Lighting Up Your Home

Lighting up a room is an essential part of decorating your home. There are many ways to properly illuminate any area depending on the purpose of the space, and how soft or bright you want the light. A game room or kitchen might have maximum lighting whereas a bedroom or dining room may need less. Or maybe the focus is sunlight through the windows with just an overhead hanging lamp for when the sun goes down.

Table lamps are ideal for filling a space with light. Depending on the brightness of the bulb and the color of the shade, you can moderate how much light fills the room. Try choosing a lampshade that generally mimics the shape of the base; for example, if you have a rectangular base, then choose a wide square or rectangular shade.

Lamps are also excellent decorative additions to any room, and can complement the home’s design style, whether its modern, romantic, traditional, etc.

Recessed lighting is great for a living room, placed above the couch or coffee table. With track lighting or recessed lighting, you can accent architectural details in your home, like the fireplace or a beautiful painting.

Wall sconces cast an indirect light on parts of the wall and are a lovely decorative choice for adding color and style to any room. They come in a wide selection of colors and an array of materials from metal to ceramic.

A reading lamp can be a floor or table lamp next to your bed or a chair in the living room. If you discover a lamp with a base you like but with the wrong lampshade color or style, consider getting it anyway, because you can easily replace the lampshade. Remember that a translucent lampshade will provide more light for reading, whereas an opaque shade is better for decorative, accent lighting.

A floor lamp can add height to the room, especially if the light aims upward toward the ceiling.

Light fixtures can be works of art, like an ornate chandelier over the dining room table, or a lamp made from an unusual material. An eclectic fixture on a table or shelf not only adds an interesting element to the room’s decor, but it can also light a dark corner. The below dining room has many different lighting sources, including a bicycle wheel chandelier!

Imagine the conversation pieces that the below chandeliers would make; they are made from cutlery, which would likely create intriguing patterns on the walls.

Candlelight is the ideal way to soften the atmosphere, or even set a romantic mood. You can add candles almost anywhere in a home, and with all the different styles and colors available, they are the easiest type of lighting to change frequently.

Another fun idea is to string white holiday lights or even a strand of lantern lights for some wonderful accent lighting in any room. Hope this article helped shine some light on different ways to brighten your home!