Home Lighting - Interior Design Case Study #1, Basic Application

INTRODUCTION

• This is the first of three case study articles on the interior design of home lighting as uniquely presented in Before The Architect custom home plans
  • This article starts up slow and easy
• The other two articles crank it up in their address of two of the more complex matters this custom home designer faces up to in interior lighting design advanced forms of
  • Bathroom layouts and
  • Seating spaces intersected by multiple travel patterns
• In each case study, we'll deal variously with
  • Ceiling fans
  • Light flutter
  • Ambient and task lumens according to a unique system of lighting design for aging eyes
  • Functionality in layout
  • Switching
  • Receptacles 

WHAT'S TO WORK WITH?

• The house in which this space is highlighted is a
  • One-story French style
  • Modestly representing an H-frame shape 
  • Interestingly, with Classical features outside and inside
• The design is by Before The Architect
• It's a Den
  • The Den is sited in the crossing element
  • The Den space is nearly square at 15 linear feet-9 linear inchesx16 linear feet-9 linear inches plus an alcove
  • Three passages, one of which is to the exterior
  • 281 square feet total surface area
  • 10 linear foot flat ceiling 

Den Floor Plan, Plan View, Scaled

Key:  SF = square feet 

AVOIDING LIGHT FLUTTER

Comment:  This unique analysis is based on this custom home designer's presentation herein under at http://searchwarp.com/swa123990.htm

• There's a ceiling fan to got into this space
  • To center it
    • Forget the alcove's far corner as a centerline anchor point
    • Center on the two shorter, full walls
  • The dashed line is to emphasize forgetting about the alcove in siting the ceiling fan 

Den Floor Plan with Ceiling Fan Centerline, Plan View, Scaled

Key:  SF = square feet 

Comment:  Seem silly to make such a point about centering, even drawing a centerline?  Truly, there's no telling where the installer would setup the ceiling fan installation without it.  Truly.  Take the designing out of installation. 

• What fan size? 
  • This designer suggests a
    • 52 linear inch blade diameter on a
    • 12 linear inch downrod (+ 6 linear inch motor housing = 18 linear inch blade offset to ceiling)
    • Based on the presentation of, say, http://www.lampdepot.com/tips.htm 

Den Floor Plan With 52 Linear Inch Diameter Blade Ceiling Fan, Plan View, Scaled

Key:  CL = centerline; CLG = ceiling; LF = liner feet; LI = linear inches; SF = square feet 

(Other references would put us to a 56 linear inch blade diameter, which marginally larger size seems a bit much for this space.  Big fireplace.  Lots of fenestration.  Different story.) 

• Now, let's apply the light flutter avoidance geometry discussed in http://searchwarp.com/swa123990.htm  

Light Flutter Avoidance Vector with 52" Diameter Blades, 12" Downrod, 10' Ceiling, Longer Wall Section in Elevation, Scaled  

Key:  DIA = diameter 

How about to the shorter wall line?

Light Flutter Avoidance Vector with 52" Diameter Blades, 12" Downrod, 10' Ceiling, Shorter Wall Section in Elevation, Scaled

Key: DIA = diameter 

• Well.  No room for downlighting in this ceiling.
• Note that a larger fan diameter would do no better, lowering the vector angle even more, running that vector into wall line
• This designer prefers
  • To shorten the downrod to 6 linear inches (plus 6 linear inches for motor housing)
  • To leave the fan blade dimension at 52 linear inches
  • Thereby, to offer plenty of air flow power over greater surface area, that is, less concentrated below the appliance 

Comment:  This house designer prefers this resolution to others if downlighting is desirable to the parties who'll pick up the lighting design work from plan set presentation. 

Light Flutter Avoidance Vector with 52" Diameter Blades, 6" Downrod, 10' Ceiling, Longer Wall Section in Elevation, Scaled  

Key: DIA = diameter 

How about the shorter wall section?

