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

Lighting a 14 × 18 ft laundry room

Total light needed
7,560lumens
252 ft² × 30 foot-candles
Room area252ft²
Target light levelIES guidance for a laundry room30foot-candles
Total lumens7,560lm
Colour temperaturecolour accuracy matters for stains3500–4000K
Bulbs (800 lm each)10bulbs
Recessed cans (4 ft spacing)473 lm each16fixtures
Room
laundry room
Width
14 ft
Length
18 ft

Where 7,560 lumens comes from

Lighting is specified in foot-candles — lumens landing on each square foot of the surface you care about. A laundry room is worked to 30 foot-candles. Across 252 ft² that is 7,560 lumens in total.

Split it up

One fixture putting out 7,560 lumens and 16 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

3500–4000K 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 7,560 lm fixture and 16 smaller ones add up the same but look completely different.

Nearby sizes