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A bright and beautiful bar lighting can make a big difference in the atmosphere of a restaurant, pub, or nightclub. It will create a warm, inviting ambiance that encourages patrons to come and stay longer.

Whether you are opening your own bar or just want to have some nice lights in your home, it’s essential to know what to choose and how to place them strategically to highlight the part of your establishment that you want to focus on.

In this article, we’ll explore all you need to know about excellent bar lighting. We’ll also highlight some features that make certain types of LED bar lights better than others!

1. Purpose of Bar Lighting Design

Lighting is an essential component in the design of any bar. The primary purpose of designing these fixtures is to ensure customers can find their way in without any difficulty. 

Choosing the proper lighting to enhance the aesthetic is also an excellent way to attract patrons who want to enjoy your pub’s ambiance. Various light colors will contrast with dark backgrounds to create a sense of hierarchy, while different lighting combinations can show different sides of the bar. 

An excellent bar lighting design can reshape your place as a whole. This is why we recommend selecting the lighting equipment to match the ambiance you’re going for.

Because bar styles highlight different characteristics, creating various bar atmospheres will stimulate different feelings from customers. In contrast, it will be difficult to attract regulars if a bar does not have an appealing ambiance.

2. Types of Bar Lighting

In designing a bar, lighting is the first decor that people notice when entering. It sets an atmosphere for those who visit and gives them great expectations from what they'll experience in and out of your establishment!

Depending on the ambiance you’re going for, there are different types of lighting fixtures that you can use:

• Indoor Wall Lamp

Known examples of wall lamps are window lamps, eave lamps, dome lamps, etc. The astigmatism method is mainly indirect or diffuse lighting.

The light is more round than the top surface lamp, and the local lighting gives people a quiet and sweet feeling, making it is easier to express special artistic effects.

• Ceiling Light

Ceiling lights include scanning lights, recessed lights, chandeliers, soft lights, mosaic lights, and flashing ceilings. The combination of different ceiling lamps and flat top mirrors produces light or mysterious, dreamy effects.

• LED Strips

LED strips got its name because it is soft, curled arbitrarily, and shaped like a belt. They can also be freely spliced and cut according to the length you need. These strips usually come with an adhesive for easy sticking and installation.

• LED Pixel Mesh Light

A flexible LED pixel mesh light can be easily applied to various scenes because of its flexible and transparent structure. This LED mesh light can produce a high light transmittance and doesn’t block natural light.

Since it has a high degree of flexibility and uses smart chip technology, you can easily control each mesh pixel when making water, flicker, and animation effects.

• Mobile Light

A mobile light is a type of lamp that can be easily moved from place to place. Mobile lights could be found in waiting areas and rest zones, such as floor lamps or desk lamps.

3. Creative Ways to Light a Bar

From the Perspective of Brightness

• Mixed Lighting

Mixed lighting has higher brightness than uniform lights due to its variety of colors as well as different angles in each specific location -- perfect if you want your club or establishment to light up!

• General Lighting

A general light is like the master of all bulbs. It's not involved with creating moods, but it does make sure that each room has enough illumination for whatever purpose they serve. The primary function of these lights is staying put outside themselves.

• Local Lighting

The role of local lighting is to meet the needs and function of a given space and create an immersive experience through its effect on mood. Local lights should give off just enough brightness that doesn’t interfere with the other aspects of your environment. 

Examples of local lighting are spotlights on the wall of a bar, floor lamps in the rest area, colored lights in special spaces, and the like.

From the Angle of the Light Surface

• Direct Lighting

Direct lighting is more suitable for large and crowded public spaces.  As the name suggests, the main function of this light source is to provide illumination in one direction - usually towards its edge so that those within can easily see what’s happening without obstruction from all sides.

Direct lights don’t have color styles, but they create a soothing and warm atmosphere that your customers will want.

• Semi-Direct Lighting

Semi-direct lighting is generally used to produce a tranquil, hazy, and soothing effect on people. This kind of illumination can be achieved by using glass or objects with a particular blocking ability, so only part of their surfaces are lit up at any given time. 

