How To Calculate The Number Of Lamps You Need For Your Space
Lighting your room is essentially an exercise in mathematical fractions. To put it in the most simple terms, Take the length of the room in feet and the width of the room in feet. Multiply those two numbers together. Then, take that calculation and multiply it by 1.5. This will give you the number of watts needed to adequately light your room. Last, divide that number by 60 or 40, the wattage of the average light bulb, to arrive at the actual number of lamps you will need.
Square Footage
Length X Width = Square Footage.
Try mixing up the height of your lighting in your living room. Place table lamps on one side of your sofa or chair and have a floor lamp for light on the other side. You don’t have to match lighting throughout the room either. Having different heights and style for your lighting will help make the room feel cozy and not too “planned”.
Lamps on tables should have the bottom of the lamp shade positioned at eye level for comfortable lighting. This means that the entire lamp should be about 40” up from the floor. That way, your guests can avoid the glare of lighting and still have ample light to see for tasks such as reading or eating.