Do I go for sticks and spirals or covered shape bulbs

Back when there were only incandescents, choosing a bulb was fairly simple – get the right fitting, shape and wattage and you were pretty much sorted, even if you did occasionally end up with a reflector bulb looking a bit odd in a lampshade.

However, since the advent of energy-saving bulbs, there seem to be any number of permutations, as manufacturers find ever new ways of bending fluorescent tubing into strange shapes. A lot of this is just slight variance between manufacturers though, as there are basically three main types of energy-saving bulb – sticks, spirals and ‘covered’ bulbs.

stick bulb has a number of small, straight fluorescent tubes rising vertically from the base, and tends to be longer and narrower than a traditional bulb. A spiral bulb, meanwhile, has one continuous spiral tube that forms a round balloon shape like a traditional bulb (or a stylised ice cream cone!).

So is there any difference between these two types of bulb? To put it simply, not a huge amount. Spiral bulbs have more density of tubing, so they can give off somewhat more light than stick bulbs. Also, due to their more traditional outline, spirals can be better suited to traditional fittings where space is limited, or where you want to achieve a traditional ‘bulb’ look. Sticks, on the other hand, can make a real statement when used in modernist or minimalist light fittings, and are often better suited to long, narrow fittings, as they’ll provide light further along the length of the reflector or diffuser. In case you think these bulbs are only available as replacements for standard bulbs, however, you can also get them to suit golfball and candle fittings.

All of which brings us to covered bulbs, such as the GLS CFL bulb (GLS stands for ‘general lighting services’, i.e. the traditional bulb shape, while CFL stands for compact fluorescent lamp). This type of bulb looks much more like a traditional incandescent pearl bulb, with a single bulb shape rather than any visible tubes. As with spirals and sticks, these bulbs are also available in candle and golfball styles

A GLS CFL bulb works in exactly the same way as a stick or spiral, however, as underneath the translucent covering is a stick or spiral tube, just like one of those bulbs. Although it may look very tempting to get this type of bulb for tradition’s sake, there are a couple of reasons to choose a stick or spiral instead. Firstly, stick and spiral bulbs don’t have to squeeze into a cover, so have more length of tube, and hence give off more light. Nor do they have a diffusion layer, which again saps some of the brightness. GLS CFL bulbs tend to be somewhat pricier as well.

Basically, if your light fittings make the bulb visible, and you or the person you’re fitting them for is adamant about having traditional-looking bulbs, go for a covered bulb. Otherwise, for maximum light output at minimum cost, it’s worth choosing a spiral or stick.

Looking for more inspiration, news and advice? Try our Lighting Advice section.

Charles Barnett Managing Director

Charles started Lyco in 1995 with just 4 enthusiastic employees and has grown it considerably over the past 25 years. Charles is also the Managing Director of Lighting Direct and newly acquired Online Lighting. He now has a team of 50 lighting experts working on growing Lyco Group to be the UK leader in lighting for both businesses and homes. Away from the office he is a keen cyclist and is proud to have cycled 1017 miles from Lands End to John O’Groats to raise money for a new residential centre for adults with multiple learning difficulties.

New Build Part 1 – (Living Room & Hallway Lights)

There’s something special about the process of taking a set of plans and turning them into a finished house, but installing your choice in lighting is one of those pivotal moments when a house turns into a home. It’s important, then, to get it right, and in the first of a series of features on choosing light fittings for a new build home, we look at some key advice and top product suggestions for illuminating the living room and hallway.

Whether you’re designing a house from scratch, fitting an existing build according to a client’s brief, or looking to make a change to a new build before moving in, the impact of your choice in lighting is huge.

There’s the obvious functional benefit of light – there’s little worse than a poorly lit home after all – but there’s also the aesthetic value of lighting too. And there are few spaces in the home where getting that balance right matters more than in the living room and hallway. They’re typically the first two rooms you experience when entering a house, and both serve a vital function within the home too.

The living room, after all, is where the entire family will look to relax and spend time together, while the hallway is the main artery running through the home, linking bedrooms, bathrooms and living areas together.

