How To Choose Entryway Lighting: Foyer Lights Buying Guide.

Choosing the right entryway lighting is essential for creating a welcoming and safe environment. The best way to choose entryway lighting is to start by analyzing your needs, budget, and tastes. In this article, we will talk about what you should look for in an entryway light fixture and how to choose the right one for your space!

How To Choose Entryway Lighting

The entryway is one of the most important places in a home. It’s also one of the least noticed. That’s because it is small or not there at all in homes that don’t have an entrance that you walk into. But even if there is a big entrance, this space often doesn’t get enough attention and lacks style and substance.

The foyer is the area of your home that you enter when you come in. It also welcomes guests. The foyer sets the tone for the rest of your home. You should put good lights there so it makes a good first impression on people who come in. Nice lighting is one way to make sure your foyer makes a positive first impression. A chandelier can be used for this purpose, but you need to put it at just the right height and size for your needs, or else it will not work well.

Interior designers have guidelines for choosing a chandelier. You want to use the right size for your foyer. It should be in the center of the space and it should also not be too big or too small.

What To Consider When Choosing Foyer Lighting

Here are the different components that need to be considered when choosing foyer lighting, whether its size, illumination or the height above the floor.

Fixture Diameter

For interior designers, there is a rule of thumb that tells them how to measure the size of a chandelier. Measure the length and width of the room (in feet). Then convert that to inches. The number you get is what size your chandelier should be. For example, if your room is 10 by 10 feet, then you need to use a 20-inch-diameter light fixture so it will look good. This rule will help you make a chandelier. You need to do it in some rooms to make it look right. In rooms with high ceilings, the chandelier should be 2-3 inches bigger, and in rooms with two stories, the chandelier should be smaller.

Fixture Height

The height of the room also plays into the recommended height of the chandelier fixture itself. The rule of thumb for designers is that the hanging light should have 2 to 3 inches of height for every foot in ceiling height. For example, if your room has 10 feet high ceilings, then your chandelier should be 20-30 inches tall. If you have 16 feet high ceilings (two stories), then a large chandelier can be 32-48 inches tall.

Height of the Chandelier Above the Floor

For designers, the rule is that the bottom of a hanging fixture should be no closer than 7 feet to the floor. If you have a ceiling that is 8 feet high, then your fixture can be small. But if your ceiling is higher than this, then your chandelier needs to be raised up so it’s not closer than 7 feet 6 inches from the floor. Where the foyer is two stories high, the design standard is to put the bottom of a chandelier at about 8 feet from the ground.

Fixture Illumination

A light fixture can offer many different levels of illumination. Light experts say that the wattage of the fixture should be 1.5 times the length and width of your room to give off enough light. For example, if your room is 10 feet by 10 feet, then the required wattage for your light would be about 150 watts.

Best Lighting For Entryway

Chandeliers

Chandeliers are an elegant way to dress up your entryway. There are many styles of chandeliers, including ones with crystals or candles or with drum shapes. You will want to get a chandelier that is the right size for the space you have in your entryway. If you have 75 square feet of space or more, you should look for a chandelier that has a diameter of 12″ to 18″. For smaller spaces, it is ok if the chandelier stands out as the focus point in your entryway.

Pendants

Pendants work well in modern and traditional homes. They make your entryway more shiny. Pendants can be big or small. You can use many small pendants to light a long hallway-like entryway, or just one large pendant for a smaller area. To figure out how big a pendant to buy, you can use a formula for this. Add the length and width of the entryway’s dimensions and convert it from feet to inches. That will give you the size of the pendant. In this example, if your foyer is 15′ by 18′, you get 33′ after adding the two figures.

Wall Sconces

Wall sconces can be used in the entryway. They won’t take up space and they will light up the area. You can use them on either side of the door, or you might want to put one at a table in your entryway with a mirror next to it. You can also use wall sconces to lead people from the entrance room into other rooms if you have a hallway that leads out of your home. There are many styles, shapes and finishes for these lights so you should find one that matches what you have in your home. These lights also come with different types of lighting: uplighting, downlighting and multidirectional lighting .

