10 Ways to Get Your Lighting Right
Let’s put it on the table straight away: I do not like torchiere-style lamps. I may even be permanently traumatized by the 1980s salmon-colored pair I encountered in a client’s living room a couple years back. Some people like them, which is great; I honestly love that there are so many styles of lighting for people to choose from in this world. After all, a lamp is a functional accessory, unlike a glimmering hunk of amethyst that sits there looking amazing while the husband asks why we need such a thing. But I digress.Lamp style is definitely important, but so is lamp quantity. The way you light a room will completely change the space, and having multiple lighting sources allows you to control ambience, mood and how you use the room. Putting those light sources on a dimmer makes it incredibly easy to change up the brightness as often as you want. I’m fairly certain dimmers are a gift from the decorating gods.
Here’s how to get your own layers of lighting right.
1. Use a mix of floor and table lighting. Depending on the size of a space, I nearly always recommend both floor and table lighting. I love the mix of lighting in this room. Each piece is interesting in its own right and adds to the overall design. Lamps are an opportunity to add something extra to a space — whether it’s shine, color, art or abstraction.
2. Get the scale right. Overhead lighting adds a fantastic touch if it’s done right. Consider its size and purpose when going for an overhead fixture in a living space. This openwork geometric fixture looks gorgeous against the paper-white ceiling and walls. It adds a distinct focal point without being the sole lighting source. The floor lamp next to the sofa acts as a warm complement and keeps the lighting levels soft. It’s more a catch-up-on-secrets space to me. |
3. Use canned lights sparingly. I don’t really consider canned lights overhead fixtures. I see them as ambient lighting that should be employed sparingly and purposefully. When using canned lights, people have a tendency to go a bit nuts. From a design perspective, canned lighting should never be your sole source of light. I’ve been in one too many homes that look like a landing strip or gaming arcade because they’ve had the entire ceiling done in canned lights. It becomes a missed design opportunity.Check out this gorgeous room. Why can’t more rooms be like this? The designer did it exactly right by using just a sprinkling of canned lights to accent a beam while employing matching tripod-style floor lamps to illuminate the space in a very stylish way. |
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10 Ways to Get Your Lighting Right
