When you get a new apartment, whether it’s your first or your tenth, it always helps to have a long list of resources to fall back on. One thing that helps set great apartments apart from average ones is a solid living room lighting design. It can be as simple as getting one lamp and calling it a day, but that’s no way to create an exceptionally well-lit room. Read the following eight living room lighting ideas to get the most out of your space.
1. Learn About Your Options
There are all kinds of different lamps and lights. To make sure you’re picking some great ones for yourself, it helps to understand all of your different choices. Start by asking yourself some easy questions, like which size is best for you. If you have big furniture, you can go for a big lamp, but don’t overwhelm tiny furniture with a huge lamp. The next step is to consider the look and style of your lighting. The color, shape, and texture of the fixture itself will have a massive impact on your room. Consider where you’ll place the light, then make sure the aesthetic fits appropriately.
2. Feel Free to Mix Styles
Just because you should consider which style or styles will work in your room doesn’t mean you have to stick with just one. Think about the room as a whole. Are there different sections or themes in the room? The lighting elements definitely don’t have to be a matching set to look good together. Just make sure you’re not creating any contrast that’s too wild (unless it’s intentional)! For a great example of how to mix and match, check out the next tip.
3. Similar Shades on Different Bases
This is a great way to tie different lighting styles together into a cohesive plan for your living room. Get different lamp bodies that are similar enough not to clash, but that are also noticeably different. Tie them together by using similar (or even the same) lampshades on all of them. This will give the appearance of a single, matching plan without being boring or repetitive.
4.No Bare Bulbs
When you’re picking out a table lamp, consider how it will look when you’re sitting as well as when you’re standing. You never want your guests to look directly into a bulb by accident. They also shouldn’t be able to see the neck or socket of the light bulb. If any part of the bulb is visible either while you’re standing or sitting naturally, it’s because the lamp is the wrong height or the shade is the wrong size.
5.Know When to Make a Statement
If you have an all-white room and neutral colored furniture, your lamp or other lighting fixture might be a good place to add a pop of color and style. In cases where the room is lacking color, opt for a darkly colored lampshade to give the room some character. If you don’t want to go with a loud color, you can consider a large or intricate base to provide the lamp with some presence. Size, color, and shape are all possibilities for adding some pizzazz to a room.
6. Mix Types of Lighting
Don’t feel like you have to stick to all floor lighting or all table lighting. Use a mixture of table lamps and floor-mounted pieces to create a good, natural approach to lighting. If you already have lights built into the ceiling, choose additional lighting that goes well with that. Every piece of your lighting design can add its own unique characteristics to keep things interesting.
7. Use Lighting to Highlight Certain Features
Most people think of light as being strictly functional, but it can also be an integral part of your stylistic approach. If you have an art piece you’re especially proud of, or if you want to highlight a display shelf, you can do so with light. An intense beam of lighting on a specific feature will make it stand out and frame it as a focal point.
8. Use Color Variety
Your lamps and lighting features don’t all have to be the same color any more than they have to have the same shape or design. Unless you’re going for an especially loud look, it’s best to choose colors that go well together, but you can still use different fixtures to pick up different colors from around the room.
Apartments for Rent in Phoenix
Before you can use these living room lighting ideas, you’ll need to get a living room. If you’re searching for an apartment in Phoenix, check out some of our great properties in the area. Heers Management is proud to offer units with a wide variety of different floor plans so you can find the living room that’s just right for you. Contact us to set up a tour, and you’re sure to think of some living room lighting designs by the time you leave.