Finding the Right Lighting Fixture

Our lighting manufacturers makes some of the most beautiful, high quality, stylish lighting fixtures. If you have a space that needs brightening and aren’t sure what to put in it, Woodlands Lighting can help. Use this guide to determine what type of light fixture will best meet both your functional and aesthetic needs.

Understanding Your Lighting Needs

Before you get ahead of yourself with exploring your wall sconce and pendant lighting options, it’s important to define what exactly you need lighting for in your space. There are three main types of lighting:

Ambient Lighting

Ambient lighting is the main source of light in a room. This type of lighting is usually mounted to the ceiling, in the form of a fixture like a flush mount, chandelier, pendant light, or recessed lighting. In rooms that have a high degree of utility, such as laundry rooms and kitchens, strong ambient lighting is necessary, whereas you can get away with less of it in bedrooms and living rooms.

Task Lighting

Direct, or task lighting, is typically used to light a very specific area in a room for a very specific task. This might include a desktop lamp for reading, a pendant light over a kitchen island, or a vanity light in a bathroom.

Accent Lighting

In cases where you only want to soften the mood of a room or call out specific architectural features, such as a fireplace or a piece of art, accent lighting is used. The type of lighting can vary in wattage but is typically very focused on specific features within a home.

How Ceiling Height Can Affect Your Options

It’s tempting to put some stunning pendant lighting or a chandelier in virtually every available space, but there are of course, restrictions on where you can use lights that hang from the ceiling.

As a general rule of thumb, the end of a light figure should hang at least 7.5 feet above the floor, or approximately 3 feet over a table or countertop. 

If your home has standard ceilings, their height is probably 9 feet, which gives you a maximum fixture length of 18 inches, enough for a flush mount, ceiling fan, and shorter chandeliers and pendant lights.

With taller and vaulted ceilings, you’re able to extend that size considerably — just be sure to maintain at least 7.5 feet between the end of the chandelier and the ground at all times.

The Best Light Fixtures for Your Space

• Ideal for: Ambient lighting 
• Ceiling height: Any

• Ideal for: Ambient lighting, task lighting
• Ceiling height: Over counter, or 10 ft+

Chandeliers

• Ideal for: Ambient lighting, accent lighting
• Ceiling height: Over counter, or 10 ft+

Wall Sconces

• Ideal for: Accent lighting, task lighting
• Ceiling height: Any

Your environment is everything. Make the time you spend in this special place more enjoyable, with lighting that turns your home, into a haven.