Choosing lighting for your house in France
For many years lighting in a ‘traditional’ French home consisted of nothing more than a single pendant dangling forlornly in the centre of the room. ‘High performance’ kitchen lighting came in the form of a fluorescent tube, which slowly crackled into life. Thankfully times have changed and lighting has become an increasingly specialist area with a vast range of new and innovative products appearing on the market. These days a new property will often incorporate a mix of mood, concealed and task lighting.
A trip to a lighting store may well provide inspiration as far as design goes. It will also give a good idea of some of the new products available. However, the best approach is to sit and run through the lighting requirements of each individual room or piece in the project. Careful planning at the outset will mean that many features that are often only found in ‘top-spec’ properties, can be incorporated into the new build at a reasonable cost. For example, concealed lighting creates a great look, but as no fittings can be seen, less expensive ones can provide the same effect. Equally, up-lighters can give a real wow factor to a room, especially when using coloured bulbs. If these are planned at the outset, running the cables before the floors have been laid is simple to do.
Kitchens and bathrooms have very specific lighting requirements, both from a safety and a usage point of view. Kitchens will need effective lighting in food preparation and working areas. This is known as task lighting. Traditionally this has often involved placing light fittings under the wall units but these days there are many other solutions available. These include taps and extractors with integral lights, as well as down-lighters or spots that can be fitted into the ceiling or into a shelf. Glass fronted cupboards with lights behind the panels are another option. Lighting can also be installed behind a glass splashback. Any dark corners will also benefit from extra lighting.
Dimmer switches
If there is going to be a dining area, then this will need more ambient lighting. Installing a dimmer switch or variateur can be a good solution. Dimmer switches control the amount of light given by the bulb and therefore set the mood for a room and are also useful in living areas. However, not all light fittings can be operated by dimmer switches. As a general rule, most tungsten and halogen fittings are dimmable but only certain types of fluorescent fixtures can be dimmed. It is also important to establish whether the dimmer has sufficient capacity to control the load on the circuit.
Living rooms can take a variety of lighting treatments. There are no set rules and chandeliers, up-lighters, wall lights, table lamps and so forth all have a role to play. It is very much a question both of personal taste and the things the room is used for. People who read or perhaps sew in the evenings will have different requirements to those who prefer to watch television. Angled spotlights are a great solution in living areas as they can be positioned as required and can be redirected if furniture or paintings are rearranged. Using coloured bulbs is an inexpensive way of changing the mood too.
Bathrooms are a special case. Clearly, light fittings should be sealed properly to prevent any direct contact with water and this is usually done by using some sort of glazed casing. Sealed down-lighters are an alternative but it will also be useful to have some task lighting around the mirror. Generally this consists of a tungsten light strip, often with a shaver socket attached. When building from scratch it is easy to install some form of concealed lighting, which will be far more stylish. Mirrors with integral lights can add a nice touch, but they do tend to be expensive.
Where bedrooms are concerned, most people will want bedside lamps and a central pendant light. Although a pendant is the cheapest option, again, planning up-lighters or down-lighters at the start of the build will not add greatly to the cost and may provide a nicer solution. If money is no object, a fibre optic system can even be installed to provide a starry night sky effect. In either case, just don’t forget the all-important switch or interrupteur by the bed!
Energy efficient
Being energy efficient with lighting is important throughout the house but nowhere is this truer, than in hallways and stairwells. These areas are likely to see lights turned on and left on for considerable periods of time. You could fit a timing switch as found in all good French hotels of a certain era but a more practical solution is to ensure the use of energy-efficient bulbs. This type of bulb, also referred to as compact fluorescent, has improved hugely in recent years and now offers good performance levels and does save a lot of electricity.
LED – or light emitting diodes – lighting was once rarely used in the domestic environment because of the costs involved. However, in recent times prices have come down enormously and they are now a very viable option. LEDs use very low currents and therefore offer very low energy consumption. It is possible to directly replace some mains voltage halogen bulbs for LED type bulbs, which will use a fraction of the power and last a lot longer. As EDF charge varying rates depending on the amount of power entering the building, it makes complete sense to economise on energy wherever possible and practicable.
The final part of the new build where lighting needs to be planned is not the property itself but the outside area. Exterior lighting ranges from the practical – lights that turn on as you arrive home – to the ambient such as patio lighting for alfresco suppers. Security lighting will both deter intruders and provide easier access to the front door on dark nights.
For many people living in rural France, good exterior lights are a necessity rather than a luxury. Passive Infra Red (PIR) detectors can be adjusted to trip on at different light levels and for different lengths of time, from a few seconds to several minutes. There is now a huge range of exterior lighting available from wall mounted to free standing.
Think about your lifestyle and needs. Many people with animals or livestock will often be outside when the light is fading and good lighting can make life a whole lot easier. It is also worth considering installing solar powered lights in and around the garden to provide additional low maintenance lighting and highlight special features. These will cost nothing to run and will provide hours of pleasure.