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

How many lumens for a 14 × 28 ft living room?

Total light needed
5,880lumens
392 ft² × 15 foot-candles
living room · 14×28 ft14 ft28 ft5,880 lumens total · about 8 fixtures · 2700K
Room area392ft²
Target light levelIES guidance for a living room15foot-candles
Total lumens5,880lm
Colour temperaturewarm, relaxed2700K
Bulbs (800 lm each)8bulbs
Recessed cans (4 ft spacing)236 lm each25fixtures

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 5,880 lm fixture and 25 smaller ones add up the same but look completely different.

Where 5,880 lumens comes from

Lighting is specified in foot-candles — lumens landing on each square foot of the surface you care about. A living room is worked to 15 foot-candles. Across 392 ft² that is 5,880 lumens in total.

Split it up

One fixture putting out 5,880 lumens and 25 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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