Properly planned lighting in a children's room is the key to the successful development and health of your child. It influences nervous system and psychological attitude. Since the children's room is at the same time a bedroom, an office, a creative workshop and a playroom for the child, parents should plan and consider in advance what the lighting in the children's room will be like.
What should the lighting be like in a children's room with a natural light source?
Lighting in the children's room - important factor for the full functioning of the body, vitality and in the formation of vision. Therefore, it is extremely important to ensure that the lighting is not too bright or dim.
The most optimal lighting for a child there is a natural source of light, so it is worth selecting the brightest room for the nursery.
Pay attention to which side the windows are located. The most suitable are the eastern or south-eastern location. The morning sun's rays will have a beneficial effect on the child, which is necessary for the emotional state, formation of lifestyle and habits. To prevent bright lighting from creating excessive strain on the eyes, shade south-facing windows with transparent curtains during the daytime.
The western part of the room is not very good appropriate place for a child. With this arrangement, sunlight penetrates only from the second half of the day, therefore, in the morning there will not be enough light in the nursery. Likewise, the northern part of the room will need additional lighting. The baby in such a room will really miss sunlight and warmth, which will affect his mood and general well-being.
If you still do not have the opportunity to choose the most suitable location of the room for best lighting, then make the incoming light as accessible as possible. This can be done using curtains, choosing more transparent and airy ones. Open the windows as much as possible, discarding thick curtains. When decorating, use yellow, green and blue tones. Orange and red lampshades should be avoided to once again do not irritate the sensitive psyche of the child.
Advice: To increase lighting in a north-facing room, you can decorate the room with reflective surfaces and use them as the main tone - White color. Some increase the window opening, which is very effective, but expensive and troublesome.
If your child is already in school, then Special attention Pay attention to lighting the workplace where the child does his homework. The most suitable location is by the window. The longer you have daylight on your desktop, the better.
How to properly create artificial lighting in a children's room?
The western and other sides of the children's room need to be adjusted using artificial lighting. When installing lighting, pay attention to the uniform distribution of diffused light throughout the room: light transitions should be smooth. Sharp or too bright lighting and dark corners are unacceptable.
The number and location of lamps should depend on the size of the children's room itself. Designers advise conditionally dividing the space into zones. Depending on the age of the child, the children's room is divided into three main zones - bedroom, playroom and work. Each of them requires a certain amount of artificial lighting.
1. Overhead light. It should be distributed directly above the playing area, away from natural light sources.
2. Medium light– distributed in the central part of the room or in an angular offset, where it is located children's Corner. Place a computer table or TV opposite it.
3. Lighting of the work area. To do this, use table lamps, lamps or pendants.
4. Light above the children's bed. It is not correct to replace it with desktop lighting or other area lighting. Especially during adolescence, a night light with a power regulator is needed, which helps create a certain intimate atmosphere.
Central lighting for children's room
Such lighting is usually combined with additional floor lamps or sconces, which help illuminate certain areas of the room (working or relaxing). Nowadays, spot lamps located around the perimeter of the ceiling are very common. Usually, when playing, children can climb even into the most seemingly inaccessible corners of the room. Such lamps help to illuminate the entire area of the room equally well, thereby preventing visual strain.
Lighting in the children's room above the workplace
The most important attention must be paid to lighting in the work area. To prevent your child’s vision from deteriorating, place the desk lamp correctly on the work table so that there is no shadow on the table surface. In addition, it is necessary to adjust the desired power of the device. Place the lamp below eye level so that the light hits your eyes directly.
The note: By the way, the arrangement of shelves with spotlights built into the lower part can help to ensure uniform illumination of the workplace.
Additional lighting for the children's room
Create additional lighting in the children's room using decorative lamps or glowing toys. For example, use a floor lamp to highlight the area around the bed with light. This helps immerse the rest of the room in twilight, and prepare for sleep.
If you install a night light, make sure that its power does not interfere with the child's sleep. At the same time, the light should not be too dim, as this creates shadows that frighten children. Let it be a toy-shaped night light that only glows slightly in the dark.
At the head of the children's bed, you should use a sconce lamp as a night light. If such a lamp has a rheostat switch, then it will perform two functions: when full power The child will be able to read the lamps, and by turning down the brightness, use the sconce instead of a night light.
Choosing lighting in a children's room taking into account the child's age
As the child ages, the requirements for lighting in the nursery change.
1. Preschool child
Young children play or sleep most of the time. When arranging a children's room of this age, the main thing is high level security and minimalism.
