How to choose the perfect lumen level for every room in your home

Lumens illuminated: How to choose the perfect lumen level for every room in your home

Anyone who has spent time researching lighting for a home renovation recently will know that - in the immortal words of Bob Dylan - ‘the times they are a changin’.

While watts were once the go-to method of measuring light emissions, they are quickly becoming a thing of the past. In their place comes a new measurement: the lumen.

What is a lumen? In short, it’s a way of measuring the total amount of light emitted from an LED light source.

Why are they so important? Under new government sustainability plans halogen light bulbs will soon be banned from UK shops. That means lumens will become the primary method for measuring lighting in any home.

What’s more, they’re a key factor in determining how energy efficient a light bulb you buy will be and - crucially - they tell you how much light you need to create warmth and ambience within a room.

Measuring light can be difficult at the best of times, but it’s important to understand lumens to make sure you’re buying lighting fixtures that suit your needs.

That’s why we’ve compiled this handy guide to illuminate all things lumen and make the transition from watts to lumens a little bit easier.

Converting watts to lumens

While lumens will soon replace watts as the primary method of measuring light output, we know that old habits die hard.

Many people still think about light bulbs in terms of wattage. That’s why it’s easy to conflate the terms when trying to understand how powerful a lumen level will be.

Whether we’re talking about architectural lighting applications such as linear LED suspension lighting, trimless LED recessed lighting, or linear recessed lighting, lumen-per-watt ratios can range, even from LED to LED products.

Lumen levels per room type

Whether you’re lighting your kitchen, bathroom or living room, each area of your home requires a different lumen level.

Spaces where a lot of activities happen require a focal point. Think of a pendant light hanging above a kitchen island or dining room table. That means these kinds of fixtures require a higher lumen level.

For this kind of light source between 200 to 400 lumens should fit the bill. Our Carved Conical Ceramic Pendant Light hits the mark at 320 lumens - ideal for kitchens and dining rooms in modern, rustic or cottagecore interiors.

You’ll need a higher lumen level in your bathroom, where you require the most light possible. After all, you want to make sure you have enough visibility when you’re shaving or brushing your teeth! Anywhere between 300 to 600 lumens is perfect.

Our IP44-rated Oblo Tala Bathroom Wall Light comes in at 520 lumens. What’s more, it’s protected against splashes and objects greater than one millimetre in size, making it the perfect fixture for your bathroom wall.

In recessed spaces where you require indirect ambient lighting, a lumen level between 100 and 300 should suffice.


The stylish Calex Evo Organic Glass Wall Light from Gwyn Carless At The Light Yard boasts 130 lumens, making it the perfect fixture for backlighting a recessed space like a bookshelf or TV space.

For added flexibility all of our pendant and lighting fixtures are dimmable, allowing you to change the intensity of the light to suit the time of day and the function of the space. Dimmable lighting ensures you’ll always be able to create the right atmosphere whether it’s dawn, day, dusk or evening!

To browse our interior lighting collection, click here

For more lighting commentary, design news and advice, follow Gwyn Carless At The Light Yard on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and/or LinkedIn. To speak directly with a member of the Gwyn Carless At The Light Yard team, call + 44 (0)330 223 3940.