Would 18" by 24" be sufficient for three in three separate pots? I think that would let them enjoy each other's humidity.
If I found a grow light on a stand or clip that looked okay in the living room I could buy several and disperse the plants to other places. If my best option is a single multi-light set up with orchids underneath, then 18" x 24" is about the the table that I can spare for them and the most likely not-super attractive light above them.
I get confused about grow lights because I'm currently on fluorescents but want to move on to LEDs and I'm never sure of the capability of, for instance, screwing an LED into a desk lamp and calling it a day.
My fluorescent set up is four 48" T9s in a shop light housing, two cool bulbs, two warm. I think 3000's and 6500's but I got them a long time ago. It's in my office at home which is a colorful, informal room with a ton of ephemera and art and plants, so it just reads as one more weird thing in an eclectic room. It's a little industrial but less so with winter herbs growing beneath it. Integrating plant lights into the main part of the house is a bit more of a challenge unless I can find some that aren't eyesores. We're kind of particular about lighting and lighting colors....put it this way: everything is on a dimmer switch.
I do like the daylight blast from the grow lights in my office but the it gives the Mr the willies.