In contrast, other parts remain dark behind them, making what would've been just another backdrop into something more dynamic-looking.

• Diffuse Lighting

The main feature of this lighting fixture is that it’s non-directional, balanced, and soft-sprinkled around, giving people a feeling of warmth, comfort, and serenity. This atmosphere can be achieved using translucent frosted glass lampshades in bar halls, passages, and lounges.

• Semi-Indirect and Indirect Lighting

Semi-indirect lighting is mainly used for decoration in bars. Featuring a 60% light exposure, its general function is to visually make the wall or ceiling appear higher.

Indirect lighting offers a 90% light exposure that indirectly reflects the light onto an object, while a small part is lightly diffused. Clever use of the floor difference and an outer foundation creates independent spaces.

4. Bar Lighting Design Principles

Bar lighting design is a complex form of expression and has evolved from the traditional ways to meet the needs of today's consumers. This means that creativity in these spaces should be considered an essential component for success rather than overlooked or underestimated.

• Function

It is vital to consider the lighting when designing your bar, as different areas require varying degrees. Many lamps and light sources are available for use in each space, depending on what you need it for - from bright counters to darker corners.

• Aesthetic

The aesthetics of the lights and the intensity they emit is crucial for bar lighting design. If one pays attention, these two aspects can be artistic and attractive to guests.

Lighting is not only a major factor in decorating and beautifying the environment but is also an important means of creating an artistic atmosphere. Generally, bar design creates a good entertainment atmosphere, while lighting design pays attention to the principle of beauty.

• Economic

One of the most important things to consider when designing a bar is affordability. However, the lighting design should meet people's visual physiology and aesthetic psychology.

It should also maximize practical value while appreciating aesthetics to achieve unity among function-use between spaces and environments. 

Cost-effective lighting design can control reasonable investment and get good results, so why not do it?

• Security 

Regardless of the lighting design in any bar, it must follow safety standards. It's crucial to ensure that your patrons enjoy themselves without worrying about accidents or injuries because of poor lighting conditions.

Designers should strive to pursue beauty while conforming to doing what is necessary when designing bars.

5. Different Positions of Bar Lighting Design

Lighting is an essential decoration for creating an atmosphere. The light source inside a space can make a great ambiance and draw customers in like moths to flame!

The type or style of lighting you choose should depend on the design you desire for your pub - if you want a more high-class feel, then try adding candle lights.

So in terms of bar design, how should the lighting be selected?

• Bar Counter

The bar counter is composed of the front bar, operating table, and back bar. In design, different lighting should be built according to different positions.

The front bar is where the bartender works. Thus, the general lighting requirements here do not cater to the atmosphere too much, and the bright lighting design is mainly used.

The operating table in the center of the bar is also a design point that you must pay attention to. It is an important position that distinguishes it from other entertainment venues, and a gentler lighting design should be created to reflect its location better.

The back bar is where liquor bottles are placed as decorations. Local lighting is generally used to highlight their presence and increase the sense of the bar’s hierarchy.

• Deck Area

The area in front of the bar is a more detailed, complex space that combines dynamic and static elements. Lighting should be used strategically, accentuating different parts or moods throughout any given moment to create a comfortable atmosphere that visitors will enjoy.

• Stage Lighting

Lighting is an important aspect of bar design. It can create an atmosphere and enhance certain elements, such as adding light into your space with brazing lamps or LED lights.

At the same time, lighting helps develop a setting that suits what you're trying to achieve - which means it should not only look good and but feel right too!

Conclusion

Figuring out the right bar lighting for your space can be tricky. But it’s worth taking some time to consider how you want guests to feel in your establishment before deciding on a final design.

Having the perfect bar lighting is a vital part of attracting patrons to come to your bar. That’s why it’s essential to learn about the different lighting styles, angles, types, and combinations, so it will match whatever bar design you’re going for!

Do you prefer having a dimly lit lounge with a dark atmosphere or a vibrant place with bright lights and upbeat music? Share your thoughts in the comments!

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