Lighting guides
How to plan lighting that works for the way you live, from the lighting specialists who specify it every day.
Good lighting starts with how a room is used, not with the fittings. Get that right and the rest is a handful of numbers: colour temperature, brightness and three layers of light.
This guide covers those foundations first, then walks through eight rooms. Each room links to a full guide in the Lighting Journal and to the matching collection.
Written by the Enlightened Living lighting specialists.
Every good lighting plan answers one question first: what happens in this room, and when? Most lighting that feels wrong, too harsh or too dim to read by, was chosen before anyone asked.
Walk through a normal day in the space and note three things:
A bedroom for someone who reads every night needs an adjustable reading light on each side. A bedroom for someone who scrolls their phone before sleep needs soft, low light instead. Same room, different plan.
Four numbers on a datasheet tell you most of what a light will do in a room. For the full glossary, see Technical Lighting 101.
Colour temperature (Kelvin, K) sets the mood. Lower is warmer and more relaxing; higher is cooler and more alerting.
| Colour temperature | How it looks | Where we use it |
|---|---|---|
| 2700K | Warm, golden, like late-evening light | Living rooms, bedrooms, dining, outdoors |
| 3000K | Warm white, a little crisper | Kitchens, bathrooms, desks in shared rooms |
| 3500K–4000K | Neutral white | Dedicated home offices, commercial spaces |
| 5000K and above | Cool, bluish daylight | Workshops and detailed task areas only |
Pick one colour temperature per room and stick to it. Mixing 2700K and 4000K in the same space makes both look wrong.
Brightness (lumens, lm) is how much light comes out. Compare lumens, not watts. As a guide, 450 lm is a soft glow (an old 40W bulb), 800 lm lights a small room (60W), and 1,600 lm suits a large space (100W).
Colour rendering (CRI) is how true colours and skin tones look, out of 100. Choose CRI 90 or higher at vanities, in kitchens and anywhere art is lit.
Dimming turns one light into several. Put your brightest layer on a dimmer, and check the fitting's dimming type matches the dimmer before installation.
A room lit by one overhead source looks flat. Combine three layers, each on its own switch or dimmer, and the same room can be bright for cleaning, focused for reading and soft for the evening.
Fills the room so you can see and move safely. Usually downlights, a ceiling light or a pendant.
Puts light where the work happens: the reading chair, the benchtop, the mirror. Reading lights, under-cabinet strips, adjustable spots.
Creates the mood and the depth. Wall washers, picture lights, a lamp in a corner, uplights in the garden.
A bedroom, for example: downlights or a ceiling light for ambient, a wall-mounted reading light each side of the bed for task, and a pair of wall washers for accent. Use them together in the morning, and only the accent layer at night.
Most rooms need at least two layers. Living areas, kitchens and voids work best with all three.
Once you know the layers, choosing fittings is a matter of matching each one to its job. Style comes after.
| Fitting | Best at | Watch for |
|---|---|---|
| Downlights | Ambient light, and task light when adjustable | Too many in a grid makes a room flat and glary |
| Ceiling lights | Broad ambient light from one point | Poor for tasks; one alone leaves corners dark |
| Pendants | Ambient or focused light, and the room's statement piece | Hang height: 75–95 cm above a dining table |
| Wall lights | Accent and ambient; reading light by the bed | Underused: most plans need more of them |
| Spotlights and track | Aiming light at art, benches or features | Glare if aimed at eye level |
| Marker lights | Low, safe guidance on stairs and paths | Spacing: closer together where ambient light is low |
| Table and floor lamps | Flexible task and accent light, no electrician | Need a nearby power point |
Planning a track or downlight layout? Our configurators work out the parts list for you: see the configurators.
The same three layers apply in every room. What changes is the balance. Pick your room for the short version here, then read the full guide in the Lighting Journal.
Soft, warm and fully dimmable, with real reading light by the bed.
The one room where the rules decide where a light can go.
Task light first: the benchtop is where it has to work.
The room you use most needs the most layers.
Safe first, then interesting.
A double-height space should be the best-lit feature of the house, not a dark shaft.
Task lighting does the heavy lifting.
Light what you use and what you want to see, and nothing else.
Send us your floor plan and a list of fittings. Our lighting specialists will check the colour temperatures, layers and IP ratings, and suggest where to add or remove light.
Architects and interior designers: open a trade account for trade pricing and specification support, or request a quote.
Room guides, brand stories and specification notes from our team.
