Buying guide: toilet, hallway and more

Buying guide: toilet, hallway and more

While the lighting in our living spaces usually gets plenty of attention, we all too often neglect places such as hallways, which we only pass through, or spaces where we hardly linger, like the cellar. It is true that we spend little time in a hallway, just as we rarely give much thought to the kind of light fitting in our toilet. But that is no reason to ignore the lighting in these places, if only to save energy!

The hallway

In long hallways, wall lights are the best choice, as they increase the feeling of brightness by tracing a path of light, from the hallway to the living room for example. Where the hallway follows on from the entrance, take care to use different light sources. A ceiling light in the entrance followed by spotlights along the corridor will set the entrance apart from the hallway and, at the same time, create a lovely sense of depth. Ideal for small spaces. In the same way, you can add more light sources to the hallway by combining a chandelier with wall lights.

The toilet, garage and cellar

As for the cellar and the toilet, since we spend so little time there, the best approach is to save energy by using LED bulbs, which use ten times less energy than standard bulbs and last much longer. If you are impatient and want instant light in one of these rooms (energy-saving bulbs take a while to reach full brightness), choose a halogen bulb: it uses less energy and has the advantage of reaching full brightness as soon as it is switched on. The same goes for the garage, although you should choose lighting suited to its size: in a spacious garage, fluorescent tubes will give satisfactory light at a modest cost and energy use, while in a smaller one, energy-saving bulbs in simple pendant fittings will be perfectly suitable.