The lamp or ceiling chandelier should be located in the center of the ceiling: this way the light will be distributed throughout the room. Fluorescent lamps are not recommended. They contribute to irritability and fatigue in children.
If there is a night light at the head of the child's bed, then it should be installed at such a level that the baby cannot reach it with his hands.
Do not install under any circumstances floor lamp in the children's room: it is very easy to knock over!
2. Schoolchild
Child school age spends a lot of time at the desk doing homework. Hence, workplace should be well lit. It is better to place the table lamp in the left corner. If your child is left-handed, then accordingly - on the right. To prevent your child from accidentally catching the lamp with his hand, attach it to the table with a special bracket.
Important: To prevent the light from the lamp from blinding the child’s eyes, in the evening, in addition to the table lamp, let the main light be turned on. Thus, there will be no sudden changes in lighting and shadowed areas.
If the room is designed for two (or more) children, then it can be divided into zones using a suspended ceiling with halogen light bulbs.
When planning lighting, do not forget about the safety rules for the child. Check carefully that the luminaires meet all requirements.
1. If your child is still a baby, then all lighting fixtures should be located out of his reach. After all, it is quite possible that an inquisitive child will want to explore internal organization lamps.
2. In a nursery, it is better to avoid bulky glass chandeliers, as a child can break it, for example, while playing with a ball. Tempered glass lampshades may be suitable. They have an undoubted advantage plastic lamps: If such a lamp breaks, the child is unlikely to be injured.
3. Long wires are very dangerous for little fidgets. All wires must be hidden. Consider the location of sockets, taking into account the arrangement of furniture. While the child is small, it is not advisable to install floor lamps: children love outdoor games, and in the process they can easily knock over such elements. Instead of portable table lamps, use ones that can be fixed. A pendant lamp (which can easily be moved in a horizontal position) or lamps on brackets is very suitable for a child's room. The long cord of the pendant lamp allows you to use it in the right place: near the bed, above work area or in the playground.
4. Choose a lamp closed type so that during lessons the child does not touch a hot device and get burned. Even if such a closed lamp falls, its fragments will not fly apart and harm the child.
5. Sockets, as well as switches, should be located in a place inaccessible to children. Install sockets with special locking devices. There are also models with increased security: the protective curtains open only when two contacts are entered at the same time. This way, you will protect even the most inquisitive little explorer.
So, let's summarize. When arranging the room, make sure that the lighting in the children's room fully meets all the requirements for the best physical and mental development of your child. And also that the safety of the devices, ease of maintenance of the lamps and compliance with the interior style are observed.
In a children's room, everything should be carefully thought out, because parents are responsible for both the comfort and safety of the room where the child grows up. Lighting in a children's room is its most important element, since this room combines a bedroom, a playroom and a study room. We will tell you how to choose the right lighting for a nursery in our article.
It’s worth noting right away that any nursery, whether it’s designed for a baby or a school-age child, should be filled with light, the only difference is in its intensity and functionality, therefore:
- It is necessary to focus on the age, routine and activities to which the child devotes a lot of time. This will allow you to correctly assess the value of type, power and correct location lamps.
- It is better to combine the main light (ceiling, chandelier) and secondary (local, directional) in the form of a table lamp, floor lamp, sconce.
- It is recommended to create controlled task lighting. That is, so that the child, if desired, can independently direct the lamp in the desired direction and use the dimmer (light intensity regulator).
- Light can help with zoning the space of a room in which two or more children live.
Daylight
The importance of daylight for a growing organism cannot be overestimated, and the amount of sun rays there can't be much in this case.
It’s good if the children’s windows overlook southeast side, then rays of natural light will enter the room long time during the whole day.
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Excessive sun exposure is also useless; it will irritate the child’s eyes. When the windows are large enough and face south, it is better to cover the opening, for example, with Roman translucent curtains, which will be very appropriate, functional and safe, and in addition, this technique will allow the too bright sun to dissipate when passing through the light fabric.
If your children's room is located on north side, and the sun avoids it, the situation can be corrected, firstly, by using light, light curtains, and secondly, by increasing the window opening. The second method is quite troublesome, but more effective.
Combined lighting: spots
As a rule, it is customary to install one or two small sources of main light in a room, but in the case of a nursery this may not be enough, since children tend to make the most of the occupied space. This means you will need to illuminate as much space as possible. When choosing a chandelier or a pair of ceiling lamps, it is better to back up their light with spots built into the ceiling.
