Of all the rooms in the house, I find the living room is essentially the multi-purpose one. We use it for watching TV, reading, playing games or just plain relaxing. It is absolutely important to choose appropriate living room lighting that provides its users the right kind of light for any of these activities.
At the same time, it’s also important to make sure that the living room lighting shouldn’t just provide illumination but also look great in the space. Here are some of my personal suggestions that could help you make your living room lighting choices.
1. Use recessed lighting
Many home owners prefer to use recessed lighting because they provide ample lighting while being concealed at the same time. Of course, wall sconces, interior lamps and close-to-ceiling fixtures are typically decorative as well, and that is one of the reasons why they’re popular living room lighting choices among home owners. They add colour and style to a living room. The indirect light that these recessed lighting fixtures give off is ideal for playing games or reading.
2. Ceiling lights
If your living room has a high enough ceiling, we recommend chandeliers or pendant lamps that can give the area a fun decorative touch. Ceiling lights are eye-catching and add some real depth to your living room. Make sure, however, that you choose ceiling lights that go well with the design of your living room.
3. Lamps
The good thing about having lamps in the living room is the fact that they can be moved around the area and give it a new look at different times. If your living room has a darker than usual corner, floor standing lamps can bring extra light to that area. If task lighting is what you need, table lamps are perfect for it. Lamps are available in many different styles and colours, so have fun choosing the perfect one to go with your living room.
4. Skylights
If you want your living room to get more natural light, there’s no better way to do it than installing skylights. Skylights bring in a great deal of light, and are quite good at reaching areas that can’t be reached by window light.
5. Track lighting system
Of the living room lighting choices available to you, a track lighting system is perhaps the most versatile. Actually, a track lighting system can serve as the overall lighting system for your living room if it’s fitted with enough light fixtures, and act as a flood light, a downlight, an accent light or a spotlight at the same time. You can paint the tracks to match the ceiling, or you can turn them into a decorative border around the ceiling by painting them in a contrasting colour.
Whatever your living room lighting choices, we recommend that you use CFL lights as they use significantly less energy, and that translates to savings on your power bills. Also, installing a dimmer switch would enable you to soften or brighten your living room lighting, thereby allowing you to change the mood in the room as you please.
Let there be light!