Rooms
Utility room lighting
This is where laundry is sorted by colour, stains are checked and ironing is done. It is precision work – and usually a room with one fluorescent tube in the middle of the ceiling.
A workspace, not a storeroom
The utility room is the most underrated workspace in the house. It is where things are done that need sharp eyes: telling white from light grey in the laundry basket, finding a stain on a shirt, an iron mark on a collar. Yet it is usually lit by one ceiling light that casts a shadow exactly where the work is done – over your own worktop.
Indirect light solves one half: even, shadow-free general light that fills a small room without glare. The other half is solved by direct task light over the worktop and machines. Two layers, as in the kitchen.
Two layers of light
1. Indirect general light – at the ceiling edge or on top of the wall cabinets
If the room has wall cabinets that do not reach the ceiling, a strip on top of them – the cabinet is the glare shield and the profile does not need to be visible. If not, a corner profile at the ceiling edge along the long wall. A utility room is small and the ceiling light, so 14.4 W/m is enough for 300 lux.
2. Task light – over the worktop and machines
Strip at the front edge of the underside of the wall cabinets, or a separate profile on the wall 50-60 cm above the worktop, light down onto the worktop. The same above the washing machine and tumble dryer – you need to see inside the drum. 17 W/m and CRI 95: laundry colours must be distinguishable.
In practice: a 2 × 3 m utility room, wall cabinets on one wall
Strip on top of the wall cabinet run 2.4 m × 14.4 W/m = 40 W. White ceiling, height 2.5 m. Result about 300 lx general light.
A second strip under the cabinets onto the worktop: 2.4 m × 17 W/m (actual draw 20 W/m) = 50 W of direct task light, +500-750 lx on the worktop. Two 50 W drivers on top of the cabinet, the task light can be switched off separately.
Sizing
| General light | 300 lx – clearly more than in living spaces |
| Worktop | +500 lx of direct light – the same as in the kitchen |
| Colour temperature | 3500-4000 K – neutral light distinguishes stains and colours, warm light hides dirt |
| CRI | at least 95 – white vs. light grey, blue vs. black |
| IP rating | IP65 in the splash zone of the sink and washing machine, IP20 is enough elsewhere |
| Control | motion sensor – your hands are always full of laundry |
Why 4000 K here and not 3000 K
Warm 3000 K is recommended almost everywhere in a home. The utility room is the exception: warm light makes white look yellowish and hides stains. Neutral 4000 K shows the laundry as it really is. If the room is an extension of the hallway and the difference in tone bothers you, 3500 K is a compromise.
Moisture – what is enough
A utility room is a damp room but not a wet room like a bathroom. Splashes are possible around the sink and over the washing machine – an IP65 strip there. At the ceiling edge and on top of the cabinets IP20 is enough. The driver as far from the sink as possible, preferably on top of a cabinet or on the hallway side.
If the utility room shares the space with the bathroom, i.e. the washing machine is next to the shower, the whole room is a wet room and the electrician decides the placements. Bathroom IP ratings →
Kitchen – the same two-layer principle → · Colour temperature → · Dimming and control →
Utility room strips → LedStore
Frequently asked questions
How is indirect lighting done in a utility room?
On top of the wall cabinets or at the ceiling edge with a corner profile. In a utility room indirect light is always combined with task light, because checking stains and ironing need direct light on the worktop.
Which IP rating for a utility room?
IP65 in the splash zone, i.e. near the sink and washing machine. IP20 is enough elsewhere. A utility room is a damp room even though it is not a wet room.
How much light for a utility room?
300 lx general light and 500 lx on the worktop. This is clearly more than in living spaces, because precise work is done in the room.
Which colour temperature for a utility room?
3500-4000 K. Neutral light helps distinguish stains and colours. Warm 3000 K hides dirt and makes white look yellowish – a drawback in this room.
Does utility room lighting need an electrician?
A plug-in driver on top of a cabinet is a DIY installation. If the utility room shares the space with the bathroom, it is a wet room and the installation is electrician’s work.
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