Let There Be Light! How to Select Interior Lighting

"It is better to light a candle than curse the darkness."

Eleanor Roosevelt

Selecting lighting for a new construction build...wow.  Who knew there were so many lights around your house?   When our designer, Betsy Judd, texted me and said "Okay, picking out lighting is next on our plate", my eyes got wide.  How the heck do you even EAT that elephant?  The answer?  One bite at a time...

Here is how we tackled the lighting beast, both outlining our strategy and describing our selection options/selections.  Oh yeah, and there might be some lessons learned sprinkled in there along the way.  Per usual, J.S. Robinson delivered when they sent us to Wilson Lighting.  I would highly recommend Wilson to help you with any lighting project.  I was under the false impression that I could find lights cheaper online...not so!!!  

Organizing Your Lighting Needs

For me, I needed to have a complete list of lighting needs before I could start tracking selections.  Your lighting specialist may help you with this activity, so you may consider checking before completing this endeavor (as it was very time consuming).  However, I would have likely done it regardless because I am very thorough (my husband may have another word for it, but I digress...).

When creating this document, my initial thought was to list the various rooms vertically, then keep a tally of what type of lights were needed, how large they should be, and how many per room.  So let's talk about that:

Chandelier

Brick House

Most people consider these the large fixtures that hang from the ceiling.  No moving parts, like a ceiling fan would have.  Just a large fixture (for a large room).

To size a chandelier, lighting designers typically suggest that you add the room's dimensions (in feet), then the chandelier's diameter (in inches) equal that number.

For example:  a room that is 16 ft x 18 ft, add 16+18 = 34.  A chandelier for this room should be approximately 34 inches in diameter.

Pendant

Studio McGee

Think chandelier, but smaller.  Picture lights that hang from the ceiling but hang over a kitchen island.

To size an island pendant, there were not many hard and fast rules that I could find.  One website talked about using a similar measurement technique as the chandelier sizing.  So we measured the length/width of our island (in feet), then each pendant's diameter (in inches) equal that number.

For example:  my island is 9.5 ft x 5 ft.  To calculate the diameter of each of my two pendants, I added 9.5 ft + 5 ft = 14.5.  So each pendant should be approximately 14.5 inches in diameter.

Flush mounted or Semi-flush mounted

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These are the lights that hang from the ceiling but hang very close to the ceiling.  I always used to picture the old "boob" lights but there are so many cool versions now.

Ceiling fan

Blesser House

Ceiling fans involve a lot more nuance with their selections/options.  The first thing to consider is whether you need a light or not (lighting packages are expensive).  I was very impressed when our lighting specialist mentioned that if you have can lights in a room, there really is not a need for a fan with a light!  Bingo!

Now for the difficult part - what size ceiling fan to you need for each room?  To figure this out, you first need to determine the square footage of each room that needs a ceiling fan (multiply the length by the width of the room).  From there, most lighting experts will recommend the following:

But of course, this is not the end of the story.  You also need to know what length downrod, if any, you would need for a ceiling fan.  The rule of thumb is if your ceiling is 9 ft tall or higher, you will generally want a downrod to lower the ceiling fan.  The length of the downrod is generally determined based on the following:

Organization of Information

For those of you keeping track, you need to break your house into rooms, list what type of light fixture you need for each room, list each room's ceiling height, length/width (in feet), and square footage.  Phew!  

The other item I didn't consider until later was that I needed to track what finish I selected on plumbing fixtures in the various rooms to make sure the lighting did not clash with the plumbing.  In case you want a glimpse into what my tracking spreadsheeet looked like, here is the information just for one side of the house (and not the outside):  

While this was a ton of work in advance, I will say that having this spreadsheet printed off during the lighting appointment made everything awesome.  We were able to quickly make selections and I was able to answer questions quickly without trying to read architectural plans and running calculations during the lighting appointment.

Drum Roll Please...OUR SELECTIONS!!!

Well, as you can see, this was a long process.  My husband would always laugh because whenever he woke up in the middle of the night and I was on my computer/phone, he asked "Looking at lighting again?"  There are just so many cool options for lighting, which can make the selection process overwhelming.  

Enter the dream team, Chalese  Bierle with Wilson Lighting and Betsy Judd, our design guru.  This team together guided us through the complicated process of lighting selections.  Chalese took this a step further...she was able to remember what lighting vendor's catalogue had lighting that was similar to a picture I showed her.  IT. WAS. INCREDIBLE.  We would walk around Wilson, which already had a huge selection lit up and shown, but if something did not strike your fancy, Chalese was able to look at a picture (likely from Pinterest) and immediately remember where that item was in a catalog or something super similar.  Chalese and Betsy were also pros at pointing us in the direction of less expensive alternatives that gave similar bang for your buck.  

