Light is everywhere around us. We use lights in our homes and interiors, all our devices, TV’s, screens, outdoors, on our bikes, in our cars – everywhere! So how bright should they ideally be?
Although each manufacturer chooses their optimum brightness for their products, we still have choices to make when it comes to the brightness of our lights as there is such a variety on offer.
We consulted Andrew Orange who is a lighting consultant, to investigate a broad range of popular products, rooms and spaces, to give us the following advice.
Table of Contents
Brightness can be measured in various units:
When quantifying the brightness of a space, lux or foot-candles will be stated, but unless you are a design consultant or architect, this can be a difficult measurement to use to work out how many lights will really be needed to create that level of intensity. So wherever possible the lumen output of a typical lighting product intended for that space will be quoted.
You might find it helpful to lumens-vs-footcandles/” target=”_blank”>understand the difference between lumens and foot-candles.
Let’s look at some common examples.
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A foyer light should typically be around 10-30 foot candles. The purpose of a foyer light is to provide a welcoming atmosphere and create an inviting entrance for visitors, so it shouldn’t be too bright or too dull.
Your desk lamp should generally be between 20-40 foot candles. This level of light provides just the right amount of illumination to complete your desk tasks without straining your eyes or over stimulating you.
A living room light should usually be between 10-20 foot candles. The purpose of a living room light is to provide an ambient atmosphere that is inviting and comforting. It should not be too bright or too dark.
A basement should generally be between 10-30 foot candles. The purpose of a basement light is to make sure that your space is well lit during the day and night, as there is limited daylight penetration.
Even illumination from multiple sources, utlizing reflected light is recommended.
We have more on the brightness of basement stairwell lighting.
A projector’s brightness choice depends on multiple factors, particularly how bright the ambient surrounding light will be whilst it’s on. In interior projector settings, a brightness between 1,000-2,000 ANSI Lumens is usually suitable. In outdoor projector settings, a higher level of brightness may be needed to ensure the best visibility from individuals seated in the audience.
A night light should typically range between 0.3-1 lux, typically from a 5 lumen product. This level of lighting ensures that it’s just bright enough to be able to navigate your way around the room and also gentle enough not to disturb your sleep.
A flashlight’s brightness choice depends on the task it is intended for, so we investigate this in categories of lumen outputs, in how bright should a flashlight be?
A tactical flashlight is a specialized type of flashlight which has higher output than your average flashlight, usually with a brightness of between 500-1,000 lumens. It is designed to be used in self-defense, search and rescue operations or during outdoor activities such as camping and hunting.
A tactical flashlight should have a brightness of between 1,000-2,500 lumens if it is intended to be used to temporarily blind someone. This level of brightness will cause temporary blindness from intense glare in anyone that looks directly at the light and should be used with caution.
A bike light should generally be between 1,000-2,500 lumens. This level of brightness ensures that you can safely navigate your way in low-light outdoor settings and allows other cyclists to see you from a distance.
A bathroom light should have a lux level of around 40-60 lux. This level of brightness provides enough illumination in the bathroom, ensuring that you have adequate lighting for grooming and bathing tasks without being too overbearing.
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If just one light is being used on a bathroom then it will need to be brighter compared to if many are used. A single ceiling light in a bathroom should have a minimum of 800 lumens.
A light over a shower should deliver at least 500 lumens, creating a brightness of around 40-60 lux. This level of brightness helps to provide adequate lighting over the shower area and is perfect for providing light whilst showering.
A public bathroom should have a lux level of between 50-100lx. This ensures that the space is bright enough for visitors to be able to safely navigate and perform their toiletry tasks without being too dazzling or overstimulating.
A kitchen counter light should deliver a lux level of around 150-200 lux. This level of brightness ensures that you can adequately see and work on tasks without straining your eyes.
If an LED strip is being used then it should have an output brightness of approximately 400 l/m.
A commercial kitchen should ideally have a lux level of around 500lx over task areas to ensure the best visibility and safety.
A stairway light should have a lux level of around 30-50 lux. This level of brightness ensures that it is bright enough to be able to navigate your way up and down the stairs without being too overbearing or distracting.
A hallway light should have a lux level of between 20-30 lux. This level of brightness provides adequate illumination for walking along the corridor, without being too bright.
A hallway light is often a recessed ceiling light or a single pendant. Any single light fitting in a hallway should deliver on average 500 lumens, which is a good GU10 bulb or LED light bulb.
A living room should have a lux level of between 50-150 lux. This level of brightness ensures that the space is bright enough to be able to carry out tasks comfortably whilst retaining an inviting atmosphere to the space.
A reading light should have a lux level of between 150-200 Nits. This level of brightness ensures that text and images are clear and vibrant, without being too bright or too dull. It also helps reduce eyestrain when reading for extended periods of time.
The bulb in a table light should either have a brightness of 470 lumens if next to someone sitting near it, or 800 lumens if positioned in a corner where mroe light is required to illuminate a wider space.
A garage should typically be between 50-100 foot candles. This level of brightness ensures that you can safely move around in the space and provide an additional more intense task light over any workbenches if necessary.
A shed should typically be between 50-100 foot candles. This level of brightness ensures that you can safely locate items and is bright enough to comfortably carry out any tasks that may be needed.
A workshop brightness should typically have a lux level of around 500 lux per metre. This level of brightness ensures that you can adequately see and work on tasks
A light fixture for a 300 square foot room should deliver approximately 2000 lumens. Ideally this level of brightness should be built up by multiple light sources.
A guest room light should have a lux level of around 20-30 lux. This level of brightness provides adequate lighting for entering the space, without being too bright or overpowering. This typically comes from a 470 lumen bulb in a table light.
A bedside light should have a lux level of around 20-30 lux. This level of brightness is comfortable for reading and relaxing without being too bright or overbearing. A 470 lumen bulb in a table light provides adequate lighting for this purpose.
A bedroom light should have a lux level of around 50-150 lux. This level of brightness ensures that the space is bright enough to be able to carry out tasks comfortably and provide an inviting atmosphere, without being too overwhelming or distracting.
This is typically delivered by a pair of bedside table lights each fitted with a 470 lumens bulb.
A monitor should generally be between 150-200 Nits. This level of brightness ensures that text and images are clear and vibrant.
A good value of peak brightness for a TV screen is > 365 cd/m² (nits). A modern TV should vary the brightness according to the ambient lighting level in the space.
A light for drawing should have a lux level of around 400 lux per metre. This task level of brightness ensures that you can adequately see, the luminance should be shadow free.
This level of light is often achieved with a lamp that offers around 1000 lumens, depending on how close it is located to the artwork.
A chandelier should have a comfortable brightness level as it acts as an accent and feature light within a space. Individual lamps should have an approximate output of 250 lumens and be dimming/”>dimmable.
Lamps are manufactured to a variety of brightnesses for you to choose from for your given application. Use a 470 lumen lamp for accent lighting, 800 lumen lamp for accent and ambient lighting, over 1000 lumen lamps for a more intense delivery of light.
The recommended of illumination for a classroom is between approx 300 lux, often delivered from LED ceiling panels that have an output of 4000 lumens each, spaced every third suspended ceiling tile.
An wired in LED strip in a closet should deliver at least 500 lumens per metre which creates a bright illumination over clothing when located so close.
A rechargeable closest light will not be as bright for the sake of longevity, delivering between 200-300 lumens. We have chosen some of the best closet lights that are readily available from Amazon to help you decide.
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