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

How many lumens for a 20 × 28 ft bedroom?

Total light needed
8,400lumens
560 ft² × 15 foot-candles
bedroom · 20×28 ft20 ft28 ft8,400 lumens total · about 11 fixtures · 2700K
Room area560ft²
Target light levelIES guidance for a bedroom15foot-candles
Total lumens8,400lm
Colour temperaturewarm, low glare2700K
Bulbs (800 lm each)11bulbs
Recessed cans (4 ft spacing)240 lm each35fixtures

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 8,400 lm fixture and 35 smaller ones add up the same but look completely different.

Where 8,400 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 560 ft² that is 8,400 lumens in total.

Split it up

One fixture putting out 8,400 lumens and 35 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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