Whether you are just stepping into your new residence or are simply re-designing your home, lightning is often not at the top of most people’s priorities. We tend to focus on big-ticket objects such as our couches or our beds, but modern lightning design is critically important to the mood and ambiance of a room and requires a level of planning and foresight that most people are surprised by. But have no fear! With these three basic principles in mind, getting the perfect lighting for your living should be easy as cake!
Height
So this is pretty basic but something that people frequently mess up on, and that is: the height at which you place ceiling lights can significantly affect the quality and pleasantness of their brightness. If you place them too high over a table, for example, and they will be annoyingly dim, but if they are placed too low, then you will be bombarded by an uncomfortable shine. A suggested rule of thumb is that the bottom of a light should hang about 12 to 20 inches below a standard 8-foot ceiling, with an additional 3 inches added for every extra foot of ceiling.
Keep in mind, however, that this rule is adjustable depending on the kind of bulb/light in use. Bulbs with a stronger shine can be placed a few more inches above the table and vice-versa. This general rule about height also applies to other forms of lighting such as lamps, whose positions should be adjusted and differentiated based (partly at least) on the strength of their shine.
Shadows
A common mistake that many people make with modern lighting design is either putting in too many overhead lights or stacking too many lamps ramshackle all throughout their room, leading to overcrowding and an abundance of shadows. You should take time to plan out how your furniture is going to be arranged in your living room, and then place your lights around that design so as to minimize the presence of shadows and maximize your light space.
An important part of this is harmonizing your ceiling lights with a variety of lamps, as many people put in an abundance of ceiling lamps to make the room as bright as possible. While this is preferable for social gatherings with lots of people, it detracts from the intimacy of a room, as dimmer lighting can be more enjoyable when eating dinner at your table, or when reading a book on the couch. So put in ceiling lights as required, but also sprinkle your living room with lamps to create personal spaces while also minimizing the amounts of shadows in the room.
Colors
Now that we have berated you with advice on how to lighten your room, feel free to get creative! One of the best design decisions you can make with regards to lighting is color-coordination, as you can purchase lights that exude light hues of reds, blues, or other colors. As long as they are not overwhelming, they can provide a unique look to your room that will be exciting as well as calming. The purpose of all this advice is to construct a theme or “feel” that you desire, so a calming red will provide you and any guests a refuge from a stressful job, while an exciting blue will bring you back to life!
These are by no means the only principles that you can use to organize your living room lighting, but we believe that they provide a great starting point for whatever design you desire! Your living room will likely be the most important room in your home, so take the time today to brighten it up with modern lighting design so that you are never left in the dark.