How to well enlighten your interior?

Journal des Femmes: You don’t always think of working on your luminous atmosphere when you set up your house: why should you devote time and reflection to it? What is a well-constructed lighting bring to space?
Isabelle Arnaud: We too often tend to think that light goes without saying, because at the remaining, it is natural. But when night falls, our needs remain the same, it is therefore necessary that artificial lighting can bring us equivalent comfort, both physiological aesthetic, without neglecting the ecological aspect. Many things that are difficult to bring together in the same technology? Not that much, quite the contrary.

First of all, a Vocabulary precision Essential: here we will call “lamp” what everyone calls “bulb”. Indeed, the bulb is only the empty glass envelope which cannot enlighten. There is Three large families of lamps ::

• THE incandescent (in filament and now prohibited), of which halogens are part,
• THE fluorescent : Flocompacts that replace the incandescents and fluorescent tubes (which is wrongly called “neon”),
• THE Electroluminescent diodesrather known as “LEDs”.

Whatever the type of lamp chosen, you must take care to have a sufficient level of lighting which avoids unnecessary fatigue, even domestic accidents and helps to compensate for visual impairments. It is a mistake to think that, because we have a good view, it is not worth ignoring: our visual acuity arrives at maturity only around the age of 20 and it decreases around 40 years old!

The ideal is to provide, as soon as your interior is fitted out, several types of lighting in each room, so that you can modulate it according to your needs and the atmosphere you are looking for. For example, it is preferable to be able to benefit from central lighting (ceiling lamp, chandelier) and several localized lights (standing lamps, lamps, lamps to be installed) with separate controls and variation systems. Thus, according to the activity practiced, culinary preparation, reading, meals, etc., and the atmosphere sought, warm, lively, intimate, you can at any time adapt your lighting without changing anything to your layout.

The light atmosphere varies depending on the room: what are the general principles to follow to shed light on the different parts?
Before selecting the lighting (lighting device), you have to think about the type of lamp you want to use. This choice is based on a certain number of criteria: the light flowthere lifetime,, The rendering index colors and the color temperature. This information is available to everyone, just know where to find it. We will not detail here the characteristics of the classic incandescent lamps (Edison) because the Grenelle environmental agreement agreement, signed on October 23, 2008, provides for the gradual withdrawal of the sale of these lamps by 2012.

How to know the values ​​of each criterion?
Since 2000, the lamps of more than 4 W intended for the habitat have had an informative label affixed on the packaging. This gives:

• the energy efficiency class (as for household appliances): from A (very economical) to G (very energy -consuming);
• the energy efficiency class (as for household appliances): from A (very economical) to G (very energy -consuming);
• The light flow of the lamp indicated in lumens: quantity of light emitted by the lamp;
• power in watts (w);
• The lifespan of the lamp in hours: halogen lamps have a lifespan of 2,000 to 4,000 hours depending on the model, the fluorescent lamps from 4,000 hours to 15,000 hours, the LEDs up to 50,000 hours for white lights.

The other criteria:

• The color rendering index (IRC) translates the capacity of a lamp to restore colors. Its maximum value is 100 (all halogen lamps);
• The color temperature indicates the appearance of the color of the light emitted by a lamp. Less than 3,300 k (kelvins), it is called “hot” (halogen lamps), between 3,300 k and 5,300 k, we speak of intermediate shade and beyond cold shade.

Generally, fluorescent lamps are recommended in cooking With central lighting and several localized lights, through spots, in particular above the worktop, under the shelves, above the table.

In the staywe can (must) play with shadows and lights:

• By associating several types of lighting: Direct (emission of light down), indirect (emission of light up) or both;
• By installing different light fixtures: wall lights, suspensions, standing floor lamps, lamps to be installed;
• by implementing variation systems;
• By having separate commands to modify the atmospheres according to his mood.

In the roomsdo not neglect the general lighting that can be controlled from the entrance, even if it only remains on a few minutes. If the room includes an office, it is better to have specific lighting such as a lamp to put. And of course one or two bedside lamp (s) are essential.

Watch out for lighting The bathroom : Its installation is the business of an electrician, do not tinker yourself, the safety rules are very precise. Think of the mirror above the sink: for shaving or makeup, you need lighting! Preferably lateral, to avoid the shadows carried and with a very good IRC (greater than 80).

Suspensions, appliques, lamps to install: what are the characteristics of these lights and what are the qualities of each?
The type of luminaire mainly depends on your layout, apart from the “great classics”, such as general lighting ceiling lights in circulation, toilets, the bathroom and the kitchen.

• The sconces Can create pleasant indirect lighting in circulation and the living room where they will create a comfortable atmosphere and can redraw the volumes or even enhance a direct lighting table, for example.
• The lampposts On foot with lamps of strong powers, in indirect light, will provide general lighting to the stay, if possible to change to modulate the intensity according to the moment of the day.
• The lamps to be installedon the other hand, are recommended for localized lighting, plants, tables, sculptures, and of course offices.
• Suspensions are ideal above the dining table, in a Monte-et-Baisse system, or in a chandelier in the dining room.

In any case, remember to check the pellet and the power of the lamp of your luminaire when changing it. For the lights equipped with several lamps, also make sure to choose the same color temperatures.

Could you give us some tips to easily make a nice light?
Rather than “beautiful lighting”, it is better to reason in “good lighting” which should allow you to see well but also to create different atmospheres. Today, LED devices are starting to be available for habitat, offering colorful or white accentuation lights that can completely transform a stay according to your moods.

Do not hesitate to play on details : Small fluorescent tubes for example, arranged on shelves or in curtain boxes can enhance windows, objects or highlight an architectural element of a room or even linked to the opening of a cupboard door, they will avoid you to look for the switch when you have loaded arms.

Be careful Plant lighting : It is preferable to place the luminaire over 30 cm and to use flu -power lamps which give off less heat than halogens.

In the child or baby roomsame recommendation, halogens are heating, so it advisable to use fluorescents and avoid floor lamps or lamps to be placed likely to fall; Better to install appliques, ceiling lights, suspensions with back and forth systems that allow you to turn on and extinguish several places in the room. (Learn more about the lighting of a baby room)

Think of automatisms : The presence detector installed at the entrance to the garage, the cellar, the attic, the workshop, triggers the lighting as soon as you enter the room and will turn off after you have left it, avoiding superfluous consumption in the event of forgetting. You can install the same system in the garden or at the house gate.

What are the pitfalls to be avoided absolutely in terms of lighting?
Do you want to save money? Do not turn off your lighting, your health and your safety depend on it. Rather, choose high energy efficiency lamps such as fluocompacts whose cheek adapts perfectly to your luminaires provided for incandescent lamps.

Do not change your lamps without cutting the circuit. Wait until the lamp cools. Do not put the lamp in contact with water, clean it with a damp cloth. Only re -establish the current when the lamp is in place again.

(Words collected from Isabelle Arnaud, author of the book Interior lighting At Eyrolles editions)