While all living rooms have lighting fixtures in it, not all of them utilize lighting properly. Having lighting is one thing. Having proper lighting is an entirely different thing. So, to help you improve the lighting of your living room, we collected no less than 21 living room lighting ideas here.
There are three types of indoor lights: ambient light, task light, and accent light. Ambient light is for the entire room, task light is for a specific task like reading, and accent light is for decoration purpose. Our ideas here cover all three so you can get an idea how you can improve your lighting. Ready? Let’s start.
A Touch of Industrial
Industrial styling gives off an organized and structured look. Of course, proper lighting is a must to get the intended effect. The living room lighting as seen here does just that. Not only it brings the needed lighting, but it also complements the industrial styling as well.
The placement of the lighting is clever. With hanging lighting fixtures like this, the industrial living room is neither too bright nor too dim and with all corners covered. It has just enough ambient lighting, which helps to set the industrial mood even further.
Eclectic Living Room
When it comes to living room lighting ideas, there is no rule that you should have one or two fixtures for ambient lighting.
You are free to experiment with the lighting as there is no such thing as the best living room lighting that can work for every room every time.
A bit of experimentation is needed to find the right lighting for your living room. Here’s an idea: use string lights for the ambient lighting. String lights are far from common, brightening not just the room but also the mood.
Unique Accent
Unlike ambient and task lighting, accent lighting is mostly for decoration purposes. Yes, it is, more often than not, added to enhance the looks of the living room. And as you can see here, these living room lighting fixtures make the living room even more visually pleasing.
Notice how unique the yellow light emitted by the fixture. The yellow light adds a warm and familiar vibe to the living room. It also highlights the decorations like the cubes on the wall and a small pot on the coffee table, making them more stand out.
Crystal Chandelier
On one hand, contemporary styling is about simplicity and unique shapes. On the other, the chandelier is often associated with traditional, vintage, or chic style. Can the two mixes well together? As seen here, the answer is yes. Yes, they can.
Notice how the hanging lighting is pretty much a chandelier. What makes this ‘chandelier’ different is its shape and design.
Rather than looking traditional or vintage, it looks so contemporary with the circles around it. Such a fixture really fits the living room as it adds style and sets a dramatic mood to it.
Does your living room have a TV in it? If it does, this living room with TV design ideas here can help you decor the living room and make it more comfortable for watching TV.
Light Fixtures
The previous living room lighting ideas mostly cover the ambient and accent light. Now it is the turn for the task light.
Look at the three lighting fixtures hanging above the comfy chair, near the fireplace. In terms of aesthetic, it doesn’t add anything significant. Nor does it change the mood.
The main purpose of the lighting here is for reading or writing. The lighting fixtures provide decent lighting, while the chair provides comfort. The combination of the two creates a mini reading nook/working space in the living room.
Majestic Ceiling Light
Next is living room overhead lighting. While ambient lighting is mostly about providing enough lighting to the living room, that doesn’t mean you should overlook its appearance. On the contrary, you can turn it into the focal point of the room.
Look how majestic this living room lighting is. The fixture looks like a living climbing vine, spreading from the center of the ceiling to all directions around. The bright white light, shadow, and unusual shapes make the lighting fixture nothing sort of majestic.
Keep It Minimal
Are there minimalist living room lighting ideas? Of course, there are. Minimalism can be incorporated in just about any part of the decor. Lighting is no exception. This simple and minimal living room lighting modern proves that.
Feel the minimalist vibe? The living room has a neutral color tone, lots of free space, and no clutter at all. The low hanging lighting fixture accentuates the minimalist vibe and at the same time, brightens and warms the room.
On the Table
When it comes to accent living room lighting, no area is off-limit. That’s right. You can even add accent light by adding lighting fixtures on the table. And how does it look? