Barber & hair salon

Allow 1 hexagon per 15 sq ft (0.70 per m²) in a salon — more than a garage, because you work on details and the light has to come from everywhere. The grid should extend about 3 ft (1 m) around each station.

Because a single spot above the head deepens dark circles and hardens features. The problem isn't the amount of light, it's the cast shadows. Light arriving from several directions at once erases them.

4,000 to 5,000 K at the workstations. Below that, the light leans yellow and hides highlights; above, it leans blue and cools skin tones. Keep warm light for the reception area.

It's the number one criterion for color work. A CRI above 90 is needed to render reds and coppers — exactly the most delicate shades. A “CRI” claimed without a number means nothing.

Because the grid does two jobs at once: it lights without shadows, and it becomes the salon's visual signature — the one people recognize in clients' Instagram photos.

Not if the grid is spread out: no panel sits alone in the line of sight. The spot to check is the shampoo basin, where the client looks up at the ceiling lying back: offset the grid or lower the intensity over that area.

In commercial premises, yes, for the connection. A full grid can draw more power than the existing lighting circuit supports: have the line checked before you buy, not after.

No. Two series never have exactly the same tint, and on a fully covered ceiling the difference shows to the naked eye. One series for the whole salon.