Last Updated on December 18, 2019 by Kimberly Crawford
While designing or installing the lighting sources in your living room, one has to ensure that the light is not concentrated into a single point. A concentrated or single light source will make the area appear smaller than it is.
A better approach would be to spread the light around by installing multiple light sources of adequate intensity (or lux) in different portions of the room.
What color light is best for the living room?
Color temperature is a factor considered by people while selecting the lighting for their living room. There are several choices here, such as warm white, cool white, daylight, and ultra-violet.
With the advent of smart lighting, one can even adjust the color of your lighting using your smartphones or tablets. Apart from these options, ambient lighting is also efficient for a living room.
Is track lighting good for the living room?
Though low-cost, track lighting is generally considered suitable for retail spaces, stages, galleries, and industrial spaces. Because the light sources placed on a track light offers a narrower beam of light, which might make certain areas of your room darker.
The formation of dark spots in your living room can negatively affect the visual aesthetic of the area.
How do I get better lighting in my living room?
Floor lamps placed in the corner of your living room will complement the side-table lamps in opening up the area of your living room. Wall lights can be used in the corners of your room, such as in recesses or both sides of chimney, could make the living room area appear wider.
What should recessed lights be placed in the living room?
It is optimal to place recessed lights is on the awkward corners of your living room. This way, the room area will appear wider.
How can I light my living room without a ceiling light?
Using pendant lamps (plug-in type), side-table lamps, sconces, floor lamps, ambient lights, and string lights are a great way to light up your living room without using ceiling lights. It is also energy efficient to consider using smart bulbs, which can vary the temperature and color of your lighting as per your mood and occasion.
1. Living room lighting ideas for low ceiling
One can use wall sconces, floor lamps, and side table lamps in living rooms with a low ceiling. Flaunting and camouflaging are modern techniques adopted by people to accentuate the look of a living room. Using a low-ceiling chandelier is also a great way to light up your living room with a low ceiling.
2. Living room floor lamp ideas
A floor lamp is a standalone lighting fixture, which require no further installation, apart from plugging it into an electrical socket. Choosing the appropriate type of floor lamp for your living room can be a demanding task.
The floor lamp has to match with your home décor and should provide enough light to focus on your task. Floor lamps with adjustable necks, flexible lighting, adjustable height, thoughtful clamps, and smart capabilities need to be selected.
3. Living room light stand ideas
Wire mesh light stands with bullet lights, enclosed inside a transparent lantern is a creative way for a light stand that can be placed in your living room.
Another way could be building an extrusion inside a portion of tree-wood, keeping a light bulb inside and using it as a light stand by placing a double-pane glass over it. Using protruded cardboard or wooden fixtures on your living room wall and placing light bulbs evenly on them can be another creative way.
4. Living room wall lighting ideas
Using chandeliers, inverted table lamps representing upward umbrella-shaped fixtures, task lighting, and accent lighting are ways in which wall lighting can be done in your living room.
5. Large pendants for living room
Using the ceiling area of your living room for hanging pendant lights will draw visitors’ attention to your ceiling space. Such an approach has the added advantage of accentuating the area’s height.
6. Living room string light ideas
One can use string lights in the living room to suit the occasion and mood. They could be hung along the sides of your mirror, or can be used on top of your patio space.
7. Living room track lighting ideas
Small incandescent bulbs could be fitted on to a black pipe frame. This, when placed on the ceiling of your living room, creates a unique look. Track lighting could be focused on the opposite walls, rather than facing down or up.
8. Living room table lamp ideas
Table lamps for your living room can be custom made using household material such as straw, cardboard, caps, mugs, and rugs. Lantern style table lamps add to the vintage look in your living room.
9. Farmhouse living room lighting ideas
Themed lanterns, floor lighting, side-table lamps, pumpkin lights, and sconces are used for lighting up your farmhouse living room. One can also use flexible iron rods covered in jute or rug and hanging a bulb at the end of it, to suit the overall theme of the surrounding.
10. No overhead living room lighting ideas
Hanging smart lighting on the sidewalls, track lighting, and floor lighting are some of the ways of decorating your living room without overhead.
11. Rustic living room lighting ideas
Wooden and grey themed lights can be instituted to complement the rustic look of your living room. Even brown leather sofas can be placed strategically in your living room so that the warm light gets reflected off it.
12. More living room lighting ideas
Conclusion
While designing the lighting of your living room, most people tend to focus on power consumption rather than the light’s effectiveness. An important parameter often overlooked by people is the color rendition index (CRI). For example, sunlight has a CRI of 100. The thumb rule to follow here is ‘more the CRI, better is the lighting’.