How many lumens do you need per room?

Watts tell you little these days. With LED you look at lumens: the amount of light a lamp actually gives. Two 9-watt lamps can be far apart in light output, and you only notice once the lamp is hanging.

A rule of thumb per room

For a living room, allow about 100 to 200 lumens per square metre, spread over several light points. A 30 square metre room therefore needs 3,000 to 6,000 lumens in total, but never from one lamp.

Above a dining table it is different. There you want focused light on the tabletop, not room lighting. A pendant lamp of 800 to 1,500 lumens is usually enough, provided it hangs at the right height. Read more in what size lamp above your dining table.

In a kitchen you need more at the workspace: allow 250 to 350 lumens per square metre of worktop. In a bedroom, less, around 100 lumens per square metre, with a reading lamp that can be switched on separately.

Why the total is misleading

A single 5,000-lumen lamp in the middle of the room gives a flat, harsh atmosphere. The same 5,000 lumens spread over a pendant lamp, two wall lights and a floor lamp gives depth, and you can choose what is on. We explain that principle in why one lamp in the living room is not enough.

Take your walls into account

Dark walls absorb light. If you have an anthracite wall or a lot of dark wood, add twenty to thirty percent. A white room with a light floor needs less.

Dimmable matters more than lots

Most people who complain about too little light actually have too little control. During the day you want more, in the evening less. So choose a little more and dimmable rather than just enough and fixed. Do check which dimmer works with LED lighting.

Besides the amount of light, the colour also determines how a room feels. Which one to choose where, you can read in warm white, neutral or daylight.

Unsure about the right amount for your room? Visit our showroom in Arnhem. There you see in ten minutes what a number on paper never makes clear.

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