It is better if the chandelier shades are closed, or at least directed upwards. This will protect children's eyes from harsh light, since they are big fans of looking at a burning light bulb while lying on the bed. In addition, if it is damaged, glass fragments will remain inside.
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Work lighting: table lamps
Without exaggeration, increased attention should be paid to the working lighting of the children's room. In addition to the desk, this also applies to the games area.
The working plane, in this case, a table or desk, must be illuminated so that the incident rays do not create unnecessary shadows from the seated figure.
Remember also that the open light coming from the table lamp should be below the child's eye level to avoid irritation.
The choice of work lamp models is quite wide; these can be classic lamps with a lampshade or devices rotating around their axis. Lamps with a bendable leg or a foot that can be attached to the desired surface at the required height are very convenient and compact. Don’t forget about the spots, which, in turn, are mounted, for example, at the bottom of a hanging bookshelf.
At the time of buying new chandelier in the nursery, take a closer look at the base of the lamp's light bulb - it may turn out to be non-standard, and in the future it may be difficult to find a suitable lamp.
Floor lamps are used in a children's room, often to illuminate the play area on the floor, or less often the bedside area, while paying attention to the quality and reliability of the lamp support.
All cords and wires are from local lighting fixtures they need to be carefully and securely hidden, since when playing, children will not get confused in them for long, which can lead to unpleasant and extremely undesirable consequences.
Decorative light
The function of decorative light used in a nursery can be such that it is used as a night light (such lighting will be especially useful for children who are afraid of the dark), it helps an angry child calm down and get ready for bed, and also better perceive fairy tales read for the night.
The light of the bedside lamp should be dim and not frighten the baby if he wakes up at night.
The night light can be shaped like a toy or animal and made of durable unbreakable material(for example, with a metal or fabric lampshade) that will not break if you accidentally brush it off in your sleep.
An alternative to a bedside decorative lamp may well be a sconce attached to the wall above the bedside table. You can choose a model with a bending adjustable leg.
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In a room intended for two or three children, it is recommended to provide a sconce or bedside lamp for each. This will allow you to invisibly mark the boundaries of each child’s personal space, teaching you to respect other people’s things from an early age.
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Lighting safety
When it comes to choosing the right lamp for a nursery, it is better to think about its safety, in terms of how reliable its lampshade will be, which can be hit by plastic bullets, balls, toys and other projectiles.
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- Protect your child by choosing plastic, fabric lampshades and lamps with stable wooden or metal supports.
- As mentioned earlier, it is good if the shape of the lampshade is solid (closed) to prevent fragments from falling outside of it if the chandelier or lamp suddenly falls.
- The choice of a light bulb for a chandelier or a secondary lamp also depends on the age and hobbies of the child. Yes, newborn baby most Spends time lying in the crib, directing his eyes upward to the light, so it should not be too bright.
- An older child often plays outdoor games or is engaged in creative work, doing homework, therefore, the intensity of the incoming light should be much higher.
- Modern energy-saving lamps are silent, but a significant drawback is their cold white glow, which depresses vision.
- Fluorescent lamps have high efficiency, so a sample with a power of 11 W will illuminate the same as a 60 W incandescent lamp.
And most importantly, when choosing a lighting device, trust your child’s taste, do not force this or that design on him. Remember, all things surrounding the baby should be a natural extension of him.
A children's room is a universal and multifunctional room. And a lot depends on its lighting. You can use lighting to adjust the baby’s mood and his neuropsychological state. And the general physical well-being of the child directly depends on these indicators.
Lighting in a children's room: photos and design examples
When planning lighting in a nursery, you need to find a “golden mean”. The light should not be too dim, because the child’s vision will begin to become unnecessarily strained. But too bright light will tire small eyes.
Lighting in a children's room, examples of which you can see in this article, has a number of features. And above all, it is the presence of a large source of natural light.
It is advisable to allocate the most well-lit room in the house for the child. This may be subject to availability large window or balcony frame. sunlight- this is the natural and most favorable source of lighting, without which the child becomes capricious and absent-minded.
Rules for placing light sources in a children's room:
- We place artificial light sources evenly in the child’s room, without sharp light transitions;
- The main light source should be ceiling lamp with diffused light and, preferably, with a lamp closed from below;
- Do not choose glass or crystal shades for the nursery - they create a lot of glare and additionally strain the eyes;
- Calculate the number of lamps depending on the area; if the room is large, divide it into zones.