I would highly recommend Wilson lighting for any lighting project, big or small.  Their prices beat online retailers and it was so helpful to see the lights in person.  Plus, experts like Chalese can help you narrow down options in a cost effective way.  

And without further ado, here are our selections!

Chandeliers

The piece de resistance, the cherry on the top, the cat's meow...all descriptions for this totally awesome chandelier.  I saw it a couple months back on Wilson Lighting's instagram and fell in love.  

Wilson Lighting instagram

 It is the Moorsgate Multipendant from Currey and Company.  It is even more beautiful in person.  This will be the chandelier that drips down the center of the stair tower.  

Currey and Company 

This dreamy geometric chandelier is both modern and industrial.  It carries the brushed gold finish on my parents' side and will grace their entry in the clerestory. 

Starlight Hollywood Regency Gold Cage

While this is not technically a chandelier, I had to include it in this category due to its general AWESOME-NESS.  I struggled with whether to have a ceiling fan in my great room or not.  I love ceiling fans, but man do they tend to look rather boring.  I thought the great room needed a BANG! and so I assumed I would just get a chandelier.  But then, one day, I strolled into Wilson Lighting and saw this amazing showstopper:

Wilson Lighting - Windmill

This ceiling fan is a modern farmhouse dream.  It is big, bold, and just a total conversation piece.  Love it!

Over my dining room table, I was looking for something with clean lines and not super expensive.  Chalese pointed me to this beautiful chandelier, which I immediately said yes to!

Trans Globe 10267

Last, but not least, my closet ceiling was raised and could now have a fun chandelier.  I was struggling with selecting a chandelier or even really narrowing it down.  But then I walked by this beauty and fell in love...

Starburst 9 light

Pendants

To try to be somewhat reasonable on lighting, I asked Chalese to point me to kitchen island pendants that were cool but not super pricey.  I also mentioned that I don't mind seeing a bulb.  Chalese stood up and confidently led me to this light, which I loved!

TGI Eight Light

My Mom wanted kitchen island pendants that had the brushed gold finish and where you couldn't see the light bulb.  AND if they could have that cool modern farmhouse style, that would be a bonus.  Chalese went to the large volumes of product manuals, started flipping through, and then showed us this winner:

Chadwick ELK lighting

Sconces

As I discussed in the blog post on electrical selections, we have a slight sconce obsession in this house.  Ever so slight...

Okay, so they are everywhere.  Over our floating shelves in the kitchen, pantry, and laundry room, we went with this farmhouse sconce but got an extended neck (longer than the one pictured below):

Millennium Lighting Gooseneck Sconce

As we discussed in the electrical blog post, we decided to have two hardwired sconces next to our master bedroom beds to try to save nightstand space.  So, in my bedroom, we selected the following:

Moorland Sconce

Moorland Sconce - Gold

For the long central hall, these industrial sconces will guide the way for our guests:

Loras

Flush-mounted Lights

We tried, I mean, we really tried, to pick out some low-cost flush mounted lights.  And we succeeded ... occasionally!  Here are some great farmhouse flush-mounted lights that were not a flat LED disk light:

Perryton pendant

In my laundry room, I wanted something inexpensive but very cheerful.  Chalese found this awesome light...so fun!!!

Freemont

I am using the similar light (but with a more subtle color) in my pantry.

Freemont

Ceiling Fans

Well, I already spilled the beans on the most awesome ceiling fan selected, specifically the windmill ceiling fan.  But, we actually have some other cool options (check the pun on the word cool...)

We fully expect our favorite hangout spot to be the screened-in lanai.  Therefore we wanted a big a$$ fan to make this area as comfortable as possible.  And so, here is the big a$$ fan we picked (80" with no light since there are can lights):

SZEPLO

My parents selected a similar-looking ceiling fan for their great room (with no light since there are can lights):

Slipstream 65"

For our master bedrooms, we were still thinking about that awesome lanai fan.  So we mirrored it, but in the smaller 60" size (without a light since there are can lights in the masters).  Also, this is the same ceiling fan that is on our covered deck (so it matches the lanai).

SZEPLO 60"

For the majority of our bedrooms, including the girls' bedrooms, guest bedrooms, and playroom/loft, we selected an inexpensive white ceiling fan with a light:

Minka Aire

Bathroom Sconces

The master bathrooms have two sconces that flank each bathroom mirror.  We wanted inexpensive fixtures that would provide soft lighting for makeup application.  So we went for these beauties:

Wall Sconce

For the other bathrooms, we opted for an inexpensive bathroom sconce that was still beautiful.

