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Your living room is a place where you can relax and enjoy yourself, either on your own, with your family or with guests. Living room lighting is important if you want to make the most out of that particular space.
In this article, we’ll take a look at some of the top mistakes people make when installing living room lights. We will also offer a few living room light ideas to get you started.
Mistake #1: Not Varying Your Light Sources. Â
Having plenty of lighting in the living room is key. That doesn’t mean ambient light alone will be enough. You should not limit your lighting ideas for living room spaces to one type of light. Having multiple sources will allow you to pick and choose how much light you want at any given time.
For instance, having floor lamps, table lamps and wall lamps will allow you to turn them on independently for a more relaxing glow. Ambient overhead lights for living room areas will offer a brighter, more thorough spread of illumination throughout the entire space when you need it. Having a mix of lights will give you greater control over the environment instead of being forced to use a constant level of light all the time.
Mistake #2: Neglecting Natural Light. Â
Natural lighting is a key element in the lighting design of any space. By maximising your natural light, you can make your living space feel larger, more open and more comfortable. Prioritise windows when designing your lighting scheme, planning daytime lights around how much light they let in through the day.
This is especially true for south facing front room lighting. This kind of room will get plenty of natural light throughout the day, so you’ll only need to supplement living room light fittings for the evening and night.
Natural light has been shown to boost mood, improve sleep quality, keep circadian rhythms in check and help you feel more alert during the day. Ensuring you have plenty of natural light during the day may therefore provide benefits not just to your living room, but your overall well being as well.
Mistake #3. Poor Colour Temperature Choice.Â
Colour temperature is a metric that describes how warm or cool a given light is. Colour temperature exists on a spectrum of kelvin units ranging between 1,000K and 10,000K. The higher the kelvin count, the cooler the light will be. The lower the number, the warmer the lights.
In domestic settings, such as in the case of sitting room lighting, warm white light tends to work best. This style of light is easy on the eyes but not too dim. It promotes eye comfort and clear visibility all in one. Warm colours also promote feelings of cosiness and relaxation.
If you go above the range of 3000K to 3300K warm white light, you move into the territory of cooler temperatures. Cool colour temperatures can have the opposite effect, and make your living room feel too lively for nighttime relaxation.
That said, if you do want cool lights, just be sure you do not mix them with warm ones. This can cause an unsightly and abrasive clash in the appearance of your living room lights and overall design scheme. Stick to one or the other for best results.
Mistake #4: Limited Task Lighting.
Living rooms and lounges are a place for relaxation and enjoyment of hobbies and light activity. Be sure you have enough task lighting to perform various activities comfortably, like reading, browsing the internet, drawing and other such tasks.
Task light fittings for living room areas come in different forms. Low hanging pendant lights, reading lights, floor lamps and table lamps are just a few of the ways you can provide ample task lighting to the space.
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Mistake #5: Poor Positioning and Placement
The placement of your lighting for living room areas is just as important as the colour temperature and brightness of them. If you do not have them in an optimal position, you run the risk of glares or shadows.
In order to ensure even lighting, position lights at different heights. This will help you distribute the illumination more evenly throughout the room. Plenty of lights around the room, including wall lights, will compensate for any dim spaces left behind by ambient light alone. To reduce glare, avoid placing lights behind a TV screen.
Mistake #6: Forgetting Accent Lights
Accent lights seem optional until you really consider just how much they can contribute to a space. Accent lights for lounge spaces can help you foster a pleasant, relaxing atmosphere in the room while also creating attractive focal points.
Wall washing lights, picture lights, up and downlighters and beyond are all good for the job. They can be used to draw attention to architectural features, accent walls, art and more. Using accent lights as the only light source at night can provide an atmospheric boost and serve as beautiful mood lighting.
Mistake #7: Not Adding Multiple Controls
If you don’t want all of your lights turned on at once, be sure you install and connect them to more than one switch. Connect the lights to various control switches so they can be turned on and off independently. This will allow you to enjoy the dim mood light of an accent or task light alone, or to shine plentiful ambient light around an entire room.
