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

How many lumens for a 12 × 14 ft bedroom?

Total light needed
2,520lumens
168 ft² × 15 foot-candles
bedroom · 12×14 ft12 ft14 ft2,520 lumens total · about 4 fixtures · 2700K
Room area168ft²
Target light levelIES guidance for a bedroom15foot-candles
Total lumens2,520lm
Colour temperaturewarm, low glare2700K
Bulbs (800 lm each)4bulbs
Recessed cans (4 ft spacing)230 lm each11fixtures

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 2,520 lm fixture and 11 smaller ones add up the same but look completely different.

Where 2,520 lumens comes from

Lighting is specified in foot-candles — lumens landing on each square foot of the surface you care about. A bedroom is worked to 15 foot-candles. Across 168 ft² that is 2,520 lumens in total.

Split it up

One fixture putting out 2,520 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.

Color temperature

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

Nearby sizes

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