How to choose a hallway lamp?

This article will help you learn about all the intricacies of choosing a lamp for the hallway, tell you about their varieties, design features, existing styles, as well as the advantages and benefits of different types of bulbs. The article contains many practical recommendations, which were shared by the designers and consultants of the store Decovix, based on their many years of experience.
We hope the information will be useful for you, and you will be able to independently choose from our catalog a suitable lamp model for the corridor or hallway.
So let's get started!

What is hallway light

As a rule, the hallway does not have natural light. Therefore, it is simply necessary to create artificial lighting inside it. The next question is, how bright should the lighting be? Our answer: no less bright than the maximum level of light in the living room. There are several reasons for this conclusion.

1. Firstly, this is where the owners put themselves in order just before leaving the house. Therefore, the light level must be comparable to sunlight. Only in this way will a person be able to understand how he will look to others. Only in this way will he be able to find flaws in his appearance (uneven makeup, villi, stains on clothes) and eliminate them.
2. With insufficient lighting in the hallway or corridor, a person may be disoriented when entering a brightly lit living room. The point is that our eyes take time to get used to a certain level of light. Entering a poorly lit hallway, a person may not feel discomfort, due to the fact that the eyes have already adapted to the semi-darkness of the front door. But the transition from the semi-darkness of the hallway to the brightly lit room can really disorient the host or guest. The same rule works for those who go outside. After a dimly lit room, bright daylight will be uncomfortable and stinging.
3. As mentioned above, the entrance hall is the first room of the house that a person sees. His task is to meet the newcomer and immerse him in a homely atmosphere. And a well-chosen light will become a wonderful tool that helps to tune in a completely different mood after noisy city streets, to feel coziness and comfort.
4. But the hallway is also the last room that a person leaves every morning when leaving the house, and often does so in a hurry. You must admit that the twilight does not dispose to a quick collection and a good mood at the beginning of the day.
5. Finally, bright light is essential for convenience. Inside a well-lit room, it is much more comfortable to put on / take off your shoes or clothes, check the contents of your bags, brush your hair and fix your makeup.

“In addition, it is from the entrance hall that the guest begins to form his own impression of the house. It is important that it only gives rise to positive emotions."

The meaning of light in the interior

Among other things, the light in the hallway helps to solve another important task. He is able to visually expand the space. But not every buyer can boast of a large square footage of this room.
It is easy to check such a "visual effect": it is enough to dim the main light, as any room will seem more cramped. Therefore, if you place a powerful lamp in the hallway or add several additional sources (for example, a sconce or a pair of built-in point models), hang one or two large mirrors, the room will not be recognized, and the former "cramped" will magically be replaced by a convenient functional space.
Simply put, the more light sources, the more different types of fixtures, the better! This applies to any room, and for the hallway and corridor it is doubly relevant.

Types of lamps

Almost any type of lighting fixture is suitable for hallway lighting:

• ceiling lamp as the main source
• suspended model - for rooms with high ceilings
• a lighting device built into a suspended or suspended ceiling will play the role of an additional source (of course, it alone will not be enough)
• wall lamp or sconce - as additional lighting, or if the buyer decided to refuse the ceiling light
• floor lamp - a solution that is rarely used, but nevertheless looks great in spacious hallways. It can be installed next to a bench, chair or pouf
• backlights of mirrors and cabinets create local illumination - so that it is convenient to tidy up before going out or for comfortable use of furniture with storage space.

Moreover! Even a table lamp would be appropriate in a spacious hallway on a table, shelf or console.

“As you can see, any lighting solution can be used in the hallway. The main thing is to take into account objective factors: the area of ​​the room, the height of the ceiling, the available furniture, and your own wishes."

Now let's look at each type of fixture separately.

