How to Brighten up a Living Room?
Sure, well-made, gorgeous furniture and a well-thought-out arrangement are significant aspects of living room decor, but do you know what actually creates the mood? Lighting. The possibilities range from modest and recessed to over-the-top showcase pieces. This blog has compiled a list of suggestions for living room lighting to keep your gathering and leisure area well-lit, fashionable, and practical.
The living room is often the biggest room in the home, serving as a center of activity where a range of activities take place both during the day and at night. Making sure your living room is adequately and gorgeously lit for meeting family, entertaining, relaxing, reading, watching TV or movies, and all the other activities that take place in this central part of your home is more complicated than simply adjusting the brightness of an overhead light.
To generate equilibrium and a pleasant mood, a well-lit living room should ideally have tiered lighting that lights all four corners. It may contain a combination of ambient, accent, and task lighting, such as chandeliers, wall sconces, table lamps, floor lamps, recessed lighting, and even candles, to illuminate the area for various atmospheres and functions. Here are some bright ideas for living room lighting to get you started.
Image source: mydomaine.com
Overall Lighting
Get the Color Temperature Right
First of all, what is the color temperature? By definition, it is a metric used to characterize the visual appearance and whiteness of lights. This factor plays an essential role in how we feel in our living room. Artificial lighting, like natural sunshine, comes in a variety of hues of white. The color temperature of light is expressed in degrees, Kelvin. Most light bulbs have a color temperature ranging from 2700K to 6500K. The lower the degrees Kelvin, the “warmer” the light; as the Kelvin temperature rises, the light becomes “cooler” and whiter.
Image source: Westinghouse
That said, how to choose the right color temperature for your living room? Let this quick overview of color temperature help you to make a decision.
White and blue lights, which are found to be beneficial to increase alertness, are best utilized in conjunction with task or directed lighting to assist focused tasks. For the same reason, white and blue lights suppress the synthesis of melatonin (or sleep-inducing chemicals), they are not ideal for winding down and relaxing.
Besides, you should also consider the type of bulb: incandescent/halogen bulbs generally emit a gentle white glow, CFLs give off a lot of blue (though they have developed to encompass a larger variety of hues), and LEDs can cover the full spectrum of color temperature.
As the functions of your living room evolve, so does the requirement for adequate lighting to support these tasks. Getting the proper lighting layers, dimmers, and bulbs is a sure-fire method to provide a comfortable lighting environment in your bedroom. So, get creative and select the fixtures you need to create the living room lighting design you’re looking for.
Get the Brightness Right
Determining the appropriate quantity of light for a given living room may be tricky. To do so, you must have the appropriate quantity of lumens. What is Lumen? Lumens, referred to as the Lumen/Watt ratio (Lm / W), represent the total amount of light given off by a light source, regardless of direction. This metric is particularly useful for assessing the efficiency of a light source.
In this regard, you may also come across the term lux. Simply put, the lux (unit: lx) is the illuminance unit that measures light flux per unit area. It indicates one lumen per square meter. In photometry, it is applied to calculate the intensity of light that hits or passes through a surface as perceived by the human eye.
To acquire the proper light, you must first identify the various places that need to be illuminated. There are some areas that require more lights, and for living rooms and the like, the requirement for lumens is generally less. To get the correct number of lumens for a specific location, you need to split the amount needed across various light sources. Suppose 2500 lumens are what you need, for example, you cannot purchase a single fixture that produces 2500 lumens; to achieve this level, you may need three or four light sources.
The lumens will be determined by a variety of criteria, including the form and size of the space, the ceiling’s height, the type of lamps, and your demands as a user. Here is a brief guide to assist you:
| Area | Lumens/squaremeter |
| Bedroom | 300-400 |
| Kitchen | 300-400 |
| Bedroom (task) | 700-800 |
| Kitchen (task) | 700-800 |
| Living room | 400-500 |
| Bathroom | 500-600 |
| Bathroom (task) | 700-800 |
| Hallway | 300 |
To determine how many lumens are needed in a living room, first determine if it has a desk or large furniture, such as a high drawer. If you have children, they may also spend a significant amount of time in the living room reading. In this particular situation, a lot of light is required. We propose a total lumen amount of 2000 to 4000.
How to Lighten up Your Living Room
You may add layers to your modern bedroom lighting by using a range of fixtures. Choose complimentary pieces to unite and improve your own environment. Each component contributes to the healing effect of a private sanctuary, including the soft glow from the general lighting to emit lights across the room, task lighting near your bed, from a lamp, and cabinet lights to help you perform specific activities.
General Lighting
In the living room, we usually strive for gentle, diffused general lighting and supplement the main lighting source with strategically positioned task lighting for tasks that demand stronger, direct illumination.
The objective of overhead lighting is to provide an even, welcoming light. Use the height of your living room’s ceilings to limit down the finest alternatives for the area. A flush mount fixture will illuminate the whole area with diffused light while maintaining a short, ceiling-grazing profile.
Higher ceilings enable more options and larger fixtures. Chandeliers give drama to the modern bedroom while delivering the type of ambient light that is perfect for eye comfort. Most chandeliers send light upward, where it is reflected off the ceiling, creating a warm, relaxing glow that spreads across the space.