Very important point is the inaccessibility of lighting fixtures for small, inquisitive children.
Spotlights in the interior: uniform lighting of the nursery
Uniform lighting in a room is difficult to achieve, especially if the area is quite large. An ordinary chandelier will not cope with such a task, so spotlights will come to the rescue. They will help divide the room into zones into which you can regulate the supply of light using separate switches.
Spotlights in the interior are a system of small lighting fixtures that are placed on the surface of the ceiling and help solve a lot of problems with additional lighting.
There are spotlights various forms, sizes, colors, configurations. They are used with various types lamps For example, with an incandescent lamp. But due to the large size, not all lamps are suitable. They are practically incompatible with halogen ones, the disadvantage of which is their excessive heating. The same problem with LED and energy-saving ones - they are economical, but quite expensive.
5 reasons to choose spotlights for your children's room:
- These lamps will help solve the problem of low ceilings;
- Visually increase the space;
- You can not only turn on each zone separately, but also adjust the degree of its illumination;
- With them you can easily experiment with design - manufacturers produce a large number of children's models;
- Such lamps consume much less electricity.
Spotlights are not used as the main source of lighting; they usually serve as additional element backlight.
Original decorative element: children's spots
Spots are small directional light fixtures. They help enhance the effect of the designer’s idea and highlight the desired element in the interior. Most often, this design contains several light bulbs mounted on a bracket.
Children's spots are attached to both walls and ceilings. And today they are an indispensable element in children's rooms.
Using spots, you can highlight and highlight any part of the room, for example, bookshelf or a painting, a children's collection or handmade crafts. They use halogen lamps, which direct whiter, softer rays onto the object, resulting in better color tones.
Pros and cons of using spots:
- Extremely low cost;
- Long service life;
- Sensitive to voltage changes;
- The lamp becomes very hot during operation.
Spots will help decorate the interior of a children's room and highlight your child's individuality.
Lighting in a children's room: photos of design options
Previously, parents did not pay much attention to any elements of additional lighting in the children's room. A bulky chandelier on the ceiling and a table lamp were quite enough. Today, lighting in a nursery is an integral part of any, even modest, renovation.
Lighting in a children's room, examples of which you can see in this article, allows you to alternate warm and cold shades of light throughout the day, which reduces the strain on the child's vision.
It is very important to use additional lighting in a child’s room, because this room, as a rule, has several zones. This is where any type of additional lighting comes in handy. These can be spots, spotlights, all kinds of sconces, floor lamps, table and floor lamps.
Expert advice on using lighting in a children's room:
- LED bulbs are best suited for a child's room. They do not heat up and do not injure the child’s eyes.
- The use of children's lamps will fulfill its main role and will delight your baby.
- Spotlights can be mounted not only on the ceiling. They can serve as wonderful soft night lighting for your children on the walls, in the floor and even on the stairs.
- It is very harmful to watch TV or a computer screen in the dark, so soft lighting will help solve this problem.
As you can see, with the help of lighting you can make an ordinary children's room much more attractive, add a fairytale and mystery to it. You can understand which additional lighting elements to choose by looking at the photos used in this article.
Efficient lighting in the nursery (video)
When choosing lighting for your children's room, do not lose sight of the safety of your children. When installing lighting, take into account the child’s age, activity, and interests. Consider all the necessary security measures to ensure that your baby's room is fantastic, but does not contain hidden threats.
Every day, a huge number of harmful factors affect the eyes, and if an adult independently compensates for them, then the child is entirely dependent on the decisions made by his parents. One of these factors is light. A large number of During the time the baby is in his room, maximum attention must be paid to it when arranging the light. What kind of lighting should be in the nursery?
If it is possible to choose the location of the room for the nursery, it is best the room will do with windows facing east or northeast. With this arrangement, already in the morning the nursery will be filled with sunlight, setting a good mood for your child. If this is not possible, the lack of daylight must be compensated for by artificial lighting.
The best solution There will be a white matte lamp placed in the center of the room, it will give excellent soft light reflected from the ceiling without irritating children's eyesight. As additional light, you can use recessed lamps along the perimeter of the ceiling; they will cover poorly lit areas, while eliminating the sharp contrast of illuminated and shaded areas, which can also irritate the eyesight.
Time does not stand still, the child grows, and the lighting should change with him. If at a very young age it will be enough to place a small night light on the wall near the crib, which will help the child sleep, then in adolescence, you will need a more serious bedside lamp, implemented in the form of a sconce or a table lamp on the bedside table.