Tilbury

Getting Lit Without Getting Burned - New Construction Electrical Advice

"Give light, and the darkness will disappear of itself."

- Desiderius Erasmus -

Phew!  Has it been this long since I have updated you on the farmhouse build?  Things seem to have been happening fast!  The electrical doesn't show a lot of progress (at least to my untrained eye) but man those guys were always working.  I guess it is a lot of work running all of those cables/wires...

Well, after some twists, turns, and moderate shocks (pricing-wise), we were able to settle in on a great electrical design.  Here are some details that we ran into and how we settled out.  Enjoy!

Contract advice

When we were reading our contract, it was difficult initially to know what was included in the electrical lump sum.  Almost all builders include something similar to 'electrical to code', but what the heck is code?  I was worried that I wouldn't know what was in, what was out, so I asked for a list of the electrical components to be included as an exhibit to the contract.  Without the specific pricing, the list looked something like:

     75 watt can lights - 86
     Single pole switches - 90
     Three-way switch - 54
     Entry fixture - 2
     and so on...

Looking back, I think that this was helpful but I needed to educate myself more about the terminology used by electricians that were not obvious to me (I was okay with figuring out "entry fixture", but this other stuff was Greek).  While not required, especially if you are building a spec home, I found it comforting to see exactly what was included in the base price and to see exactly what was an adder and (in rare cases) a deduct.  However, having a builder like J.S. Robinson made this task so much easier and (in hindsight) less necessary.  So, humor me by sharing some lessons learned :)  Full disclosure, the discussion below is made by a non-electrical homeowner.  Please forgive any inadvertent mistakes! 

Single pole switch - The pole is the light switch you use to turn on and off lights.  Something like:

     
Light switches with two poles would have two single pole switches combined.

Two-way, three-way, four-way Switches

Now, consider this:  you often want to have a single light that is operated off of two different light switches.  For example, we have a long hallway that we may want to have an on/off switch for the lights on either end.  This situation requires a special type of switch - a three way switch.

Source

Full disclosure - I read several websites trying to understand the anatomy of the three-way switch well enough to explain it on my blog.  Total.  Fail.  I leave you with the knowledge that if  you want to have a single light that is operated off of two separate switches, each switch will need a three-way switch.  Or if you have a single light operated off of three switches, then you would need three four-way switches, and so on.  

Receptacles

This is a trash can, right?  Not when you are talking electrical!  This is where you juice-up your phone!

If you want a four cord outlet, you need two receptacles:

GFCI Receptacle - A ground fault happens whenever electricity escapes the wiring it is supposed to be in and takes a shortcut to the ground.  People can be killed or seriously injured by electrical shocks from a ground fault.  Cue an engineer to save the day!  To prevent such accidents, Charles Dalziel, a professor of electrical engineering at the University of California, invented the ground-fault circuit interrupter (GFCI), in 1961.  A GFCI receptacle monitors the difference in the electrical current flowing into and out of an outlet. But when that difference exceeds 5 milliamps, an indication that a ground fault may be occurring, the GFCI shuts off the flow quickly.  GFCI receptacles are  GFCIs are required by the National Electric Code in all new kitchens, bathrooms, crawl spaces, unfinished basements, and most outdoor receptacles.   Source  


Cut-in Receptacle - These are outlets that are "cut-in" to cabinets.  My parents were interested in having all electrical outlets installed in the bottom of the upper cabinets (to get a no-electrical-outlets backsplash look).  For each of those outlets, they much be cut-in the cabinets.

W.P. receptacle - The W.P. stands for weather proof.  These are your outdoor plugs.

Fixtures - The electrician will wire for your fixtures, Different fixtures require different wiring and complexity, therefore each is typically described differently.  Here is a quick cheat sheet:
  
     Fixture Standard Interior/Exterior - These are your typical ceiling flushmount lights (not can lights).  Something as cool as:

Frankfort Semi Flushmount

Edgar Flushmount

     Fixture Other Interior/Exterior - Think sconces!  These are typically wall-mounted lights.

     Keyless - Just your standard light bulb in a socket.

Electrical Design - Advice and Selections

It is extremely easy to go hit your budget, drive by your budget, then shoot for the stars :)  While there were many items that we considered, we had to be realistic and decline many cool things.  But that being said, we still got some great upgrades.  

First things first, most electricians will draw out code before you arrive for your electrical walk-through.  What that means is that they will draw, on the framing, where each switch/light/etc. is located (as required by code).  Then you walk through each room and consider light switch locations, additional lighting, etc.

