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Bedroom and Children's Room Ligthing
Bedroom lighting should provide relaxation, but also some spots
of light for reading and other activities. To achieve that you
should combine…
- general lighting;
- task lighting (for reading, and for closets, drawers or the
dressing table).
Fluorescents, dimmers and other lighting controls can be key
elements to achieve an energy efficient solution: see
Energy
efficiency in bedrooms.
For day-lighting issues, see:
Daylighting
Bedrooms & General lighting
General lighting - usually located in the ceiling – can easily
disturb people lying in bed. To avoid or to minimize it, opt by
pendants or recessed down lighters specially focused towards the
feet of the bed, or to another area of the room (closets,
drawers: downlighters will help to light their interior).
Other possible fixtures include:
- wall sconces
- chandeliers
- fan lights (which is a sound option in hot weather climates or
in places with hot summers).
If these cases, the light can be controlled by a dimmer, in
order to set the mood and the light intensity, to avoid
disturbing other people present in the room.
Bedroom lighting & Reading
You may place a small lamp next to each side of the bed, for
reading. Or two mounted and adjustable reading lamps, on either
side of the bed. Swing-arm wall lamps have the advantage of
leaving night tables free for a clock-radio or for books or
other stuff.
Closets, drawers & Bedroom
lighting
For closets and drawers you may use recessed or surface-mounted
lights, or small fluorescent fixtures: they can be mounted
inside and above the door header, providing directional lighting
on the cabinet contents.
Dressing table area
If you want a very good lighting you can mount two lighting
fixtures or to use two small lamps on either side of the mirror,
35-40 inches (0.9-1 m) apart.
To get even illumination and avoid shadows, you should center
each fixture or lamp approximately at head level. This technique
provides ideal lighting for grooming or to apply makeup.
Children’s rooms
An excellent idea is to use track, articulated lights in the
ceilings. These lights can be rotated and focused for any
desired area: a play area, a homework area, a sitting area, a
music area… They also can be redirected in any posterior moment,
to respond to new needs of the children.
For energy savings do not forget to use fluorescents.
Use different switches for different lights, and fluorescents
whenever possible. See:
Fluorescents and CFC’s.
Dimming controls are an excellent energy-saving option for
incandescents (dimmers may not work properly with fluorescents:
even with the more expensive and manufactured to
support dimmers): see Lighting
controls.
If your climate is sufficient hot or with hot summers, bet also
on ceiling fans with
lights. And do not forget that
control sensors
for cabinet incandescent lighting are a good source of energy
savings.
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