Ceiling lights: types, brightness and size for each room

Types of ceiling lights

Ceiling fittings fall into a few families, and EGLO’s ceiling light guide sorts its range the same way:

Types of ceiling lights

Type	What it is	Where the guide places it
Flat (flush) ceiling light	a slim fitting fixed directly to the ceiling	low ceilings, corridors, small bedrooms
Large or round ceiling light	a wide flush or semi-flush fitting	living and dining rooms
Pendant	hangs on a cord, chain or rod	listed as its own category
LED downlight (can light)	set into a hole in the ceiling, flush with it	listed as its own category
LED panel	a flat square or rectangle set in or on the ceiling	listed as its own category
Spotlight	small heads that can be aimed	listed as its own category

“Can lights” is the American name for recessed downlights, after the metal can that sits above the ceiling. Recessed fittings need a ceiling with space behind it, such as one of gypsum board on a frame.

How bright a ceiling light should be

EGLO works in lumens per square metre of floor: about 100–150 lm/m² for living rooms and bedrooms, and about 250–300 lm/m² for kitchens, bathrooms and home offices. For a 15 m² bedroom that comes to 1,500–2,250 lumens in all (our calculation: 15 × 100 and 15 × 150). EGLO suggests pairing that general light with softer, atmospheric light from other fittings.

Light colour

The guide gives three bands of white. Warm white, 2,700–3,300 K, is its suggestion for living spaces; neutral white, 3,300–5,300 K, for kitchens and bathrooms; and cool white, above 5,300 K, for work and other functional areas. EGLO says LED ceiling lights offer dimming and colour control, and lists dimmable, remote-control and smart-home models.

Size for the room

Size follows the room. EGLO’s rule of thumb is a fitting about 20–40 cm across for smaller rooms and 40–80 cm or more for larger ones. Where the ceiling is low, it suggests a slim fitting with a wide diameter, which gives the light output without hanging into the room.

Bathrooms

In a bathroom the fitting has to be sealed against moisture. EGLO recommends IP44 for many bathroom areas and IP65 in zones that take more water. The IP code’s second digit is the one that rates water — the higher the number, the more water the fitting withstands.

Fixing to the ceiling

A pendant or a light with a cord hangs from a ceiling rose, which carries the connection at the ceiling, and takes its bulb in a lampholder. Lines of light set into a ceiling are covered on the profile light page.