Similarly, consider getting dimmer switches installed. Being able to dim the lights will provide you greater control over light levels throughout the day and night, so you are always at your most comfortable. Just be sure you are choosing dimmable LED bulbs if you wish to put them on dimmers.
Mistake #8: Improper Placement of Table Lamps.
One mistake that a person might not even think about is the improper use of table lamps. When placing a table lamp onto a coffee table, side table or other surface, it needs to be around the same height from the ground as any nearby floor lamps. Otherwise, it can cause an odd spread of illumination and be quite the eyesore.
Mistake #9: Not Enough Light in Large Spaces.
The general rule for lighting is that the larger your space is, the more illumination you are going to need. For large rooms, especially those with vaulted or otherwise high ceilings, you need to make sure you are providing adequate living room light.
Begin with the ambient layer, adding in chandeliers, pendants, or recessed lights first. Then, move onto your decorative wall lighting, which should be installed more around eye-level. This will ensure light is moved through the entirety of the space, including vertically.
Mistake #10: Bad Proportions
With room sizes in mind, it is equally as important that you choose lights that are appropriately sized for your space. Larger rooms can look cavernous and swallow up smaller fixtures, for example, while small rooms can seem crowded if the fixtures are too big.
To avoid these issues, choose lights that work well with the size of your room. Opt for fixtures that provide plenty of light while also being well-suited to the visual aesthetics and dimensions of your living space as well.
Mistake #11: Not Layering Lights
Lounge lighting ideas will always include layered lighting for a reason. Layered lighting is the process of adding ambient, task and accent lights to a room. With layered lighting, you can be sure that the entire room is well-balanced and well-lit.
Ambient light simply refers to the main layer of illumination. When it comes to sitting room lights or lights for lounge spaces, you’ll be looking specifically at ceiling lights for living room areas. These include things such as chandeliers, pendants and recessed lighting.
Task lounge lights are designed to provide focused lighting for certain activities. Reading, working on your laptop and other such activities are made easier through the use of table lamps, floor lamps, spotlights and other such lounge light fittings.
Finally, accent lounge lighting will help give your living space mood and atmosphere. Picture lights, wall washing lights and other such decorative touches enhance the living space and make up the final layer of layered lighting schemes.
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Conclusion Â
Getting living room lighting right can completely transform your experience in the space. In this article, we’ve provided some of the most common light for lounge space mistakes, as well as a few living room lighting ideas to help you get off to a good start.
Living Room Lamp Ideas
Provide plenty of task lighting in your living space with the Leon 8 Watt 250mm Wide Brushed Silver LED Wall Light. This wall light generates 800 lumens of light, making it perfect for reading and other hobbies. It generates 3000K warm white light that is easy on the eyes while being bright enough for easy visibility. This fixture is built to last from durable materials, finished in brushed aluminium. It measures a total width of 250 millimeters.
Spice up your living room lighting with the trendy LBL283 6 Watt Round Modern LED Ceiling Light. These unique lights feature a unique umbrella shape that bounces illumination up from the bottom and into the shade above, scattering the light. It is fashioned out of hard wearing steel and aluminium with a white internal shade. The exterior of the fixture comes in vibrant red, neutral white or sleek black finishes.
Give your living room lots of style and illumination with the CSL022 5 Watt Dimmable Round Recessed LED Downlight Fitting. This downlight recesses into the ceiling and shines 430 lumens of 3000K warm white light downwards at a 23 degree beam angle. It is manufactured out of strong aluminium and is available in either rose gold, black, white, or white with a chrome internal reflector. Overall, it measures 83 millimeters in diameter.
Give your living room the accent light it needs with the LWA526 8 Watt 600mm Wide LED Picture Light. This picture light is designed to illuminate artwork beneath it, spreading light across its 600 millimeter width. It outputs 800 lumens of 3000K warm white light, providing ample illumination over the piece. An acrylic diffuser softens the illumination to prevent glare on the art. It is built to last from high quality aluminium and is available in your choice of either black or black and anodized gold finishes.
