Everybody loves decorating their homes with the best lighting fixtures there are and nothing less than that. While that does good, you have to be very practical when it comes to setting the budget, as not many of us have an eternal stash of cash to splurge on everything we like. That’s why you have to be very careful with selecting the right lighting designs whenever you’re on a budget. We not only help you if you’re on a budget, but our tips will also help you realise why you actually need a budget to plan the lighting of your space.
There are a lot of things to consider when planning the lighting layout of your space. While we do suggest being on a budget, we definitely don’t suggest going with tacky or inexpensive lighting designs as a replacement for the slightly expensive ones. Don’t kill the ambience of your space, and don’t let your decor come off as a cheap knock-off just to keep the budget intact. Now, we’ll tell you how to choose the right lighting designs that can help you achieve just the vibe and ambience you want by not shelling too much out of your pocket.
Before you go too much into the designs of the products or the build for that matter, it is important for you to get familiar with another concept. The brightness of a bulb or any other lighting fixture is measured with a unit called a lumen. Once you understand how many lumens each lighting design emits or how many lumens each room actually requires, you’ll have an idea of how many lighting designs the space actually needs. And you don’t have to spend a penny more than how much is actually needed. This one thing will do wonders for your budget.
Let’s sidetrack to another essential concept before going ahead with the rest. The lighting fixtures available in the market mostly make use of incandescent bulbs, halogen bulbs or LED bulbs. While there might be some designs that might look absolutely gorgeous with some old-school incandescent bulbs or halogens, strictly avoid these two as they might be cost-friendly in the beginning, but they are definitely not cost-effective in the long run. Incandescent or halogen bulbs are not as effective, bright, or durable as LED, and you need to keep this in mind even while purchasing the right designs.
Now that you understand the concept of lumens, it’s time to take a look at each of your spaces individually to get a clearer idea of what each of our rooms demands. On average, every room requires somewhere between 2000-3000 lumens to be adequately lit. This number may definitely differ depending on the size and the build of your room. When it comes to lighting your kitchen, go with designs that give you close to 5000-8000 lumens. A hanging light and a table lamp should be good enough for the space. A living room requires at least 2000-4000 lumens, and a chandelier paired with a good floor lamp should close the deal here. Your office space requires 3000-6000 lumens, and it’s best to go with a pendant light or a lamp of any kind. The dining space may require around 3000-6000 lumens too, and a chandelier may suffice. A table lamp can be used to enhance the ambience.
