Coffee Shop Lighting

Every location has its own lighting needs unique to the setting. When considering the right setup and fixtures for coffee shop lighting, there are certain concerns unique to this type of location. Since this is a setting which walks an interesting balance of cozy and alert for patrons, getting the lighting right can be a make or break aspect of your business. Let's take a look at the top tips for coffee shop lighting to find the right solutions for your location.

Use natural light to your advantage

A coffee shop is a unique location because it has a strange mix of being both a hub for productivity with remote workers or students plugged into laptops but also being a place where people come to relax with a good book and a cup of coffee. A great way to make sure you cater to the desires of both types of customers, use natural light to your advantage. Most coffee shops have large windows with tables and outlets nearby which is ideal for your customers looking for the alertness natural light brings. This space requires minimal artificial lighting since during the day since the natural light does most of the work. For the areas of the coffee shop further back from the natural light source of windows, you can use artificial lighting to create the warm, cozy atmospheres other guests expect. This is a great way to balance the needs of both types of customers in your shop. Of course, you should also make sure you have lighting solutions installed over the window areas as well for night time lighting, but the use of natural light during the day is ideal.

Choose the right color temperature

One of the most important elements of choosing coffee shop lighting is getting the right color temperature for the area. The color temperature is how warm (yellow) or cool (white to blue-white) a light source looks to the eyes. When you want to create a cozy environment, you would opt for a warmer option since this gives the place a homey vibe. For a coffee shop, you should aim for a color temperature somewhere between 2200-3200 to avoid going too cool white.

Keep color temperature consistent

While getting the right color temperature to start off with is the first step, you also want to keep things consistent. The key is to make sure you keep color temperature consistent throughout the space so you don't end up with warm lights in one area and cool lights in another area since this is jarring to the eyes. Once you choose the right color temperature for your coffee shop, make an effort to ensure all lamps are in that same color temperature for a clean, even look your customers will appreciate. Color temperature plays a big role in the overall atmosphere of a location so its important to get this aspect right from the start.

Set lights to timers

Since this is a space where you will use a lot of natural light during the day, you will want to keep some light fixtures turned off when maximizing natural light. When the sun sets, you will need those lights near the windows to come on so customers have adequate lighting to study, read, or relax. This is where timers and dimmers can come in handy in your lighting plan. You can have the lights set to a dimmer during the day and then set to go to full brightness after dark, or you can have the lights off in the day and then set to come on with timers. This is an easy way to add to the lighting plan by maximizing ease and function. You can also set timers so the lights turn out selectively at the end of the night or when closed to avoid wasting money on electricity when the building isn't occupied for added convenience.

Use LEDs

One of the best ideas for successful coffee shop lighting is to use LED solutions. There are a few reasons to choose LED fixtures for your business. For starters. LED offers the best in lumen output or brightness for a lower wattage of consumption which saves on utility costs. LED is also a no heat solution and operates on a driver rather than a ballast which only contributes to their incredible longevity for a long-lasting solution. LED is also flicker free and offers clean, consistent lighting for years. In fact, LED lamps can last up to 4 times longer than incandescent options while still giving you the warm yellow glow of an incandescent lamp. They are also better for the environment since they do not contain mercury, use less energy overall, and need to be relamped less often over less efficient lamp types. Finally, LED options offer better color rendering indexes and a more diverse color temperature scale than other options so you can get exactly what you need for the space without worry.

Mix and match fixture types/mounts

When choosing the light fixtures for this space, don't feel like you have to stick with one fixture type or fixture mount. Since most coffee shops tend to have more of an artsy or eclectic appeal, this is the time to mix and match fixture types. This creates a nice layering effect to light spread and also breaks up the monotony of the space. For example, the use of overhead track lighting mixed with recessed can lights can give a great deal of general lighting while still offering ambiance for this unique and cozy space. You can also add a few well-placed wall sconces for added light spread in certain areas. While recessed and surface mount are always popular choices in terms of mounting, don't shy away from a few nice suspended mount options with a more decorative touch. These smaller touches can add to the general lighting of the space while giving the shop an artsy and inviting atmosphere.