Here is a list of the above-code considerations, and why we either decided to get them or not.

     Extra Outlets - "You get an extra outlet, you get an extra outlet..." Yes, okay, we went overboard.  But seriously, you need extra outlets!  Here were some of the locations that got outlet-ed: 

• Inside the bathroom cabinets - for toothbrushes, hair dryers, potential instant hot water heaters, etc.
• In the bedrooms, we located outlets to be where nightstands would be located.  To do so, you measure the width of your queen/king bed, locate them in the room, and then move outlets accordingly.  I hate when an outlet is behind a bed or piece of furniture...
• We added outlets in our closets for potential additional lighting, charging, etc.
• We added a lot of outlets in our mudroom area for charging iPads, phones, and other equipment.
• In the kitchen, we added an outlet under the sink for instant-hot.
• We added weather proof outlets in the roof eaves for Christmas lights.
• We added some electrical outlets higher on the walls for a fold-down ironing board, TVs, heated towel bar, etc.
• We added extra outlets in the pantry along the countertop for small appliances.
• There is now an additional outlet in the kids' playroom under the stairs for charging devices.
• There will be outlets in the floors for lamps/etc.
• There are also two sets of outlets on both fireplace mantles.
• In the garage, we added a lot more outlets (both an upper for a TV potentially and also just everyday tools).

     Sconces - My Mom and I are both fans of eye-level lighting, not top-lighting.  Can lights are great, but man, I'm really sure I don't look that old...

That led to a large quantity of sconces.  Huge.  To give you some idea (as long as you promise not to laugh), here is goes:

Source

Either side of the master bedroom beds - saves night stand space by eliminating a lamp.  However, this does require that you find hardwired bedside sconces with a switch or you will need the electrician to add a light switch next to each bed.  I wanted a cleaner look, so no light switch.  

Source

Master bathroom lighting was a struggle.  I wanted to make sure that we had lighting that was face-level (so as not to accentuate any wrinkles/eye bags).  Thus, the flanked mirror sconce was added!

Home Bunch

Laundry rooms need some love too!  I just swooned over this laundry room.  We are hoping to do something similar but have the sconces over the actual floating shelves.   

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We also added some above the floating shelves in our kitchens.

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The long central hall connecting our main house to my parents' house?  Yes, you need sconces too!

Source

Given that our fireplace extends upward two stories, we were encouraged to add some sconces that highlight the height.  Thus, fireplace sconces.

Source

Outside sconces are great too!  We added two on our entry pillars.

Okay, I see it now.  We have a sconce obsession.  Admitting it is the first step, right?  :)

     Can light vs. Standard Fixture - Can lights are expensive upfront, so it can be tempting to just get wired for a standard fixture.  But then, you have to buy the fixture.  Also, if you have can lights in a room (like your great room or master bedroom), you eliminate the need for a light kit with a ceiling fan (which can save a lot of money).  My initial temptation was to eliminate can lights, but looking back, I'm so grateful that Mitch (our project manager) talked us into keeping a lot of them.

     

     Puck Lights - These are the little lights inside of kitchen cabinets with glass doors.  The electrician wires for them but you purchase the actual light from a lighting store.

     Art Lights - Unbeknownst to me, there are special can lights you can purchase that sit flush with the ceiling and shine an art-friendly light at an angle.  We installed these in several places throughout the house where artwork will hang.

     Motion Light - We installed one on my parents' side pantry.  When you open the doors, LIGHT!  Apparently a motion light is better than a toggle switch (that opens when the door opens) because people will often have someone close the door after they enter.  The motion switch will keep the light on while you are in the pantry, deciding which carb to eat :)

     Heated floors - Our master bathrooms have heated floors, so there is special wiring and thermostats associated with that choice.  Cha-ching!

     Stair Lights  - Sigh, we are getting to things we passed on. This was a tough one for me.  But it was so expensive that we passed.  I have found some other options online that I will share later that will hopefully give the same effect without the cost.

 While I do feel like I forgot something, I hope that this gives you information on what to expect for your electrical walk-through on your new construction home.  As usual, J.S. Robinson was exceedingly patient in managing this process.  While some items are easy to pick out, electrical is just pretty overwhelming and takes several appointments for custom homes.  

Check out the attention to detail and the, dare I say, beauty of the electrical subcontractor's work...J.S. Robinson seriously has the BEST subcontractors in the business!  All of those wires so perfectly pulled and run...

Take a Tour - 3D Rendering of Matt/Lindsay's Side of the Fence

Love this!