The living room lighting ideas are many, and here we have incorporated a few living room lighting tips, in this guide, that will help you create a perfect ambiance in your home.
Let’s go to see what’s in!
Natural light is great for physical health and there shall be ample of it in the room where you spend most of your day in.
Large windows with light-colored panes and curtains that let the natural light in are necessary.
2. Add Layers to Your Lighting
Add plenty of layers to your lighting.
Layer 1- Primary lighting
Add primary light first. Primary lights are the go-to lights that you’ll turn on for generally lighting up the room.
Add accent lighting to complement the primary lighting. Accent lighting will provide lights in the overlooked, dark corners. Accent lighting can also be used to enhance the wall arts or photo-frames over the wall.
Layer 3- Wall lighting
Through living room wall lighting ideas you can lighten up one specific wall and hang beautiful art or photos of your family or even maybe a life-sized mirror to make the room look spacious. This makes for a contemporary look and works best on dull colored walls.
Layer 4- Lighting Fixtures
Add pendants or sconces or lamps even further for elaborating the over-all look of the room as well as adding in the glam factor.
3. High and Low Hanging Lights
Choose the height of the hanging light fixture wisely. Sometimes on a few lighting fixtures really low hanging seems really nice and gives a cozy look. But it doesn’t work that way with every fixture.
Huge lighting equipment, hanging very low, looks as if the chandelier has taken up the whole room and it’s overwhelming to enter that area.
Note:
Keep the pendant light fixture at least 7 feet above the floor so that you don’t bump into it, and can safely walk beneath it. Try not to hang pendant lights in a low setting if you have lower ceilings.
4. Contemporary Vs Retro
Look out for the kind of furniture, color, art, and décor you have chosen for your living room. Choose the lighting fixture in accordance with that.
A vintage style fixture in a modern setting will just make it look out of proportion. So, the room lighting design should include the vintage/contemporary theme to go by.
5. Lighting Lower Ceilings
Lighting lower ceilings are tricky. Use flush mount lights for lower ceilings to over-come the lower look.
- Use low profile fixtures to make the height of the ceiling look taller.
Living room ceiling lighting ideas for the low ceiling; include:
- Cylindrical shaped lighting fixture to concealing low ceiling.
6. Adding Colors
- If the overall theme of your living room is plain and towards earthy/dull colors you may add a pop of colors through a colorful lighting fixture.
This will create a much-needed color pop to the room and also balance an otherwise dull looking area.
7. Lighting Up a Cozy Nook
If you have a corner of your living area empty, light it up with a floor lamp and add a small chair for reading or snuggling. The small corner will create a happy buzz in your living room.
8. Adding Task Lights
Add task lights like lamps or pendant shades or wall sconces for reading or for art and craft in your living room.
- Without task lights, the living room will have a few corners and nooks look still undone.
Task lights will not only help illuminate the area for running errands/reading/crafting but also brighten up the room in areas where there was less light.
9. Adding Dimmers
Use dimmer controls where possible to be able to control exactly when, how much light you need.
For instance, use dimmers for low-hanging pendants or chandeliers so that the room doesn’t come off as too bright.
10. Add Glow
Cast a glowy effect by placing lights behind the mirrors for a beautiful, shaded ambiance. This will not only help in creating a good lighting effect but will work for you in doing various tasks, to their best.
For instance; the light behind the mirror or mirror lights will add glow, enhance the lighting effect, and will also help you in doing the right makeup and makeover.
11. Use LED Lighting Strips
There are multiple usages of LED lighting strips. You can place these lights around all the corners of your ceilings for a chic look.
- You can also add it to the shelves and centerpieces to have a touch of style and elegance.
LED lighting strips are not only multipurpose lights but are also great at concealing beneath furniture and creating a mysterious and hip look.
12. Positioning the Fixtures
Just as choosing the lighting fixture is an important job positioning where to keep them is another tricky business. You don’t want to bump your head in low hanging pendant light.
- LED strips touching your body on a sofa shouldn’t be the case.
Place the fixtures wisely to have a good experience.
13. Wall Lights
Wall lights are a great option for small living room lighting ideas. The small living rooms cannot afford the huge chandeliers and too much lighting equipments.
Hence, you need to be looking for something that not only adds to the brightness but also looks elegant. Wall Sconces work great in such a scenario.
14. No Overhead Lighting
How to light a living room with no overhead lighting? If you have no option for overhead lighting, there can still be a lot of lighting options available for you.
- Hang plug-in pendants or string lights for a trendy and classy look.
- Table/floor lamp works best as task lighting.
There are many other options available if you need to avoid overhead lighting for any reason.
15. The temperature of the Lighting Fixture
The color temperature of the lighting fixture plays an important part in giving the overall look to the room. Choose warm colors in lights for a cozy comfy look while bright lights for chandeliers or large pendants for a bright welcoming feel.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. What is the best way to light a living room?
There are various best ways through which you can light your living room for having ambient lighting. They are Hanging chandeliers and pendant lights from ceilings, wall scones in the dark areas of the room, flush, mount, and overhead lighting fixtures, and recessed lighting across ceilings, etc.
Q. How can I light a living room without overhead lighting?
Down there are various ways through which you can light your living room without overhead lighting. The best way is to bring all-natural light to your living room. Other strategies are: Hanging string lighting including pendants and chandeliers, installing plug-in wall sconces, use of floor lamps, mirror lights, table lamps, plug-in lights, and above all flameless candles.
Q. Do I need lamps in the living room?
Three-levels of lighting are necessary to light a living room. High level: pendants, and chandeliers, medium level: wall sconces, low level: floor lamps, and other small lighting fixtures. Hence, a lamp is a must for the living room. But, modern living rooms don’t require much lighting as natural light covers much of the lighting need.
Q. Can you light a room without electricity?
Yes, you can light a room without electricity. These lighting elements will help you a lot, in this case: candles, oil lamps, solar lights, flashlights, battery-powered lamps, LED lights, solar panels, and outdoor lightings.
Q. How do you light a windowless room?
These ways will work best for you if you owe and want to light a windowless room. They are: Adding plentiful of mirrors- mirrors will act as windows, and make the area seem larger, installing a handful of lighting fixtures that to an extent cover the basic lighting need, go for the 3-layer lighting system, also, light colors shades will undo the dark effect.
Conclusion
It is possible to create a great living room look without making it feel overwhelming. Choose from whatever options you have available and just take care of positioning right or using correct light bulbs or choosing how to hang them.
- The beauty lies in mixing things up a bit and adding layers to your lighting fixtures.
Play a bit with different kinds of fixtures and match them up for a perfect living room layout. Thanks!