So what should you think about when choosing living room and hallway lighting? Let’s take a look, and then check out a couple of great product suggestions that fit the bill.

Living Room Lighting

Because the living room serves such a multitude of uses these days, getting the lighting right can be easier said than done. A lot of the finer touches will come down to the placement of things like lamps or cabinet lighting, but there are also some fundamental considerations worth thinking about long before that point.

Size

Especially with a new build, it can be difficult keeping a sense of perspective between the size of your light fitting and the size of the room. It can be tempting to choose a striking ceiling light to make a bold style statement, for instance, but you don’t want to end up completely overpowering the room.

Balance

Does your choice and placement of light fitting create an even balance of light throughout the room? If possible, try to make sure you’re left with no problem areas with insufficient light, or areas that are too bright for that matter – neither is ideal in the living room.

Direction

If you’re planning to install wall lights, be aware of where the TV is most likely going to go. It’s important that the screen isn’t the only source of light in the room, but you certainly don’t want the two competing against each other.

Up or down

Traditional ceiling lights are the most popular and visually noticeable style of lighting for your living room, but if you want a more understated approach or want to draw attention to the ceiling itself, wall-mounted uplights are an elegant alternative.

Hallway Lighting

The hallway may not be a room in the strictest sense of the word, but don’t overlook it – there’s every chance the hall lights will spend more time switched on than any other light in the house. It’s an oddly shaped space, and unlike any other in the house it’s purely used to walk through, and so should be lit with both those points in mind.

Quantity and placement

The typical hallway is long and narrow, and is unlikely to have a natural light source of its own. This means you’re relying solely on artificial lighting to keep the hallway feeling light and open, but you also don’t have much space to work with. The solution is to install more than just one light – ideally about three to four metres apart.

Safety

The hallway is a busy place in any home, and there’s every chance it’ll be linked to a staircase too. This area needs to be well lit, and should have light switches at both the top and bottom.

Style

Discreetly placed track lighting is both effective and elegant – especially for long hallways – while matching wall and ceiling light fixtures from the same product range can be combined unobtrusively to provide sufficient light without getting in the way. Consider the height of the ceiling too. If you’re designing a new build from scratch, recessed wall lighting is a stylish way to get around that, but otherwise opt for a flush ceiling fitting suitable for hallways with low ceilings.

Recommended: Zaragoza pendant and wall light set

It’s easy to see why the Zaragoza range is so popular, not just in the hallway but elsewhere in the house too. The combination of classic styling, polished chrome finish and simple yet elegant cream, red or black ridged shades makes this an enduring favourite.

The 400mm Three-Light Pendant looks understated, but with three 60W bulb fittings it’s more than up to the task of lighting the dimmest of hallways, and can be partnered by the equally capable semi-circular Standard Wall Light.

The Three-Light Table Light continues in the same vein should you be looking to break up the visual impact of a longer hallway with a well-placed table, while you can add a touch of class to wider or irregularly shaped hallways or entrance halls with the simple yet stylish Standard Floor Light.

Conclusion

Choosing the interior lighting for any new build involves taking a good number of practical considerations into account, but make the right decisions from an informed perspective and there’s still plenty of room for expression and creativity.

This concludes part one of our focus on lighting a new build 2-bedroom home. In part 2 we focus on the bedrooms and bathrooms and in part 3 we concentrate on kitchen/diner lighting as well as other interior and exterior spaces.

If you’re looking for more inspiration, news and advice, please check out Lighting advice.

Charles Barnett Managing Director

Charles started Lyco in 1995 with just 4 enthusiastic employees and has grown it considerably over the past 25 years. Charles is also the Managing Director of Lighting Direct and newly acquired Online Lighting. He now has a team of 50 lighting experts working on growing Lyco Group to be the UK leader in lighting for both businesses and homes. Away from the office he is a keen cyclist and is proud to have cycled 1017 miles from Lands End to John O’Groats to raise money for a new residential centre for adults with multiple learning difficulties.