A good rule of thumb to follow when hanging a chandelier is that the higher the ceiling, the taller your chandelier may be in relation to your room. If you’re dealing with a conventional 8-foot ceiling, we suggest aiming for a chandelier height of 20 – 24 inches.
Task Lighting
After you’ve finished with ambient lighting, which will assist brighten your living room, you should consider the kind of jobs you’ll be performing in this room. When you stand in front of furniture or any other position in your living room, ambient lighting frequently creates a shadow. As a result, task lighting is required in the living room.
Warm light bulbs are preferred for track lighting systems. Make sure you choose LED bulbs for improved lighting.
Downlights, or pot lights, are very modern and perform very well with any ceiling height and provide the appearance that a low ceiling is taller than it is. In an average-sized living room, your lights should be three to five feet apart. In most cases, four to eight lights are sufficient for usage in a living room.
Lights should be placed around the room’s perimeter, and near most ideally, one or a few of them can be installed near your wardrobes to shine some lights in the darkness when you open the wardrobe.
Lighting Ideas for Cabinet Areas
Cabinet lighting, one of the most practical lighting solutions available today, refers to light fixtures that are often positioned beneath cabinets, wardrobes, drawers, etc., illuminating the space directly below. These concealed fixtures are able to fit in without being conspicuous or conflicting with current décor. Having one of those is beneficial for folding clothes and sorting out things in a closed-up, dark area. Not only will a cabinet system improve the visibility and general appearance of your room, it is also one of the simplest methods to raise the market value of your house.
Image source: Lamp HQ
In a living room, cabinet fixtures can offer perfect task illumination, giving depth, dimension, and visual appeal to a variety of settings as accent lighting, and emphasizing architectural elements such as a cove ceiling. Besides, they can also exhibit things inside a display case.
Accent Lighting
Image source: familyhandyman
Accent lighting is more like ornamental lights that supplement your living room’s current lighting. Accent lights may be used to give a subtle focus on some crucial objects in a living room. When it comes to accents, there are absolutely no boundaries, making it one of the most diverse living room lighting options.
Wall Sconces/lights on the Wall
Wall sconces or wall-mounted lights are similar to flush mount lights in appearance but differ only in placement. Wall sconces are mounted on the wall whereas flush mounts are positioned on the ceiling. You might try putting a wall sconce on any wall or next to your coffee table if you have space. It is elegant, contemporary, and aids in lighting up the wall.
As previously said, there are no regulations, however, we recommend that you choose warm lighting for wall sconces. It casts a lovely glow around the room.
Image source: mydomaine.com
Always use warm light bulbs in pendant lights. Also, because they are ornamental and serve as a focal point, make sure there is at least 30-32 inches of space between the countertop and the bottom of the lamp.
Suggested Lights for Living Room
Recessed is the New Craze
Recessed lighting is a popular choice for living room due to its adaptability and functionality. You’ll never have to worry about your field of vision being restricted or your lighting coverage being uneven.
Oversize Statement Light
Whether you choose with a design classic like a mid-century Arco Floor Lamp or a cheaper Scandi-style tripod floor lamp, utilize the additional space in the living room to treat lighting as a piece of furniture as well as a source of illumination.
Pendant Fixture with Lantern
If you have a rustic living room, these pendant lights would be a great complement. Don’t be deterred by the fact that these are advertised as island lighting fixtures. It doesn’t matter where you put them; they’d look great over a dining table or hanging in the middle of the room.
Lights that Add an Artistic Flavor to Your Living Room
If you mostly use your living room for Netflix and lounging, why not utilize the space above your couch to showcase a dramatic light, such as the Yeelight sunset projection lamp as shown in the image below? It’s the kind of utilitarian wall art and décor that sparks conversation, sets the tone, and works particularly well in a small area.
Indirect Lighting & Light Strip
As mentioned above, you can use indirect lighting to reduce shadows and reflected glare. It is ideal for rooms with reflecting surfaces, such as laptops or televisions.
For example, LED strip lighting may be utilized to make a dazzling feature of your closet by tastefully framing it.
Nightlight
A nightlight with motion sensor can make it easy to find tissue paper and whatever you need at night. Especially for older folks, a nightlight can always get you prepared for a bathroom/kitchen run that requires you to pass through the living room without disturbing your partner.
Colored fluorescent lamps are recommended for night light. If your wardrobe is custom made, put a natural color fluorescent lamp on top of it to emit indirect lighting. Not only will it not be harsh on the eyes, but also ensure enough brightness across the room.
Arc Lamp
If you don’t have an overhead light, an arc lamp may be used as a central light source. Arc lights are floor lamps that are sufficiently high to prevent you from hitting your head. Because of their sleek appearance, these lights function well in contemporary environments.
Ceiling Fan Lights
It only makes sense to incorporate a light if you have a ceiling fan in your living area. Most LED ceiling fan light is controlled by a remote and will provide lots of ambient light to your room. Lights? Wind? It has it all.
Image source: Lamps Usa
By using a range of fixtures, you may create layers to your modern living room lighting. Choose complimentary pieces to unite and enrich your own space.