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If you’re tired of feeling cramped living in a house with less space than you’d prefer, you are likely wondering how to make a small room look bigger. While there are a few popular tricks, like using lighter paint colours, people overlook the importance of lighting design to open up a space.
In this article, we’ll offer you some small living room lighting ideas. We’ll also look at how to use interior lighting to make your small room feel more spacious.
The Impact of Lighting on Room Perception
Generally speaking, lighting has a big impact on the way that a space is perceived. Everything the eye picks up is due to the way light hits and reflects from different surfaces. By having a well-lit room, you can sometimes trick the eye into thinking that the room is larger than it actually is.
Choosing the Right Light Color Temperature for Small Spaces
One of the first things to think about when illuminating a small room is the colour temperature. Colour temperatures are just a way to understand the warmth or coolness that you perceive when looking at a light.
Such colour temperatures exist on a scale of Kelvin units ranging from 1,000 to 10,000. Numbers that are higher on the spectrum give off a cooler light. Conversely, lower ratings are going to output warmer light.
Generally speaking, warm lighting tends to be recommended in domestic settings. It provides cosier, more inviting illumination that is ideal for relaxing at home. It is generally recommended that you choose warm white lights between 3000K and 3300K. This gives you a nice blend of warm illumination and visibility.
If you use cool lights in a small space, it may feel too bright and oppressive. Cooler lights may also cause a glare when used in conjunction with reflective surfaces. ‘
Therefore, it’s best to stick to warmer colour temperatures when lighting a small room. This is especially true for bedroom light fitting applications, since you need the bedroom to be soft and relaxing for sleep.
Using Layered Lighting to Create Depth in a Small Room
The best way to ensure a room is well-lit is to have many sources of light. If you only have one, it can create unwanted shadows. Shadows make your room look darker, and therefore smaller.
Layered lighting consists of three layers: ambient, task and accent. Ambient light is the main light source in a room. Task lighting provides focused illumination for performing activities. Finally, accent lighting creates a mood or highlights certain elements.
For example, when it comes to dining room lights, the ambient source usually comes in the form of statement light fittings positioned over the dining table. Then, it is supplemented with task lights, like small light fittings in a buffet or sideboard. Finally, you might see indoor wall sconces highlighting architecture or artwork.
This is a well-balanced room that provides plenty of illumination. In doing so, it removes shadows, which can make the room look larger.
Maximizing Natural Light to Enhance Room Size
Natural light is a key player in effectively making rooms feel bigger. This is likely why interior rooms with no windows may feel more cramped than windowed rooms in general. By taking advantage of the natural light in a room, you can make your space feel larger before even installing any new lights.
Start by ensuring windows are not covered by thick blinds or dark, heavy curtains. Instead, choose sheer curtains with light colours to let plenty of sunlight into your room. This will make it feel airier and more open.
Strategic Placement of Lighting Fixtures to Make a Room Feel Bigger
Where you place the light for room enhancement matters. Placement plays a critical role in the perception of the light and how it scatters over items in the space. By positioning your lights in a way that illumination is easily distributed, you can make your space feel larger.
- HIGHLIGHT VERTICAL SPACE. By placing wall sconces higher up on the walls, or simply by using uplighters, you can draw the eye up and down the wall. This can give the illusion of space. This technique works especially well when you pair it with recessed lighting.
A recessed ceiling light for small room areas continues to bring the light up to the ceiling, while staying out of the way. Since it sits flush with the ceiling, you won’t have any additional visual clutter.
- LIGHT UP CORNERS. It is easy to neglect the corners of rooms when you are lighting the space. Unfortunately, this results in shadows being cast. Using small living room ceiling lights as the ambient layer, you can install wall sconces in corners to pick up the slack wherever that light doesn’t fall.
- UTILIZE FLOOR LAMPS. Another way to make the room look taller and more spacious is with tall fixtures themselves. By placing floor lamps in corners or beside furniture, you can lead the eye upwards and create a greater sense of height and spaciousness.
