Lighting communal areas of our homes is very often an afterthought, with simple, functional lights left in place. We don’t spend much time in hallways and stairwells – and that is even more the case when considering apartments and flats. But they all need to be clearly lit up for the safety, and security of everyone living there, and visitors. In addition, there are running costs to consider, and of course, how the light fitting looks. In this post, we’re taking a look at how you can light up communal areas, whether they’re inside your home, or in a shared space, and we’ve pulled together a list of our favourites from our range that will almost certainly inspire you to take another look at your lighting.

Ways to make savings on lighting in communal areas

Electricity bills are high right now, and whether you’re in a shared complex, or just concerned with your own home, you don’t want to pay more than they have to for electricity. Luckily, there are a number of things we can recommend to help keep your lighting costs down.

LED bulbs are by far the most efficient type of bulb on the market, and they’re the main type of bulb you’ll find today. They use very little power to provide quite a lot of brightness, and they last a really, really long time. Not only does this offer immediate savings on your electricity bills, but it also saves you from having to replace them any time soon. In addition to those savings, LEDs are better for the planet than conventional bulbs – because they don’t contain toxic chemicals, and they’re easier to manufacture, and to recycle at the end of their lives. Many types of lighting now have LEDs integrated into their design, and with most LEDs expected to last six years or more (depending on the amount of time they are switched on each day) LEDs are great options to keep your communal areas lit up.

Lighting with sensors is also a great way of making sure that you’re not using more electricity than you have to. For indoor and outdoor lighting that switches on only when it is needed, look at lighting with motion detector, or passive infrared (PIR) sensors. This means the light will detect when someone is within a certain distance of the light (the distance is different depending on the light) and will automatically switch on. For outdoor lighting, dusk to dawn sensors help to ensure lights aren’t running unnecessarily through the day.

If you’re looking to reduce running costs to zero wherever possible, then solar powered lighting is the big saver for lighting up outdoor communal areas. Since solar powered lighting runs on power from the sun, once you’ve bought the light, there’s absolutely no extra to pay on your electricity bills. As long as the solar panel is in a spot that gets sufficient daylight, it will charge the battery in the unit, and the light (usually containing LEDs, so need less power) will stay on all night, or be triggered when required. If you’re lighting areas where it needs to be switched on when a resident or visitor is in the area, then look for a solar powered light that has a PIR, or motion detector, to keep the light from disturbing the local wildlife unnecessarily.

Communal indoor areas

When you’re lighting communal areas for multiple properties that are indoors, you might want to ensure the lights that will stay on in an emergency situation, and the power goes out. You might also want to consider whether lights should switch on only when someone is in the space, so that you’re not wasting power unnecessarily. Keep stairwells and hallways well-lit with recommendations from our range – we’ve chosen some of our favourites here, but there are hundreds of other styles for you to choose from.

Best ceiling light for communal hallways

The right ceiling light for communal hallways depends on the property – if there are lovely high ceilings in your home, then you can choose whatever type of lighting looks right, even up to, and including, an ornate chandelier. However, in most shared hallways for flats and apartments, a flush ceiling light is going to be the best option. Ceiling panels such as the Edit 24W Metal Square LED Surface Panel are a good choice, since they sit close to the ceiling, and are least likely to be exposed to accidental damage, but ceiling panels are also minimalist and functional. You don’t have to choose a boring style, even if you want simple and functional! We love the Edit Ring LED Flush Ceiling Light in white – it offers the brightness and simplicity of ceiling panels, while being a bit more interesting.

Best wall light for busy hallways and stairwells

Keeping hallways clear of clutter makes sense from a safety point of view, but when a hallway is particularly busy, the chances of lights being damaged is increased. You’ve almost certainly considered recessed ceiling lights in your home, but what about wall lights? We love this Warm White LED Recessed Wall Light by Edit for the glow that it gives – and we think it is absolutely perfect in stairwells and corridors. If round, or white light fittings aren’t quite right for the style of the property, then check out our range; we’ve got square recessed wall lights, ones with black finishes, and of course, different toned LEDs for the perfect brightness.

Best for highlighting artwork

If you’ve got artwork in corridors in your home, then you’re going to want to show it off perfectly so that it catches the eye, and that means picture lighting. These tiny additions to walls really do make a huge difference, and they’re a very affordable addition – and they’re so easy to install as well. Most picture lights use LEDs, which require very little power to run – and so there are even battery powered options too. You’ll find picture lights in our range in black, brass, bronze, chrome, and white, to name but a few, so you can match the colour scheme, and décor in the space perfectly. The Edit Hockney LED Picture Light in bronze is a sleek addition that connects to the mains, and emits a gorgeous warm white glow, while the Slimline Small Battery Operated LED Picture Light in matte gold is a battery operated style, requiring just 3 x AA batteries to light up your artwork perfectly.

Of course, picture lights don’t have to just be there to highlight your artwork or photos. With the tiny amounts of power that they require, they make perfect night lights too, ideal for middle of the night trips to the bathroom, a child’s bedroom, or if you’re getting up early for work and don’t want to put the main light on.

Best emergency ceiling light

The Clear Round 24W Hublot LED Surface Panel is a great choice for shared areas that need emergency lighting. Not only is it neutral enough to blend in with any style of décor in hallways, but it has a safety rating of IP65, which means it is waterproof, so you can use the same style in areas such as covered walkways and where doors might be propped open. It has daylight brightness LEDs, connects to mains voltage, and has a life expectancy of over 30,000 hours, so you can fit it and forget it for years.

