Lighting by Room: Living Room Lighting

When you examine which room gets the most traffic in the house, you'll find an "x" on the living room. Like the kitchen, it's a communal place. But it's also the place where the largest variety of activities happen. People read, nap, watch television, listen to music and socialize with family and friends. So when you design your living room, think of it as the hub of your domestic life.

Begin with a strong point of view

Tie everything together with a theme.

Determine what the most dominant element that makes the design thematically successful. Then create a design with secondary elements around that element. For example, if you were going for a "mod" design, you may determine that the modern couch is the center of the design and its supporting elements would be plastic sphere pendants.

Assemble a specific set of color and textures. Determine what the dominate color(s) are and limit your choice to a maximum of two. Then choose supporting two or three colors that you can use in small doses ie. a flower pot or room accessory.

Arrange your furniture elements into sets and position them as social spaces throughout the room ie. a pair of chairs by the fireplace or the sofa with coffee table and magazines.

Lighting Techniques

In some cases, the designer of a room has decided that natural light is the most important element in the room. So they build skylights or large windows to take advantage of the natural lighting. Others may not have the advantage of building a house from scratch, large-scale renovation or prefer the crafty use of artificial light. So we recommend lighting techniques for just such a situation:

• Dimmable Lighting: You can control the amount of light in your living room and also the mood of a room. You might also prefer to use a decreased amount of light if there are fewer people in the room. Some pendants and ceiling fans have a dimming capability. Check within the product description for dimming features.
  
  
• Recessed Lighting: Recessed lights act like spotlights on the objects below. They don't overpower a room with light. You can select areas to highlight and leave others shades darker.
  
  
• Task lighting: Floor lamps and table lamps will compliment the social spaces/sets you've created in the room. Task lighting is great for aging eyes.
  
  
• Wall Grazing: You can highlight certain wall sections with sconces, pendants and floor lamps. Light is a great way to create a scene and temperature mood for the room.
  
  
• Color: If you wanted a contemporary modern aesthetic, you'd use white light and cool furniture colors. If you wanted a comfy, family room, use warm colors in lighting and furniture.
  
  
• Shadow & Texture: Create interesting textures by shining a light on an object ie. light on a household plant like orchids.
  
  
• Sconce Lighting: Sconces are great wall grazing methods that create varieties of light and dark. They also become a permanent decorative accessory in a room.

Misconceptions

Unlike a kitchen or a dining room, a living room doesn't need a dominating ceiling fixture. More often than not, using a strong overhead can wash out and dull out the the entire living room.

Another misconception about interior lighting design is that it's all about artificial lighting. If your living room faces the light during the day, take advantage of it. You're not only reducing your electricity consumption, but you're also getting a strong splash of vitamin D from exposure to sunlight. You're body produces this necessary vitamin which helps in regular bone growth, organ maintenance and immunomodulatory functions.



Source: Lighting.com