For reading books and studying at your desk, a table lamp with a closed shade and an adjustable leg is perfect, and it will be possible to adjust it so that the light from the lamp does not fall into your eyes. The lamp should not exceed 60W so that the bright light reflected from the white sheet does not blind the child. The most convenient lamp is one that has special mount, allowing you to secure it to the tabletop, since table lamps easily tip over and can pose some danger.
When studying at a desk, it is imperative to turn on the main lighting in order to remove significant contrast between dark room And bright table. And most importantly, you should not place huge pendant lamps, which a child can break while playing, the fragments flying in different directions can cause serious injuries.
Take care of the correct lighting in the nursery and at the same time about the child’s vision; in the future you will understand how important it is to do this on time.
Every family knows perfectly well that the child’s room is the most significant in the entire apartment. Parents treat this room with special trepidation, because this is where the baby spends most of his time until he grows up: he rests, develops physically and mentally, plays with toys, does homework, draws, writes, sculpts figures from plasticine, etc. Therefore, the correct distribution of furniture and interior details will help create the most comfortable environment for a child of any age: from a newborn to a primary school student. Psychologists insist that lighting plays a leading role in the design of a child’s bedroom: it directly and indirectly affects the psyche, thereby determining the mood and internal state of the child. Therefore, in this article we propose to learn about what lighting should be in a children's room by providing original photos ideas and recommendations for parents.
Types of light sources
There are 2 types of sources. The first is daylight, which enters the room in the form of sunlight. The second is artificial lighting sources: lamps, spot ceiling lighting, sconces, chandeliers, floor lamps, etc. Not a single children's room can be imagined without windows, which should help give the child the joy of the sun, especially in the summer, and, of course, , without artificial light sources needed both in summer and winter. The baby's comfort will be provided by lamps for children's rooms: table, bedside, ceiling and wall-mounted. We’ve already written about this before, so don’t hesitate to take advantage of our tips and recommendations.
What requirements need to be taken into account?
To properly distribute lighting in a children's room, consider the following rules:
- For a child, it is recommended to use soft light. Avoid overly bright chandeliers and their glare on reflective surfaces. However, twilight is also not recommended. Suitable lighting is considered to be such that, using it, you will avoid changes from light to shadow, and all objects in the room will be equally illuminated.
- for a children's room is 200 Lx. Take this point into account when...
- Pay attention to the choice of shapes and dimensions of the lighting sources that you want to install in the children's room with your own hands.
- Large and awkward chandeliers and lamps will be the first thing to break as a result of active children's games, for example, with a ball. So, when choosing from the catalog, prefer those that have a round and flat shape.
- Avoid models with crystal or mirror parts to avoid glare.
- It would be ideal to install spot ceiling lighting: well “filling” the tension and suspended ceiling, it remains comfortable and non-irritating for children's eyes. In the previous article, you can find out how to install them yourself in a teenager’s room.
- Today, fluorescent lamps are often used, but it is better not to use them for lighting a nursery. Lamps of this type have a negative effect on people, quickly exhausting them and causing irritation. If you do not want to expose your child to such conditions, refuse to use such lamps, especially in the baby’s room.
- Continuing the question about lamps, I would like to advise one more thing - do not use fluorescent light bulbs to illuminate the children's room. They contain mercury; if a child accidentally breaks the lamp, this can jeopardize his health. Make your choice exclusively LED lamps, they are also shockproof. We talked about that in a separate article!
- For little ones who like to read a good book at night, we recommend purchasing a bedside lamp. If its functions include adjusting the brightness of the lighting and the direction of the light, then it can become a convenient night light for a growing boy or girl. In this case, pay attention to how many watts the light bulb is rated for so that the backlight is comfortable enough for reading.
- The child’s learning process should take place in the most convenient conditions. Desk, behind which your child will study, should be placed as close as possible to the window so that it is better illuminated by sunlight. Speaking about artificial lighting sources in a children's room, it should be noted that here the leader remains desk lamp. It is better that it has a mount and can be located on the edge of the table. For children writing right hand, place the light source in front and to the left. You can prevent a strong light load on the baby’s vision by using a lampshade on the lamp or table lamp, as shown in the picture below. We talked about this in a separate article.
Pay attention to the safety of light sources. The child should not have easy access to the wires or the lamp! Manufacturing materials must be durable and reliable! If you decide to organize light in the nursery wooden house, make sure that the lamp is fireproof. Take a closer look at which manufacturer cares about the health of your baby.
