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Lighting Distance from Wall: What’s the Right Distance?

When it comes to illuminating your home, it is very important that you know the details that are associated with the entire process. 

In order to help you better understand how much space you should keep between a wall and light in order to illuminate it properly, we have designed this article. 

Read ahead to learn more about the right lighting distance from the wall. 

Lighting distance from wall

The right lighting distance from the wall depends on the type of light that we are talking about. But the general rule of thumb is that you keep the light at least at a distance of 1.5 feet to 3 feet from the wall. This distance will make sure the light has illuminated the wall properly. 

Light is placed inside your home in an effort to brighten the room. But if you fail to place the lighting in the right distance, it will surely fail to serve its purpose. So it is very important that you learn to place the lighting at the right distance from the walls in your home. 

Now there are different kinds of light that will require you to place them at a different distance from the walls. Read below to learn more about the right distance of a lighting from the wall. 

Recessed lighting:

Recessed lighting is the light fixture that is placed inside a hole on the wall. In order to get this right you will need a good amount of research. Generally you should keep at least 1.5 feet to 3 feet space between the recessed lighting and the walls. 

This is the average distance between the lighting and the wall. And it will keep you at a safe spot. However, if you are working with brighter than average light, you can place the lights a little further. 

Track lighting:

if you are working with track lighting, then you should pay special attention to the distance between the lights and the walls as it is very easy to get this wrong. 

To be completely forthright with you, you will need a thorough research on the right distance between track lighting and the walls in order to get it right. 

On average, you should keep about 20 to 40 inches of space between the walls and the lights when you are working with track lighting. 

Art lighting:

when you are working with art lighting, you will need to keep about 1.5 feet to 3 feet distance between the walls and the art lighting. This will ensure that your walls are nicely illuminated, not too bright and not too dull either. 

Bias lighting:

The bias lighting should be at least 1 to 2 inches away from the walls. In order to ensure that your walls are properly illuminated, make sure that the bias lighting is not too far from the walls. 

Since these lights do not come with high levels of brightness, it falls upon you to ensure that they are not too far from the walls. Otherwise, the lights will prove to be no good. 

Gallery lighting:

When you are lighting up a gallery, there are too many things that will need your consideration when it comes to setting up proper lighting. 

You will need to consider the size of the ceiling at first. For example, if you are setting up lighting on a ceiling that measures 8 feet tall, then you will have to make sure that the lights are between 20 to 36 inches away from the walls. 

On the other hand, if you are working with ceilings of 10 feet, then the gallery lights should be about 40 to 60 inches away from the walls.  

Pendant lighting:

The pendant lighting should be 4 feet away from the walls. This is the average distance between the walls and the lighting. In addition, make sure to leave at least 7 feet of distance between the floor and the bottom of the pendant. 

Eyeball lighting:

In case of eyeball lighting, you will need to keep at least 1.5 feet distance between the walls and the light source. This should prove to be enough in case of eyeball lighting. 

Pot lighting:

When you are working with pot lighting, it is very important that you get the distance right. Since these lights are not very bright, if you end up placing them at a distance further than they are supposed to, it will end up being pretty useless. 

The distance between the pot lighting and the walls should be 18 inches to 36 inches. This is the ideal distance between the light source and the wall in this case. 

Ceiling lighting:

Ceiling lighting should be at a distance of 1.5 feet to 3 feet from the wall. The precise distance will depend on the brightness of the particular light source that you are working with. 

LED lighting:

LED lighting should be 1.5 feet to 3 feet away from your walls. This will help you adequately light up a room. 

How far from the wall should lights be in the kitchen?

It is a crucial task to ensure sufficient lighting in your kitchen. If you cannot ensure enough light in the kitchen, you will not be able to uphold the ambience of the kitchen with nice fittings or culinary sets. 

In order to ensure that your kitchen is adequately lit up, make sure that the lights are at best 25 inches away from the walls. If you place the lights any further, your kitchen may end up looking dull and low on light. 

Another thing that you should remember is to factor in the type of lights that you are installing. If you are placing LED lights on the walls, then they should be about 1.5 feet away from the walls. 

And if you notice that your kitchen is still looking pretty dark, then you can install some lights along the bottom of the cabinets. Having upper cabinets may also prove to be quite beneficial in this case. You can install lights at the bottom of upper cabinets. 

2 factors that determine the distance between lighting and wall

There are a few factors that you should keep in mind while deciding the distance between lighting and wall. Read ahead to learn more about the factors to consider. 

Type of lights:

Different lights have different levels of illumination and intensity. So you will need to take the intensity of a particular light when deciding on its ideal distance from the wall. 

In order to ensure that your light is adequately lighting up the walls, you will need to make sure that you consider the specifications of the particular type of light that you are working with. 

Height of the ceiling: 

You will also need to factor in the height of the ceiling when you are deciding on the right distance between the walls and the lights. 

If you have a higher ceiling, the light should be installed closer to the walls. However, if you have lower ceilings, then installing the lights a little further from the wall will do just fine. 

How to install lights at a proper distance from the wall? 

Let’s take a look at how you can install lights at a proper distance from the wall. Read ahead for a step-by-step guide on this: 

Research about the type of light: 

The first step requires you to take a good look at the type of light that you are working with and learn more details about it. 

If you are working with recessed lights, then you will have to follow a different installation process than say, when you would be working with a ceiling light. 

Measure the right distance for the light source: 

Now you should measure the height of the ceiling in order to decide the right distance between the walls and the lights. After that, you will also need to consider the width of the room in order to determine how many lights you might need. 

If you are working with a large room, you will need a number of lights. However, for a smaller room, fewer lights would suffice. 

Install power ports: 

Now that you know where to place the lights, you will need to install power ports on the ceiling. If you need multiple lights, then you will need to install multiple power ports for the light. 

Install the lights: 

Now your lights are ready to be set. Place them inside the power ports and turn the switches on. This should illuminate your room just the way that you had planned. 

Final Thoughts 

The distance between the lights and the walls mainly depend on the type of lights, height of the ceiling, size of the room, and so on. The general rule of thumb for installing lights by walls is to place them at least 1.5 feet to 3 feet away from the walls.