Living room lighting: 5 ideas for a unique ambiance
03.2022
Discover 5 ideas for a functional and stylish lighting for your living room!
5 ideas for perfect living room lighting
Lighting is one of the most important factors in living room design. Lamps installed in the right place can completely change the look of a room. However, this part of the decor can often be underestimated, which can have an off-putting effect on the room’s overall harmony.
Why is lighting in the living room so important? And what strategies can be adopted to make the most of this room?
Over the course of this article we will discover how important lighting is to the overall appearance of the living room, what living room lights are best and 5 ideas for designing the perfect lighting system.
The importance of lighting in the living room
Lighting performs a fundamental role in interior design, and a well-lit environment can even have a positive effect on our productivity.
Contrary to what you might think, light has incredible power. For example, it can change the perception of space, catalyse attention, and influence people’s moods.
In a space like the living room, where many moments of the day are spent, it is essential to install a functional and pleasant lighting system. In addition, this is also the place to welcome guests and spend time together, so the lighting system in the living room must be carefully designed, even more so than in other rooms, while also fulfilling a furnishing function.
Enhancing the versatility of this room is essential to contribute to the harmony that a well-organised living room communicates. Thinking about a living room lighting design without assessing the room itself, how big it is, or the functions it has to perform, is definitely a mistake.
The right light for the living room
When it comes to choosing light for the living area, the temperature of the light is a very important aspect to consider.
Science classifies light sources according to the colour they emit, on an all-encompassing scale starting with warm, red light and ending with cool, blue light. To make the choice easier, the unit of measurement, in degrees Kelvin, is printed on the packaging of light bulbs that can be found in shops selling common household goods.
As we have already mentioned, light has the ability to influence our emotional state. For a room like the living room, where people spend a lot of free time, it is essential to choose a light that promotes calm and relaxation. The choice between warm and cold light is quite clear: a light with warm white tones, below 3300 Kelvin, is ideal to help create a soft, relaxing atmosphere.
Having discussed the importance of lighting and the right colour scheme for your living room, let’s take a look at 5 living room lighting ideas for optimal illumination.
Design a zoned living room lighting scheme
As we have said, the living room is a multifunctional room: it can be a place to relax on the sofa, a place to meet friends or a place to play. Moreover, especially if it is a modern living room, the space can be an open plan layout, combined with the kitchen, the entrance hall, or the dining room. For these reasons it is essential to design lighting that is perfectly tailored to the room.
In addition to general lighting in the room, additional lighting points should be installed that consider the needs of the living room occupants: an additional light point near the sofa, for example, provides the perfect atmosphere for reading a good book. If, on the other hand, the entrance hall is integrated into the living room, then functional lighting in the room is essential, at least ideally to divide the two areas.
In the living room we are proposing, the entrance door faces directly onto the living room. For this reason we decided to delimit the space in some way, using special furniture and a large, elegant light point. The sophisticated Farfalla lamp, combined with the wonderful Quadro mirrors on the wall, provided identity to this corner of the living room. In addition, the large beam of light emitted by this lamp is perfect for this minimalist entrance-sitting room. The addition of the Love Me, Love Me Not coffee table, is practical for storing keys and the telephone and a perfectly elegant addition to enrich the living room, contributing to the distinction of these two spaces with elegance.
Not only light: the valuable help of coverings
When furnishing your living room you always have to consider the room perfectly, to ensure that the space is always well lit and appropriately sized.
There are some excellent strategies for changing the perception of the room through a studied use of light. However, this is not always sufficient, and to illuminate the room well we can use an unusual ally: wall and floor coverings.
For example, in the case of a small lounge with little natural light, a synergic work of lamps, walls, and floors can create a truly revolutionary effect.
This is precisely the technique we have used in this small sitting room: recessed into the wall, spotlights illuminate the living room thanks to the way they play with the natural stone. The light tones of the Crema d’Orcia Select Chevron finish of the wall tiles reflect a broad cascade of light throughout the living room. Next to the sofa, the delicate Urano lamp, carved from a single block of marble, provides an additional point of light, sufficient on its own to create a romantic atmosphere. With the choice of light-coloured furnishings, such as the Dritto coffee tables, and the Archimede mirror, the ultimate amplifier of space, the room appears large and comfortable.
Create designer living room lighting
As we have said, the living room is a place where people often spend time with friends. In addition, it is often the case that the front door of the house opens directly onto the living room. For this reason, the overall look of the room must be thought through down to the smallest detail: the living room becomes the calling card for the whole house.
Therefore, more than in any other room, it is essential to combine the practical with the pleasant, choosing lamps for the living room that are not only functional but also beautiful. Choosing lamps with a sophisticated design allows you to tie the space together perfectly.
Our Silo chandelier is ideal for lighting the living room: thanks to its high level of customisation, it fits perfectly into any room and any style. For this bright living room with its elegant lines, we decided to install it in its Chandelier version: 26 luminous cylinders in white Bianco Carrara which permeates the entire room.
With style and elegance, this pendant lamp perfectly illuminates all the furnishings and surfaces. The precious play of white Bianco Carrara and black Marquinia, which alternate in the W Coffee Table, the inlay of the Proiezioni coffee table, and the spherical Gravity paperweight, is enhanced by the elegant Silo light source.
Enhance a detail
The living room is a perfect place to display valuable items, and precious sculptures or elegant wall art are a great way to enrich this room.
However, it is not always easy to enhance these objects, and in this case special lighting can really help. A precisely positioned beam of light makes it easy to highlight an area that we want to draw attention to.
In this case our Urano lamp is an excellent ally. This is why we chose it to furnish this valuable corner of the living room. Above the fireplace, the imposing abstract wall art and the precious sculpture Omaggio a Morandi in Botticino marble needed to be highlighted.
The installation of the Urano lamp in its floor-standing version provided the necessary beam of light to make these two elegant pieces of furniture stand out as protagonists in the room. Once again, a well-thought-out use of light proved to be fundamental to enhance the living room.
Design the light according to the decor
We have already talked about how warm light is the most suitable light for illuminating the living room: cold light has an invigorating effect, much more suitable for rooms where concentration is required, such as the kitchen.
What we have not mentioned, however, is that warm light has a lower light output, which can sometimes risk not being sufficient. Installing a living room chandelier made up of several elements can be a good solution to overcome this problem.
The other method is to try to design the light according to the decor: the result is really functional and aesthetically very pleasing. If, for example, the living room also includes a dining room, installing chandeliers that highlight the entire profile of the table is ideal: the effect is truly incredible.
In the solution we are proposing, we have once again chosen to rely on Silo, but this time playing with single cylinders. The extreme customisation of this lamp has allowed us to develop a perfect lighting system to illuminate the intricate geometries of our Ta_Volo. The continuum of Bianco Carrara found in Silo, in Ta_Volo, and the aforementioned Urano beautifully unites this cosy living room.
To sum up, perfect living room lighting depends on many factors.
Evaluating all the needs that the room must cover and studying the environment perfectly may not be easy if you do not have experience in the field.
Turn to professionals who can easily guide you towards the best choices for your living room. Take a look at our section dedicated to designer lighting and contact us! Together we will design a solution tailored to your needs.
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