Light Flutter Avoidance Vector with 52" Diameter Blades, 6" Downrod, 10' Ceiling, Longer Wall Section in Elevation, Scaled  

Key: DIA = diameter 

• Now, we've got at least 2 linear feet-6 5/16 linear inches from the longer wall line to set downlighting luminaires if it suits clients and the lighting pro who'll together (possibly with an interior designer) get to work out subsequently luminaire size, type, and site; we've got 1 linear foot 11 7/8 linear inches from the shorter wall line to set downlighting luminaires if it suits all the parties to follow.
• Let's see what 10 linear feet flat ceiling space may be available for downlighting without lighting flutter within that space from the 52 linear inch fan blade diameter on a 6 linear downrod 

Light Flutter Avoidance Ceiling Area, 52" Diameter Fan Blade with 6" Downrod, Plan View 

Key:  CL = centerline; CLG = ceiling; DN = down; LF = linear feet; LI = linear inches; SF = square feet; TYP = typical 

Comment: It's worth keeping in mind that failing downlighting is not a design tragedy.  It is, in this custom home designer's view, refraining from a design cliché.  Here and there, at least, give it up.  You can get it done in so many other materials and methods, among them, sconces; uplighting; floor and table luminaires; cove, soffit, and valence luminaires, ceiling mounted luminaires, etc. 

TIME TO LIGHTEN UP

Comment:  This unique analysis is based on this custom home designer's presentations at http://searchwarp.com/swa124510.htm and http://searchwarp.com/swa124664.htm

• Ambient lighting shall involve the entire space at 40 foot candles
• 281 square feet x 40 foot candles = 11,240 foot candles
• Dramatic lighting
  • May be applied to the alcove
  • A matter managed by others to follow
• Note that this custom home designer lets it up to others as to whether the fan should have a light pack.  It's option removes fan light pack illuminance from overall consideration of ambient illumination because it's optional. 
• Note that this custom home designer always specifies that wiring and switching be applied for a fan light pack without regard to the light pack's installation on day one.
• Note further that this custom home designer leaves it to others to settle subsequently on task and other dramatic lighting as suits them 

TIME TO SWITCH

• Three passages require in this custom home designer's book at least three lighting controls – one at each passage
• Because the two interior passages are so wide and traffic can run either to either side of each,
  • 5 switches shall be applied in a 4-way circuit
  • All 5 switches shall feature dimmers
  • The fan and light pack need be controlled on single-pole switches, each featuring dimmers
• Luminaires and switching are prompted in the Lighting Plan for this space, but not further specified without early input from clients (who in this instance remained unsure to the end of this custom home plan enterprise 

Lighting Plan, Plan View, Scaled 

Key:  CL = centerline; CLG = ceiling; DN = down; fc = foot candle; LF = linear foot; LI = linear inch; SD = single-pole dimmer switch; S3 = three-way switch; S4 = four-way switch; SF = square feet; TYP = typical 

Comment:  Note that other switching in this space, notably to exterior luminaires, is excluded for clarity of presentation.

Comment: 

• This deliberative, analytic process of assessing interior lighting design and committing decisions to
  • Electrical & Lighting Plan views
  • Nightlighting Schedule and notes, and
  • Light Flutter Avoidance Schedule or insets or both
• Applies to each and every space in a home design (the record for which hereabouts is held by an English Manor House designed by Before The Architect last year with over 80 such spaces)
  • Halls
  • Closets
  • Community and private spaces
  • Utility spaces
  • Covered spaces 

The immediate example is about as simple as it gets and still takes considerable care and consideration.

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Comments on this article:

» left by Pam from TX (1 year 155 days ago.)

I'm trying to learn about lighting design for our 40 yr old den remodel (no builtin lights!) THe authors approach is straightforward, systematic and quite helpful. I confess though that it would be nice to see a picture of the finished room if possible to understand how this design translated into the actual living space :)
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» left by Ralph Pressel ^(47,900) (1 year 155 days ago.)
Dear Pam,

The Den/Library space in the article is in a new house under way in western Washington State. We're pretty sure that it's not finished yet. And, in all our time designing for others, we've never seen the finished inside of any of 'em. No clue what this one'll look like for nightlighting when the dealings' done. Not much concerned, either.

Here's why.

Luminaire number, type, size, watts, colors, and everything else about lighting the room is not up to this house designer. It's up to one or more professional lighting extperts, the homeowners, and, possibly, an interior designer. Your project would involve the same process.

What our work brings to the party: lumens - types and the places to put 'em and, if there's a ceiling fan, then where downlighting can and cannot go to avoid light flutter, along with the basis for those judgments should conditions warrant. We don't decorate interiors anymore, we only design 'em. Our design conceptions in regard to home interior lighting as expressed in the e-article you reference and others of related subject matter all post-date our interior decoration work by years.

One can say about the finished lighting:
1. That fluorescent bulbs and tubes will be used almost everywhere if not, indeed, everywhere. Those'd be the only reasonable materials to develop lumen levels suggested. Furthermore, their loads per watt are very light compared to incandescent illumination.
2. Expectantly, more than one ambient light source will be applied in this case study instance from a long list, including but not limited to wall-aimed, pendant, cove, valence, soffit, etc.
3. Dimmers, dimmers, and more dimmers to gain greater control of illumination.