Ceiling lamps



Such models have practically no restrictions on their use. They are suitable for a hallway or corridor with high and low ceilings, for spacious and compact rooms. Among the options on the market, you can choose a device in terms of power, dimensions (such a lamp should be no more than 1/3 of the width of the ceiling in width), in the style of the interior, in materials.
Ceiling models are distinguished by the fact that their body is mounted directly to the ceiling. Due to the fact that the bulbs in such luminaires are close to the ceiling plane, and the height of the luminaire cannot be adjusted, the buyer should be more careful when choosing a light bulb for a room with stretch ceilings.
So, with a PVC ceiling, it is undesirable to use high-power incandescent lamps. Such bulbs have an increased heating of the bulbs, which is why the polyvinyl chloride cloth can melt, deform or even break.

Recessed luminaires



Built-in models are designed for rooms with suspended or suspended ceilings. They consist of two main parts:

• built-in inside
• the outer part, which can be as inconspicuous as possible and located in the plane of the stream, or protruding and decorated with decorative elements.

When choosing a recessed luminaire, it is important to pay attention to the following points:

• the design of the outer part should repeat the style of the interior of the hallway - harmonious colors, materials, textures should be used
• as we wrote above, incandescent light bulbs are highly undesirable for a stretch ceiling
• halogen lamps are undesirable for use inside suspended or suspended ceilings without good ventilation. Otherwise, the level of their heating can either spoil the finishing material, or lead to a banal burnout of the light bulb
• the lamp must be with a reflector, otherwise a significant part of the light will go to waste inside the ceiling structure
• if you are looking for a recessed luminaire for additional lighting, you can choose the option with a movable part of the body. Thanks to this, it is possible to focus the luminous flux on any specific area, making it more functional and convenient for use
• when choosing halogens for suspended ceiling structures, remember that this light bulb will require at least 7 centimeters of distance from the suspended ceiling to the main ceiling.

Summarizing the embedded point models, we can conclude that:

• incandescent bulbs are not suitable for stretch ceilings due to excessive heating
• "halogens" are not suitable for all projects due to increased ventilation requirements
• energy-saving fluorescent lamps are not suitable due to their relatively large dimensions.

The best option would be LED lamps. They do not heat up, are extremely compact, have an excellent service life, and are available in almost any color temperature. Yes, LED is an expensive technology, so these bulbs are still expensive. But tens of thousands of hours of flawless work will pay off the initial costs, because most manufacturers guarantee up to 50,000 or more hours of operation of such products.

Wall lights



Speaking of wall-mounted light sources, it should be remembered that the hallway is usually a compact room, where every square centimeter is literally profitable by the designer. Therefore, wall models are better suited for such places. Their difference from the usual sconces is that they do not have horns, so they do not go so far beyond the plane of the wall.
With a sconce, the situation is the opposite. They look, perhaps, more elegant, but take up more volume. If you use sconces inside compact rooms, it is possible that they will get in the way.

Neither sconces nor other wall lighting fixtures are picky about the type of bulbs used. You can completely rely on your own preference here. As for the design, the general rule still applies: a sconce or a wall lamp must be "in tune" with the rest of the interior with its materials, colors, shapes, patterns. Ideal if you can buy a main and wall light source from the same collection.

Local light



By local light, we mean lighting devices that are necessary to solve specific problems. It is customary to refer to these:

• illumination of mirrors
• illumination of cabinets, pencil cases
• illumination of the front door.

The light level of such fixtures is insufficient to illuminate a large space. However, you should not underestimate their importance for the comfort of hosts and guests.
So, mirror illumination is indispensable for bringing yourself into proper form before going out. Bright directional light will help to reveal even minor imperfections in clothes, to touch up hair or makeup.
Illumination of cabinets, pencil cases, nightstands helps to instantly find keys, a handbag, an umbrella, a shoehorn and other little things.
Front door spotlights make it easy to find the keyhole or keys in your bag.

Floor lamps

The floor lamp can be used on a large enough area where it will look harmonious without cluttering up the space.
In this case, the buyer is free to choose the lighting power without regard to any restrictions. There are only rules when choosing a floor lamp style. It should be selected in accordance with the style of the given room.

