Lighting
Warm bulbs, lamps and layers of light.
9 guides
Lighting
Tool How many lumens does a room need? Light it and see Watts used to tell you how bright a bulb was; with LEDs, the number to read is the lumen. A room needs a total, and a handy way to find it… 5 min 3 picks Lighting
Explainer How many lamps does a living room need? Switch them on one by one and see One ceiling light makes a room bright but flat. Cosy rooms use layers: a dimmed ambient light, a task light where you read, and a soft… 6 min 3 picks Lighting
Explainer Which bulb cap fits your lamp? Match the socket and see A bulb can be the right brightness and the right colour and still be useless, because it will not fit the lamp. The part that decides is… 4 min 3 picks Lighting
Guide How big should a table lamp be? Resize it and see A lamp can be lovely and still look wrong on your table. Usually the problem is proportion: a shade too wide for its base, too wide for the… 5 min 3 picks Lighting
Explainer Should a lamp shade sit at eye level? Slide it and see A table lamp beside the sofa can feel soft and warm, or like a small spotlight in your face. The difference is often its height. The rule… 5 min Lighting
Explainer Where should a floor lamp go? Drag it around the chair and see A floor lamp can be lovely and still annoy you if it sits in the wrong place. For a reading chair, the sweet spot is beside and a little… 5 min 3 picks Lighting
Explainer Why does warm light feel cosier? Slide the kelvin and see The number on a bulb box, like 2700 K, is its colour temperature, and lower means warmer. Slide it from candle-flame orange to daylight… 4 min 3 picks Lighting
Explainer How many lumens do you need to read by? Move a lamp and see Lamp boxes list lumens, but what matters when you read is lux: how much light reaches the page. The same bulb can feel bright or dim… 4 min 3 picks Lighting
Explainer Why one ceiling light feels flat: a guide to layering warm light A single ceiling light lights everything equally, which is why many living rooms feel flat in the evening. Cosy rooms use a few low, warm… 4 min 3 picks
Tool How many lumens does a room need? Light it and see Watts used to tell you how bright a bulb was; with LEDs, the number to read is the lumen. A room needs a total, and a handy way to find it… 5 min 3 picks Lighting
Explainer How many lamps does a living room need? Switch them on one by one and see One ceiling light makes a room bright but flat. Cosy rooms use layers: a dimmed ambient light, a task light where you read, and a soft… 6 min 3 picks Lighting
Explainer Which bulb cap fits your lamp? Match the socket and see A bulb can be the right brightness and the right colour and still be useless, because it will not fit the lamp. The part that decides is… 4 min 3 picks Lighting
Guide How big should a table lamp be? Resize it and see A lamp can be lovely and still look wrong on your table. Usually the problem is proportion: a shade too wide for its base, too wide for the… 5 min 3 picks Lighting
Explainer Should a lamp shade sit at eye level? Slide it and see A table lamp beside the sofa can feel soft and warm, or like a small spotlight in your face. The difference is often its height. The rule… 5 min Lighting
Explainer Where should a floor lamp go? Drag it around the chair and see A floor lamp can be lovely and still annoy you if it sits in the wrong place. For a reading chair, the sweet spot is beside and a little… 5 min 3 picks Lighting
Explainer Why does warm light feel cosier? Slide the kelvin and see The number on a bulb box, like 2700 K, is its colour temperature, and lower means warmer. Slide it from candle-flame orange to daylight… 4 min 3 picks Lighting
Explainer How many lumens do you need to read by? Move a lamp and see Lamp boxes list lumens, but what matters when you read is lux: how much light reaches the page. The same bulb can feel bright or dim… 4 min 3 picks Lighting
Explainer Why one ceiling light feels flat: a guide to layering warm light A single ceiling light lights everything equally, which is why many living rooms feel flat in the evening. Cosy rooms use a few low, warm… 4 min 3 picks