I suggest, if you haven't already, that you take a look-see at several other e-articles of mine on this website, which articles address other aspects of home lighting design:
"Home Lighting Design, Avoiding Light Flutter: How Ceiling Fans and Ceiling Lights Can Get Along Together" at http://searchwarp.com/swa123990.htm;
"Home Lighting Design For Aging Eyes. Part 1: the Basics" at http://searchwarp.com/swa124510.htm; and
"Home Lighting Design For Aging Eyes. Part 2: the Math: at http://searchwarp.com/swa124664.htm.

These three other articles summarize our unique work to-date in home lighting design in the form of shrunk-down versions of presentations in our e-book Home Design Standards - Home Building Standards 3Q07 Edition, 629 pages.

In retrofit design, reasonable choices diminish. Cove, soffit, and valence may be less disruptive. They can deliver heaps of ambient illumination. Lutron, I do believe, may have a switching system for three- (and maybefour-way) application that involves only one hot switch.

For tasking and more localized ambient lighting, there are wall, table and floor lamps galore, even some uplighting, none of which needs outrightly to be disruptive, especially of wall surfaces.

All this assumes a hard ceiling. If it's soft, you're pretty free to play the whole table of luminaire possibilities.

So, from this home designer's vantage, you need to calculate the lumens you'll be looking to the lighting professional to deliver, taking along ceiling height and surface area dimensions, and, if there's a fan involved, take along the case study article and the other noted by title and url in regard to light flutter. Tell 'em it a retrofit and you're not interested in tearing up any more walls and ceilings that you can get away with.


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» left by Pam from TX (1 year 155 days ago.)

Ah, thanks for the response :) And your ceiling fan/light flutter article was helpful too! I did the calculations last night and since the room will also have significant insulation upgrades, my husband suggested we skip the ceiling fan in favor of the recessed lighting. Even assuming a small 36" fan, we would still only have had ~18" around the perimeter of our modest sized den to avoid the flutter problem. Our decorator had mentioned the flutter should be a consideration and your clear article made the assessment straightforward.
I also ran through some of your lumin calcuations this morning enough to get conmfortable with the number of fixtures we are planning. Your lighting case study #2, advanced apps, the table with Suggested Levels and Types of Illumination for Each Space was also very useful.
I can find pictures many places but the relevant issues and formulas/rule of thumb are harder to find-- Thanks ! :)
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» left by Ralph Pressel ^(47,900) (1 year 154 days ago.)
Dear Pam,

You're very most welcome. As the AG intended, you have achieved. Uplifted, proud of you, he is.

As for relevant issues, the principles, the geometry, the latitudes. . . they're worse than hard to find. Unless you come across this old boy's work, they're impossible to find. Not there. Dark void. AG looked hard for years and returned every time wondering how better to ask the questions to get the answers he sought.

Try Googling "light flutter" and you get AG. End of story. Try Googling "lighting aging eyes" and the like and you get: a) AG; b) semi-accessible clinical and behavioral research; c) penetrating glimpses into the obvious prescriptives; and d) political policy platitudes. Yeesh.

Finally, a few years ago, AG got to work shoulder-to-shoulder with one of the two best lighting professionals he's ever met. So he inquired to learn her secrets about light flutter. She gave up her own proprietary algorithm, which the geez took home with home and cogitated. Once AG figured out why she said what she said, it wasn't too long before he got it that there were plenty of ways to blow the walls off that algorithm. And the old boy was off and running.

The lighting aging eyes work, on the other hand, arose by selectively knitting together sensible bits and pieces of this and that into whole cloth with mentalities of both home designer and home builder.

Lighting for aging eyes, avoiding light flutter, designing fire safety into stairways and home elevators, a thorough-going review of residential concrete slab-on-grade, a comprehensive presentation of both designing and building an adaptable bathroom, properly venting an attic, for good reason stepping up electrical design about the National Electric Code, etc. - AG still doesn't get it that other folks haven't been out there with this stuff forever.

You are in the high cotton. You got 'er done.

Congratulations,

AG

PS: If you've got a big enough email box (16+MB), AG'll send you a complimentary .pdf copy of Home Design Standards - Home Building Standards 3Q07 Edition by Before The Architect. If not, he'd be pleased to mail you a complimentary c/d if he knows where to send it.
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