Living room lighting

[LyraBelaqua]

We are going to redecorate our living room this year and I would like to change the lighting in there. We currently have 2 ceiling pendant lights but the room seems quite dark in spite of having a window and glass door in there. I am thinking of putting in recessed spotlights like we have in our kitchen. Can I ask what kind of lighting you have in you living room please. Our house is a 1950’s semi.

We have a central light and up lighters. In the evening I use a table lamp and some floor level uplighters.

I’m a designer so I can help you out on this! If the room is dark definitely have multiple points of lighting. Recessed spotlights are great and you can still mix them with a pendant / statement light if you still want that. Depending on your style you could also have wall sconces.

Consider your wall colour to and take time with it. Even a white has to be the right shade of white in a darker space.

Happy decorating!!

Ceiling pendant, floor lamp, candles, fire, getting a table lamp or two just haven’t yet found right one (we moved this year)... and it’s only a small room. Dimmer switches wherever possible and different types/heights of lamp then it can be cosy or bright

Thank you for your advice. I can’t stop thinking about all the different options available to me. BF888 (and anyone else) what window dressings would you recommend? I think it must be dark due to the buttermilk type colour it has on the walls and the curtains as it should be nice and bright with the window and door shouldn’t it?

We have a dark room so use two floor up lighters- it works really well

We only have a central pendant light and a table lamp. House built in 1906 and not enough plug sockets for any more lamps. I'd have another table lamp if I could but rely on those faux candles with a moving flame for a dark corner.

I have recessed spotlights in my kitchen ceiling (on a dimmer switch) and would find them far too bright/stark in my lounge.

I vote floor lamp/s and table lamps. What kind of ceiling pendants do you have currently? Do the shades block a lot of light? Could you get something with crystals/chandelier that throws light around and creates patterns? I tend not to use my ceiling light tbh.

I don't know what your decor is but my recent lamp purchases both have copper lined shades which contribute a warm, reflective quality.

I also have a faux woodburner which I use on the light setting only (no heat) mainly. It's a bit naff but I didn't want to go to the expense of a woodburner in this particular property.

Is the room north facing? Any pics?

My decor is dire! I suppose the light shades do contain the light as the are small rattan balls which we have had for years. We also have a brown sofa and carpet and I am starting to realise I could do lots to lighten it up. I think I’ll need to get some more plug sockets fitted and go for some lamps at different levels. Maybe some pendant lights with more than 1 bulb in. Do electricians need to fit those?

I'd definitely have a floor lamp to the right of the window
And another somewhere around the back of the armchair/unit.

I think the dark furniture is sucking a lot of light out of the room but that's difficult to change. Add lots of light cushions? I had to trial and error with a selection from somewhere like Dunelm as I never get it right first time! I currently have five on my sofa (two larger 50cm ones and three 40cm) and two 40cm on the armchair. Your sofa is bigger than mine.

I've just added a big (pale) neutral rug from La Redoute (with a zigzaggy/Berber design) to tie my seating together. Not sure if you have space for a small coffee table? Maybe something with glass to reflect the light?

I was going to suggest mirrors to bounce the light around. I see you have one over the mantel. I'd be tempted to add a medium/large one over the back of the sofa to make the most of the light from the window. Move the current frames along the wall or into one of the alcoves.

Is your redecorating including painting? I'm not crazy about the buttermilk colour with the furniture/carpet. But that could just be me! I prefer blues/greens/pale greige/taupes with such dark brown furniture.

I'm still finding my way with ceiling shades. I like quite large shades for impact but then I don't really use them as a light source, mainly decorative

Is it a long thin room? They're tricky to furnish. I was trying to figure out if you could swap your furniture around to have the sofa as a room divider where the armchair is (L shaped bit against the right hand wall and walkway/entrance by the fireplace) and the chair over by the window. But I don't know if the sofa's too wide.

If you did move the sofa you could replace the tv shelf with a corner tv unit to bring the tv out a bit for more comfortable viewing

What's towards the back of the room where the photo's taken from? Is there a dining room table? Do you have a photo showing that direction/the glass wall?

Sorry I went a bit overboard, you only asked about lighting!!! I expanded it to include ideas for lightening the room generally

I had dark green leather sofas which seemed to suck all the light out of the room.
I only realised when I draped them in light coloured cloths for decorating what a difference it made.
We removed the central ceiling lights completely and now have two up lighters and various table lamps and we have not missed the pendant lights at all.

Not sure where the doorways are but if you were able to move the sofa round (space permitting) you could have the cube unit behind it (is it a 2x4 cube configuration?). This would mute the dark leather (from one angle) and create a sideboard surface for a table light. If necessary perk it up with some new cubes inserts/baskets to match your new decor.

I read that circles make long/narrow rooms look wider. Circular mirror, circular glass coffee table, wide drum ceiling lampshades (or go with larger pendants so you're not looking up at the lightbulb), oval lampshade on a floor lamp etc

Thank you so much for your advice. Yes we will be painting too. The door into the living room is at the side of the sofa closest to us. The sofa actually overhangs the door it is so big (we got it second hand). We have tried every way to get it to fit in differently but to no avail. The end of the room where I took the photo is narrower than the top. It is empty apart from a large guinea pig hutch and a glass door at the very end of the room. I am happy for advice as I have no idea what to put in it. I was thinking shelving unit/desk sort of thing. Plenty of room for a coffee table. I would like a new sofa but my children love to bounce on it and I don’t want to spend my life telling them off for something that so far they have always done, if you get my drift.

That's fair enough, it's challenging when you have to work round existing pieces but often necessary

Do you have a photo taken from the window end? No worries if you'd prefer not.

I'm toying with one of these chandelier shades in my living room based on a recommendation from another Mnetter. The Dunelm reviews are very good too and I've not found anything comparable for the price. They're a good size and the beauty is that they just clip on, no electrician needed! They'll probably be back up to full price soon, I've been waiting for a 20% off promotion
The Dunelm website doesn't work that well on my phone but there are customer photos at the bottom of the page - one is a blue room with a round mirror

Blenheim shade

They'd make a good focal point between the doorway and the window and allow light through.

I'm still learning about curtains. I'd be inclined to fit a new curtain pole in a warmer shade (wood or brass) closer to the ceiling. The theory is this will make short wide windows more proportionate. Curtains should fall 4-6" below the window (called apron length) or just above the floor depending on your taste to balance the width of the window.

I quite like pale/neutral curtains with good linings - clip Dunelm thermal/blackout linings onto thin curtains if necessary to thicken them up and make them hang better. There's a trick using (concealed) cut up toilet rolls/pipe insulation to make the folds sit nicely! Add tie-backs/hold-backs if necessary to allow maximum light into the room

This is the other end of the room. I’m now thinking about a new sofa and flooring. It will cost a bit but it needs doing at some time. I think it’s been 6 years since it was decorated.

Sounds great, you can really be creative if you're changing paint/wallpaper/flooring/sofas

It took me ages to figure out where the door was despite your very clear description. I get it now!

I really dislike recessed spots. They look far too busy and too functional for a sitting room. I like clear surfaces and wince at the effort it will be to get a flat ceiling finish again in houses I look at with a view to buy. A mix of wall lights with dimmers and lamps gives a multi layered flexible lighting scheme. I do have a pendant in my sitting room but it is over the coffee table and good for things like board games.

Thanks very much to everyone for your advice. I can safely say we won’t get any spotlights fitted. I’ve got so much to think about now!