The Role of Mirrors and Reflective Surfaces in Expanding a Room
As you know, light bounces off of objects. Reflective surfaces make it bounce the most around a space. By moving as much light through the room as possible, you may be able to up the sense of spaciousness.
When it comes to smaller rooms without a lot of light, reflective surfaces can really help. Implementing wall lighting and pendant lighting made of glass or those with metallic finishes can assist in moving the light around the room. Furthermore, you can add in mirrors and other decor with reflective surfaces to help in this regard.
Choosing LED Lights for Small Room Illumination
Everything from living room lighting to small bedroom lights work best when you have LED bulbs. LEDs offer immense versatility which can help you tailor the lighting in your space to your exact needs.
LED lights offer many benefits to your space, including:
- ENERGY EFFICIENCY. LED lights are remarkably energy efficient. They use 80 percent less energy than halogen and incandescent bulbs, offering a more economical use of electricity.
- ECO-FRIENDLY. Since LED bulbs put less of a strain on resources, they are better for the environment. Using LED bulbs for a feature light fitting can give you big, bright results that aren’t at the expense of mother nature.
- LONG LIFESPAN. Thanks to the lessened energy use, LED bulbs last for longer. The longer life ensures you won’t have to constantly replace your bulbs.
- COST SAVINGS. By replacing your bulbs less frequently, and by using less energy in general, you’ll save money. You won’t have to spend as much money upfront on replacements, and you’ll notice a decrease in your energy bills as well.
Creating Vertical Illusions with Wall and Ceiling Lights
One way to trick the eye into thinking a room is more spacious than it is is by taking advantage of vertical space. Vertical space is why large rooms with low ceilings can seem small and cramped. Similarly, smaller rooms with soaring, vaulted ceilings can feel bigger than they are.
Utilize this idea when it comes to lighting your small room. Using a small uplighter fixture strategically can make the room seem taller, and therefore more spacious. Uplighter ceiling lights and uplighter wall lights that shine illumination vertically on the wall can give the room a sense of height.
Installing fixtures like large floor lamps can also help. This brings light further up in the room which can increase its sense of height as well.
Conclusion
Good home lighting can make or break the look and feel of your smaller space. By smartly implementing small lounge lighting ideas and techniques, you can make your cramped room feel spacious and more open.
In this article, we’ve explored how to use lighting to make small rooms feel larger. Follow these tricks and tips to make the most out of your small home.
Small Room Lighting Ideas
Create a sense of vertical space with the LWA427 3 Watt Wall Washer Interior Wall Light. These wall lights shine 300 lumens of 3000K warm white light up the wall, drawing the eye to the ceiling. You can tilt and twist the fixture to shine the light up the wall right where you want it. The fixture is good for small rooms thanks to its compact size of 182 millimeters by 80 millimeters. It is built to last from high quality aluminium and is available in either a black or white finish.
Bring light to even the darkest corners of a room with the LWA228 4 Watt LED Round Interior Wall Light. Featuring a sleek, compact disc shape, they fit in effortlessly without causing a cluttered look. These sleek wall lights generate 400 lumens of 3200K warm white light that washes back on the wall. Light is softened through the acrylic diffuser on the back. The fixture comes in your choice of black or white finishes to suit the existing decor.
Enhance the look of your small room while lighting it up effortlessly with the DBL371 20 Watt Dimmable LED Ceiling Light. This ceiling light features two bulbs that create a total output of 2000 lumens of light. They feature a CRI of >80, ensuring accurate representation of the colours in the room. It is fashioned out of a blend of aluminium and steel available in white or black with a gold ring. It measures a total size of 416 millimeters by 149 millimeters by 100 millimeters.
Create a well-balanced lighting scheme in your small room with the LBL708 9 Watt Surface Mounted LED Downlight. This downlight features a simple square shape that won’t make the room seem cluttered or too busy. They generate 800 lumens of 3000K warm white light that shines at a 24 degree beam angle. This durable fixture is fashioned out of aluminium and available in black or white finishes. It Measures 100 millimeters by 100 millimeters by 100 millimeters in total.
