How to Perfect Your Bowling Lighting Aesthetic
Did you know 67 million Americans bowl each year? Though the game is in stories about declining community engagement, bowling is still a popular American diversion. Each year, millions participate in bowling birthday parties and leagues.
An at-home alley is a fantastic way to host friends and loved ones in privacy. The beers are always cold, and the rental shoes will never have that chemical stink. If you’re designing your home alley, there are a few aesthetics you need to keep in mind.
Your bowling lighting is a vital part of your alley design. Do you want to learn more about how to pick the perfect bowling alley lighting scheme? Read on to learn all about it.
Bowling Alley Basics
If you’ve decided to bring your favorite game home, you have the wonderful opportunity to design an alley to your specifications. In other words, you get to build the perfect bowling alley.
When you’re in the design phase, you must think about all the bowling alleys you’ve played. Think about the places of your youth and what made them special. Consider the designs of current bowling facilities and what you like and dislike.
As you do this, keep in mind there are some specific needs to complete your bowling alley aesthetic, and most have to do with proper lighting.
No Windows
When thinking about all the bowling alleys you’ve played throughout the years, what’s the one lighting theme they have in common?
None of them use natural light. While you might want to build a bowling alley with open windows incorporating sunlight, you should think twice. Windows allow natural light, distractions, and sounds that compromise bowler concentration.
As an experienced bowler, you already know how much concentration you need for a competent game. Shifting sunlight and other outdoor distractions can ruin a competitive match.
Bright Lights
Another common theme in many commercial alleys is bright lighting. White fluorescent or LED lighting provides the much-needed illumination for clear sightlines and reduced glare. Many old-school bowling alleys offered simple but effective lighting to maximize the players’ ability to see the lanes and the pins.
That said, your at-home alley gives you a fantastic opportunity to expand your lighting design. You can achieve a classier, old-school look with chandeliers and other warmer lighting schemes.
Lighted Scoreboards
Do you remember those old, handwritten bowling score projectors? Every time you rolled, you had to handwrite your score. If you’re younger, you grew up in an age of digital score screens. Either way, these scoreboards are a vital part of your bowling alley design.
They also cast a lot of light. When designing a residential alley, you will have less space than a commercial alley. Find a scoreboard system that provides what you need but isn’t bright enough to distract players on their approach.
LED Lighting Solutions
Home bowling alleys aren’t the cheapest, and if you desire a regulation-size lane, you should expect to spend upwards of $120,000. Consider all the equipment you’ll have to buy on top of the renovations.
Given that you’ll spend so much money on your space, you have to find ways to cut costs on the operation. While you can install whatever type of lights you want, LED lights offer the best economic option given their efficiency and versatility.
What is LED Lighting?
LED stands for light-emitting diode. Rather than incandescent lights that use heated coils, LED uses small diodes, the size of a pepper flake, illuminated by an electrical current.
Unlike traditional forms of incandescent lighting, LED diodes produce no heat and provide a wide range of lighting colors.
Why is it Efficient?
Because there is no heating apparatus, LED lights use far less electricity to produce light. According to the US Department of Energy, today’s residential LED lights use 75% less energy than traditional bulbs. They also last 25 times longer.
LED lights use directional lighting to produce white light. This directional design means you spend less money on deflectors and other task lighting needed to push your electric light in a specific direction. You also waste less energy as the majority of traditional incandescent lighting gets trapped in the fixtures.
Why is it Versatile?
Your home bowling alley is for all kinds of fun purposes, and multi-colored LED lighting kits are a vital part of your bowling alley design.
You want different colors for the varying moods of a game. A child’s birthday party needs different lighting than a match for money among friends. You can also use an LED Lane Luminator to create a classic cosmic bowling experience in your own home.
LED lighting kits come in many colors and settings, and the color switch is as easy as a push of a button.
Other Lighting Options
When designing your bowling alley lighting, you have to consider the lighting decoration. Do you want to create a throwback alley design? Neon beer signs will add to that classic aesthetic.
If your home alley is a multipurpose gaming area, hanging Tiffany lampshades and big-screen TVs will add a vintage look. Black lighting for cosmic bowling motifs can add a modern look.
Don’t neglect your bar options either. A well-lit and well-stocked home bar can be the difference between an average alley and a special place that can entertain friends and family for years.
Home Bowling Lighting
The design of your bowling lighting is just as important as the wood you use for your lanes. Take special care and consideration when constructing your home alley to ensure maximum enjoyment.
A home alley equipped with modern LED lighting is economical and versatile enough to fit any aesthetic. Consider LED lighting as the ultimate solution for your home bowling alley.
Are you ready to build a bowling alley in your home? We can help. Murrey Bowling Equipment is the leader in custom bowling equipment.
Contact us for a quote today.
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