is long, what is the appropriate distance between the recessed downlights?

A25: The recommended distance is 80-120cm between the recessed downlights.

Q26: What should I pay attention to when choosing balcony lights?

A26: Balcony lights must be waterproof IP65. Natural white 4000K is generally recommended.

If you encounter other lighting questions, you can contact TopSun Lighting and we will give you some reference ideas.

Maybe you would like to read the other blog from TopSun Lighting.

Living room:  LED lamps for living room ideas

Bedroom: How to design the LED lights for the bedroom?

Dining room: Dining room lighting ideas

Kitchen: Kitchen island LED lighting ideas