How to Design Ambient Lighting in Living Room
Ambient lighting is the general lighting that illuminates an entire room. Ambient lighting is not focused on a particular item like display lighting, nor is it specific for a task such as desk lighting. Ambient lighting will illuminate an entire space normally from a ceiling fixture. In living rooms, ambient lighting comes from recessed lighting, popularly known as can or spot lights. Track lighting can also provide general lighting in a large room and is used in applications where ceiling access is unavailable. In addition to spot lighting, ambient lighting can come from a single fixture centered on the ceiling of the room, such as a chandelier. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Measure your living room. You will need the length and width of your room. You will create a scaled drawing of the room using the architectural scale ruler. An architectural scale lets you create a smaller version of the size of your room with smaller measurements. The ruler has various different scales, but for each one a fraction represents a foot of actual size. For example, one side of the ruler is a quarter-inch scale, where one quarter inch is equal to a foot. Use your room's measurements and draw the room using the architectural scale.
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Decide what activities will be performed in your living room. The more fixtures you have, the brighter the room will be, so determine what activities will be performed in the room. If the room will be used for reading, you will need lights every five to six feet. If your living room is not used for close-up tasks, your fixtures can be seven to nine feet apart.
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Figure the ceiling height in your plan. If your ceilings are over ten feet and bright light is required, place lighting every four to five feet. For ceilings under ten feet with bright light requirements, stick to the five to six foot distance.
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Create a lighting pattern on your scaled drawing. In rectangular rooms, one direction may have a center line of lighting while the other side will not. Remember to mark the center point and figure fixtures equal distance from that point. Think of creating a square five or six feet from the center point, or wider depending on the size of your room. Repeat for the next set of lights. Your pattern will position lights equal distance from the center of the room to the walls.
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