The Best Height For Your Light Switches

Posted on: August 26th, 2011 | 2 Comments



In many houses, there seems to be no rhyme or reason to the placement or height of the light switches. Too often, they are installed where it is convenient for the electrician to run the wiring without much thought for optimizing home owner functionality and visual continuity.


Standard light switch height in North America new construction is 48″ to the top of the switch. We think this is too high. At 48″, it is in the primary visual field of the wall and if not perfectly placed, may impede art work placement or just look distracting.


We think the standard height should be lowered to 32″ to the top of the switch. This is what we install as standard on all of our projects at Housebrand. While this may seem really low, this height will allow art work to be properly placed above any switch. We also think that light switches should be ganged together as much as possible into “control panels” so you are able to adjust all the lighting for an entire room or rooms from a single vantage point.


Today’s Slides:

  • Li-Na

    Hmm…continuing with the hated design details theme eh? Perhaps next week on Slow Home Studio….Nipple lights?

    Ha ha! :-)
     

  • Elizabeth

    Hey, great idea! We have light switches at home that I never use because I can’t remember what they’re connected to, but the switch is there anyway, cluttering up the wall! Funny-ish thing: when this house was being built, electrician put the bathroom light over the vanity directly at eye level. You know, where the mirror usually goes? I guess it was just an easy level for him to work at. Handy for when he had to move it to ABOVE the mirror level…(?) 

    Li-Na, nipple lights! Totally! So ugly, yet so ubiquitous.