Good home lighting layers three roles — ambient (general), task (work surfaces), and accent (highlights) — and tunes brightness, color, and dimming room by room.
| Room | Target and notes |
|---|---|
| Living room | 100 to 300 lux, layered and dimmable |
| Kitchen | 300 lux general, 500+ on counters |
| Bathroom | 300 to 500 lux, high CRI at the mirror |
| Bedroom | 100 to 200 lux, warm and dimmable |
| Home office | 300 to 500 lux on the desk |
| Hallway / stairs | 100 lux, even and glare-free |
Color and control
For homes, warm color temperatures of 2700 to 3000 K feel inviting; reserve cooler light for task-heavy kitchens and offices. Use CRI 90 or better in bathrooms and kitchens where skin tone and food color matter.
Put nearly everything on dimmers. Layering plus dimming lets one room shift from bright and functional to soft and relaxed.
Layer, do not flood. A single bright ceiling fixture flattens a room. Combine ambient, task, and accent layers on separate switches or dimmers for flexibility and depth.
See the Bedroom Lighting Calculator and the Recommended Lux Levels.