The Do’s and Don’ts of Planning LED Lighting

Dos and donts of led lighting
Published On: 23rd July 2018
Share This Story, Choose Your Platform!

Picture this: you’ve just bought a new house. You walk in after weeks of preparing and planning and packing. The whole time you’ve been trying to recollect exactly what the house looks like but it’s been so long since you last stepped foot in the place you can barely remember. You’ve finally got your hands on the keys and it’s everything you’d thought it was and more, but something just isn’t quite right. The lighting!

How often do you walk around a house and inspect the lighting? Well, at TLW it’s the first thing we look at. Lighting is so important. It can make or break a room. Get it right and you’ve got a beautifully illuminated space that will adapt perfectly from day to night. Get it wrong and that ‘wow’ factor will quickly slip away.

At TLW, we know how important lighting is to a room and we’re here to tell you how to plan your scheme perfectly so you can be happy with the results every time you step in your home.

You can also watch the do’s and dont’s of planning LED lighting in our video below.

Do:

Do consider your kitchen worktops. Make sure you go for a colour temperature that will complement the shades that are in the surface and not fight against them. For tips, read this blog.

Do think about all the areas that will benefit from lighting. So many people fall into the trap of just having ceiling lighting when there are so many fantastic other options available.

Do ensure you think carefully about lighting zones. Separating your lighting into areas will offer you an amazing option to have low lighting for a relaxing ambience when you only require mood lighting. Read this for useful tips!

Do put lighting in your bathroom. At TLW we offer so many fantastic IP rated LED lighting products that there are no limitations! Read this guide to IP ratings for more information.

Do add pendant lighting! Pendants are so stylish, dramatic and versatile. Make sure you explore all the places these pieces can be displayed. Our VEW pendant range has something for everyone; use this blog for some great style ideas.

Do experiment with colour. RGB products can be used in lots of fun and creative ways. With TLW’s RGB tape it doesn’t have to be colour or nothing; white comes built in too for when you’re not in the mood for the extra vibrancy!

Do look at your natural light. If there is an abundance of natural light you can select the lighting based on your aesthetic preference. If there is a lack of natural light in your room you will need to pick products with a higher lumen output to compensate for this.

Do get creative with LED tape. There are so many places that can quickly go from being a dark and dreary space, to being artistic, bright and vibrant, simply by adding some flexible light!

Do remember the style of your room. If you are planning a classic and traditional space, don’t go for ultra modern, cool lighting. If you’re designing something chic and contemporary, do! Read this blog for help.

Do think smart. Explore TLW’s range of different lighting control, whether that’s wall mounted touch pads, mobile device applications, sensors or remote controls. There’s so many more options than just the standard wall switch! Here’s something that will help you choose!

Creative Lighting | The Lightworks

Kitchen LEDs | The LightworksKitchen Lighting | The Lightworks

Don’t:

Don’t use more than one colour temperature in the same room. There’s nothing that screams ‘I didn’t plan my lighting scheme’ more than mismatched kelvins. Watch this video to help you visualise which colour temperatures are right for your space.

Don’t miss the key task areas. For safety, style and daily ease, it’s imperative that the areas you use everyday for important tasks are well lit. Here’s another blog that will help.

Don’t overload your driver. Make sure you calculate the wattage of your lighting in order to select the correct driver. Get it wrong and your lights won’t work! Watch this video to learn how.

Don’t forget about nighttime. If you only think about where the natural light hits your room you can neglect to think about this space when there is no natural light. Remember to plan lighting that will be as useful to you in the night as it is in the day.

Don’t settle for low quality LEDs. It might seem like a good idea at the time, but with low quality comes issues: short lifespan, discolouration, poor beam angles, low light output, differing colour temperatures from one diode to the next, as well as a whole host of other potential problems. At TLW we are proud of the exceptional high quality standards of all our LED products. Watch this to see the difference between bad and good quality LEDs.

Don’t neglect lower areas of a room. Plinth and walkover lighting look incredibly stylish and creative but are also important for safety when used during dark periods.

Don’t settle for less because you have a small room. If anything, lighting is most important if a room is small. Illuminating a small space as well as you can makes the room seem bigger and makes the most of every area that is available. Read this blog for useful tips.

Don’t lose sleep. It has been scientifically proven that lighting can help you sleep, as well as help your mood and overall wellbeing. Go for colour temperature adjustable products and give your circadian rhythms a helping hand. Here’s some more information about how to do it.

Don’t forget to integrate your lighting. Whilst it can look amazing to make a feature of your lighting, if you’d rather go for a discreet and sleek option, be sure to integrate your pieces. Another useful blog here.

Don’t leave planning your lighting to the last minute. Plan it well and plan it early to ensure that it looks amazing and is super easy to install.

But most of all, do let us know if you have any questions or would like any help. We have products to meet every requirement and our team of experts are always on hand to help with any lighting scheme questions, no matter how technical!

Creative Lighting | The Lightworks

Kitchen LEDs | The LightworksKitchen LEDs | The Lightworks

Contact the TLW team on 01302 741941, visit our VEWtube channel for informative videos, or email us here

Download our PDF guide on planning LED lighting.

Inspiring lighting from TLW