Recommended Foot-Candle Levels for Residential Interiors (Kitchen, Living Room, Bedroom)

Foot-candles are a simple way to set lighting targets in homes. They help you avoid spaces that feel dim, patchy, or overlit.

This guide gives practical foot-candle ranges for kitchens, living rooms, and bedrooms. Use them as targets, then confirm results with a photometric plan when the project needs accuracy.

Foot-Candles in Homes: What They Mean and Where to Measure

A foot-candle (fc) measures illuminance. It tells you how much light reaches a surface. In residential design, the most useful measurement planes are the countertop, desk, vanity, and the floor.

false color lighting analysis showing residential foot candle levels across the kitchen and living areas, highlighting task and ambient light distribution

Measure where people use the space. A kitchen can look “bright” on the floor but still be under-lit on the countertop. The same happens at a desk, a vanity, or a reading chair.

Ambient: general comfort and circulation.
Task: work surfaces like counters, sinks, desks, and vanities.
Accent: highlights features without raising the whole room level.

For U.S. projects, foot-candles are the most common unit. If you need lux, use 1 fc ≈ 10.76 lux.

Recommended Foot-Candle Levels for Kitchens, Living Rooms, and Bedrooms

These are practical target ranges used in residential design. Use the lower end for calmer spaces. Use the higher end for detailed tasks, darker finishes, or clients who prefer more light.

Kitchen (ambient): 10–20 fc on the floor.
Kitchen (task on counters): 30–50 fc at the countertop plane.
Living room (ambient): 5–15 fc for a relaxed feel.
Living room (reading/task): 20–50 fc at the chair or side table.
Bedroom (ambient): 3–10 fc for comfort.
Bedroom (reading): 20–30+ fc at the reading plane.

Numbers are targets, not guarantees. Real results depend on ceiling height, spacing, beam angle, and surface reflectance. That is why a photometric plan is useful when you want confidence before installation.

Ceiling height: higher ceilings often need tighter spacing or different optics.
Beam angle: narrow beams can raise fc in small zones but create hot spots.
Finishes: dark floors and matte counters reduce reflected light.

residential kitchen and living area with balanced ambient and task foot candle levels

Common Mistakes When Setting Residential Light Levels

Most residential lighting problems are not caused by the fixture brand. They come from targets that are wrong, measurements taken on the wrong plane, or layouts that ignore uniformity and glare.

Designing only by lumens: lumens do not tell you the foot-candles on the counter or at a chair.
One grid for every room: kitchens need task layers; bedrooms need softer ambient with local task light.
Ignoring uniformity: a high average can still look bad if minimum levels are too low.
Too many narrow beams: can create hot spots, glare, and harsh contrast.
No dimming plan: you need different scenes for cooking, cleaning, relaxing, and night mode.

Get a Professional Photometric Plan

We create accurate photometric plans ready for permitting, contractor installation, and real-world performance.

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Key Takeaways

Use foot-candles to set lighting targets based on room function and measurement plane.
Kitchens typically need higher task levels on countertops (often 30–50 fc) than living rooms and bedrooms.
Uniformity and glare matter as much as the average value.
Photometric plans verify real results using fixture IES files, mounting heights, and room surfaces.

If you want to confirm foot-candle targets before installation, we can build a photometric plan a