KelvinPlanHow much light each room needs, and what colour it should be.

Lighting a 12 × 14 ft hallway

Total light needed
1,344lumens
168 ft² × 8 foot-candles
Room area168ft²
Target light levelIES guidance for a hallway8foot-candles
Total lumens1,344lm
Colour temperaturelow level, even spacing2700–3000K
Bulbs (800 lm each)2bulbs
Recessed cans (4 ft spacing)123 lm each11fixtures
Room
hallway
Width
12 ft
Length
14 ft

Where 1,344 lumens comes from

Lighting is specified in foot-candles — lumens landing on each square foot of the surface you care about. A hallway is worked to 8 foot-candles. Across 168 ft² that is 1,344 lumens in total.

Split it up

One fixture putting out 1,344 lumens and 11 fixtures adding up to the same number light a room very differently. A single source throws hard shadows and glare; several spread the light and make the room feel larger. Aim for layers — ambient, task, and something low for the evening.

Colour temperature

2700–3000K suits this room. Warmer light reads as relaxed and is what you want where people wind down; cooler light keeps edges and colours crisp, which matters where there is work to do.

Notes

  • Foot-candles are lumens per square foot at the work surface. Ceilings above 9 ft, dark walls or dark flooring all eat light — add roughly 10% per extra foot of ceiling height.
  • Spread the total across several fixtures rather than one bright source. One 1,344 lm fixture and 11 smaller ones add up the same but look completely different.

Nearby sizes