How High Should Wall Lights Be?

There are so many questions that have to be answered in the construction of a new home. Important questions. It can become overwhelming.

One category that causes great confusion is the placement of wall lights.

Here are some general guidelines:

For standard wall lights the junction box placement should be @ 5’6″ above finished floor (AFF)

Phillip Sides Interior Design

Swing arm lamps near sofas should be @ 42″ AFF

Design by James Michael Howard

Above bookshelves lights are placed just above the trim at top of top shelf.

Above a mantle the junction box should be 15-18″ above the shelf, unless you have very tall ceilings and a very large painting; then you adjust accordingly.

Veranda

Above beds:

21″ above top of mattress or 42″ from floor if standard 21″ mattress

45″ from floor if 24″ mattress

48″ from floor if 27″ mattress

Some beds today are extremely tall- mine is 40″ so lights by my bed would need to be mounted at 60″.

Buy your mattress before you place your lights!

In alcove settings like the one pictured you have to “tweak” to make sure guests don’t hit their heads on the fixtures.

I find that once you hit 10′ ceilings you sometimes have to stop and reconsider so that they don’t look too low but in bathrooms the danger is that you get the light source too high and the face is thrown into shadow.

It’s just a little bit tricky.

If you need someone to handle these questions and you want to say, “That was fun!” at the end of your project contact me at www.cindybarganier.com.

Other “Dining Table” Facts

Here are some other dining table facts that you might find useful:

• The maximum height that you’d want for a dining table is 31″ (30″ high for a dining table is about average).

• A critical measurement, especially with antique dining tables that have very big aprons is that you need at least 25 3/4″ for roomy leg clearance and to cross your legs.

 You need 30″ for a person 5′9″ tall–generally.

• A light fixture over a dining table should hang between 28-32″ from the top of the table to the bottom of the fixture.

 Table with no apron:

 

Table with apron: 

I’m sorry I can’t remember the source of these lovely photos. Please let me know if they are yours so I may give  proper credit.

If you want to say, “That was fun!” at the end of your project please contact me at www.cindybarganier.com