Choosing the type of lamp

Many luminaires for the corridor or hallway have standard base formats: E10, E12, E14, E27, E40. This characteristic will come in handy when the owner wants to change one type of lamp for another. For example, a more economical one. In this regard, it will not be superfluous to recall the main advantages and disadvantages of various types of light bulbs in relation to the lighting of these premises.

Incandescent lamp

An incandescent lamp has a high luminous intensity and a warm shade of light. Increased brightness is a safe bet for rooms without natural light. And the warm shade of the glow is suitable for cases when the owners want to add a feeling of home comfort, tranquility and hospitality to the interior.

The advantages also include:

• instant ignition - this is important for hallways, as few people will like it, having entered home, wait a second or two for the light bulb to light up
• invisibility of flicker for the human eye
• record low cost
• availability of bulbs with different wattage, caps, shapes, even in non-specialized stores.

Unfortunately, the disadvantages are significant too:

• excessive heating of the bulb (due to which, as we have already written above, such bulbs are not recommended for luminaires built into stretch ceilings)
• no modifications with different color temperature of light
• record-low luminous efficiency (about 95% of electricity is spent on heating the filament, and not on lighting), as a result - uneconomical
• relatively short service life (the average for such lamps is 1,000 hours).

Halogen lamps

The halogen bulb does not get as hot as the previous type. However, when installed in a suspended or suspended ceiling, it requires good ventilation. This is the first disadvantage. The second is noticeable flickering if the bulb is used in conjunction with a dimmer.

The advantages are:

• increased service life up to 2,000 - 4,000 hours
• good color rendering
• warm shade, similar in tone to natural sunlight
• standard caps, thanks to which a halogen lamp can replace the "Ilyich lamp", and vice versa.

Fluorescent Lamp

This name means both a double-ended rectilinear light bulb and “energy saving” that have become very popular over the past few years.
First, let's list the pros:

• reduced energy consumption by about five times (in comparison with conventional bulbs)
• increased service life. But each turn on / off of such a light bulb shortens this period
• a wide range of color temperatures, which gives the buyer the opportunity to choose a lamp with the shade of light that he needs for the hallway
• significantly lower level of heating of the flask and the surrounding space
• availability of models with traditional types of base, which makes them an excellent option for replacing conventional bulbs.

Let's move on to the disadvantages:

• gradual exit to full brightness
• incompatibility with conventional dimmers - for "energy-saving" it is necessary to purchase specialized models that are more expensive.

LED lamp

DECOVIX consultants consider LED bulbs to be the best alternative available on the market. Just get a grasp of all the advantages of LED sources:

• service life up to 50,000 hours and even more
• compatibility with the most common bases
• up to 10 times increased energy efficiency
• absolute environmental friendliness
• safety.

In addition, the buyer is given the opportunity to choose any color temperature of light, including a shade that is completely indistinguishable from natural sunlight. Disadvantages? Perhaps, here we will name only one - high cost. Yes, an average LED light source costs as much as 10-20 traditional bulbs. But do not forget about durability, efficiency and comfort of the glow.

Locations

The main hallway lighting should be located in the geometric center of the ceiling. Only in this way will bright omnidirectional light evenly illuminate the room. Additional lighting can be placed around the perimeter.
Long corridor? Mount several of the same fixtures along the center of the ceiling. Sconces and wall lamps - along the wall at a level of 1.8 to 2 m.
Local lighting should be placed in such a way that it is most effective when performing a highly specialized task. If you find a coat in the closet, a handbag on a shelf, keys in a drawer can be done when the general light is off, it means that the local illumination is installed in the right place and solves its task well.

P.S.
We hope we helped you understand how important lighting is for the corridor and hallway. We are convinced that you will use the tips given here when choosing a light for your home and will find everything you need and suitable in the catalog of the online store Decovix"!