Best for home gyms and indoor workout spaces

If you’re renovating your home, a block of flats or an apartment complex, adding a gym or workout space is an absolutely amazing perk. In addition to getting the right equipment in there, and a code lock, or card entry, you need great lighting. Since this type of space isn’t likely to get continual use throughout the day and night, LED batten lights with PIR sensors are a sensible, functional choice. The PIR sensor means the light will only switch on when someone’s in there getting their sweat on. The Storm 50W Cool White LED strip light is has bright white light that will definitely wake you up for your morning workout, and it is also weatherproof, so perfect for other areas around the outside of the property too.

Communal outdoor areas

Paths, entrances, car parks, and shared garden areas need reliable lighting. You want residents and visitors to avoid slips, trips, and falls, and although the property developer usually installs outdoor lighting for communal areas, you may be looking to enhance the look of your home, or to improve the security of the space.

Outdoor lighting needs to be safe for use, whatever the weather, which means all the outdoor lighting that you choose should have a minimum of IP44, and higher if you’re in an area that is particularly exposed to the elements. Depending on the area that the property is in, you may need your lighting to be vandal proof, as well as weather proof. These types of outdoor lights have a higher IP rating, and are made from tougher materials, so they are less easy to break.

When you’re lighting communal outdoor areas, you’re going to want the lights to come on at dusk, and to go off at dawn – and of course, you don’t want to have to rely on someone remembering to flick the switch, so look for lighting with sensors. If you’re lighting areas that only need to be lit up when someone is in nearby, then look at lighting with PIR, or motion sensors inbuilt.

Our recommendations for outdoor lighting in communal areas

We’ve scoured our range for some of the best outdoor lighting for communal areas – and there’s some absolute beauties. Your garden, driveway, and paths should look great, which is exactly what we’ve found to inspire you.

Best for communal car parks

There’s no such thing as a one-size fits all lighting solution for communal car parks, since it will very much depend upon the local area – proximity to neighbours, and existing street lighting are just two things to consider. But there’s a huge range of options for lighting up car parks in our range of driveway lighting. Puddle LED Ground Lights are a great choice, as they can be installed periodically across the ground to help guide visitors to the entrance to the building. Post lights are ideal for helping to light up car parking spaces, while lamp posts are a classic option for casting light across a wider area. The Edit Sorrento LED Outdoor Post Light is the perfect mix of traditional and modern.

Best for shared pathways

Being able to see when you’re navigating shared pathways is essential. That’s especially the case if there are children in the building, or during the winter months when there’s likely to be ice. The Iluzzia Helios Warm White Solar LED Post Light with PIR Sensor is easy to install, since it is solar powered – so there’s no mains wiring required, and no extra to pay on your electricity bills – and switches on when someone is within six metres. It also detects when the sun has gone down, and so you don’t need to remember to switch it on or off either. Perfection!

Best solar lighting for communal areas

When you need complete control over how your outdoor communal areas, but you don’t want to pay extra on your electricity bills, this Solar LED Floodlight with PIR Sensor and Remote Control is a great choice. With a slimline design, and easy to install bracket, it gives you control over how bright the light is, as well as the ability to only switch on when someone is within a six metre range. This is a functional choice, and great for enhancing the security of the property, and the only thing you’ll need to sort out is who has the remote, and where to keep it.

Best for entrances and doorways

Getting into the property shouldn’t be difficult for residents. This Welcome Solar LED Flush Wall Light with PIR Sensor is an absolutely brilliant choice, since it comes in an affordable pack of two, helping to clearly light the area around it. Since it is solar powered, there are no running costs, and the PIR sensor means that the light will only be on when someone is within three metres – perfect for being able to find your keys clearly and entering the building safely.

Best for covered areas

Areas such as bike sheds and collective bin storage need to be lit up – nobody wants to step on something that will accidentally injure them, or mean they have to clean their shoes! as they’re taking their bin bags out. In these areas, bulkhead lights work well, and look stylish too. The Edit Coastal Port Outdoor Flush Wall Light in matte nickel finish suits almost every type of property, and is easily fitted. Again, if the area is only in use occasionally, look for lighting with movement sensors.

Best for properties near the coast

Lighting for coastal properties and those up to ten miles or more inland needs careful thought and consideration. The corrosive nature of the extra salt in the air means that if you buy a regular light, the metal is likely to corrode quickly, and stop working. That’s why we’ve curated a special collection of outdoor lighting that is suitable for properties near the sea. The lights in this range are made from materials such as galvanised steel, brass, and specific types of plastic, to withstand the harshness of the salt. We love the Edit Coastal Sail Outdoor Up & Down Wall Light in brass, the Edit Coastal Newquay Half Lantern Outdoor Wall Light with Dusk to Dawn Sensor, and the Edit Coastal Tenby Round Recessed Ground Light in matte nickel, but you’ll find outdoor lighting perfect for all coastal properties in our range.

Our final thoughts

Whether you’re building a communal property, redeveloping one, or enhancing the lighting options for an existing block of flats, apartments, or your own home, then make sure you get it right. There’s a lot at stake, keeping you, and your visitors safe when you’re moving around the property. In addition to that, you’re going to want to keep electricity costs as low as possible, and with a combination of LEDs and solar powered lighting, you can do exactly that. Take your pick from our extensive range of lighting, to get the perfect look for the property, with the best value for money.

Remember, when you receive your new light from us, if you’re not completely satisfied with it, or maybe you couldn’t decide between two styles, then don’t worry. You’re covered by our Change Your Mind Guarantee, which makes it easy to return your orders for refund or exchange, and as long as you let us know within 30 days of receiving your order, we’ll help you make it happen. And finally, don’t forget, when you’ve installed your new lighting, tag us in your Instagram posts – we love to see them! – we’re @online_lighting.