Lamps

If you have the space, add a lamp. It will add interest to the area. Floor lamps and table lamps work well in different places. Make your lamp simple but put a custom shade on it so it is not too plain. Pick lightbulbs that create the feel you want in your room because they can create different feelings. Lamps are easy to move because they are lightweight. If you want to change the entrance of your home, you can just swap out the lamps for new ones.

Ceiling Fixtures

Ceiling lights do not have to be the same color as the other lights in your home. These are good for a hallway or entrance. You can choose from different styles, like traditional, elegant, or contemporary. Ceiling lights let you add a dynamic feel to your home and they also cast a pleasant light on things. Track lights are a good way to light up a specific area in a room. You can use them to highlight art or other things you want to show off. They don’t take up space on the ceiling, so you have more room. Track lights are good for highlighting specific areas or the art you have. All ceiling lights give a lovely glow to the room without limiting space.

Quick Tips on How to Choose Foyer Lighting

• Entryways should be well lit to avoid accidents, but not too bright that it feels uncomfortable when you walk through the door at night.
• Recessed lighting is an ideal choice for entryways because they are flush to the ceiling and put light right where it’s needed most! You can also get creative with recessed lights by adding decorative trims or painting your trim a contrasting color.
• Whether replacing old light fixtures or making new ones, make sure all of your electrical work meets code standards – this will ensure safety in addition to beauty! If necessary, hire a professional electrician for assistance if you don’t know what you’re doing! And turn off power before installing or making any changes to the fixture.
• As far as other types of lights for entryways, pendant and chandelier lighting are also great choices for bedrooms or bathrooms, but should be avoided in foyers because they take up too much space!
• Decorative sconces can look beautiful on walls next to doors – just make sure they aren’t blocking your door from opening all the way! Also note that it is important not to have a lamp right outside your front door if you want people to see where they are going at night. It’s best practice to leave this area clear so others can safely walk by without bumping into something or someone!

Entryway Lighting Designs and Trends

Metallic & Industrial

In today’s homes, the industrial decor style is popular. It is coming back into lighting design in a different way. You can incorporate this popular style in your entryway by choosing artistic metal sconces with rods and exposed Edison bulbs, or you can choose gold and matte black finishes.

Circle Lampshades

For a modern look in the large foyer, use oversized circle lampshades. The color should be earthy tones.

Wall Sconce

When you buy a house, there might be lights in the entrance. But this doesn’t mean that they have to be overhead. If the light is flush and you can’t change it, you can use wall sconces to create more light in your house. You can also choose lights that plug into sockets and then hang them over the wall sconces instead of re-wiring them.

Light Bulbs for Entryway Lighting

• Buy a light bulb with Edison style. A different kind from the store. This will make your house look good when you have it on in the dark.
• Semi-flush lighting is like when the light hangs away from the ceiling. You can choose this style if you want to make your home look like a certain style; for example, coastal, industrial, rustic or minimal.
• Calculate the square footage of the room. Multiply it by 1.5 to know how many watts are needed for lighting. For example, a 6×12 foot room needs 108 watts for adequate lighting.
• If you want to make your house feel warm, use a yellow bulb. The higher the wattage is, the brighter it will be.
• If you want a modern, minimal design for your room, use white light bulbs. You will need to calculate how many watts you need depending on the bulb. If the maximum 120W is not enough for one overhead light, you may want to install a lamp on the side table so there is more lighting in your room.

Andrew Orange, the owner of Orange Lighting qualified and worked as an interior designer in 1993 before specialising in lighting working on high profile projects based in London. Since starting Orange Lighting Ltd in 2003 he has been sharing his knowledge and unique teaching style mostly to his designer clients, offering practical real life advice born from running a busy consultancy and lighting supply business. Launching in 2020, his blog has evolved into Quick & Easy Lighting, curating some 25 years design experience into making the lighting choice and design process achievable and easy to understand for all.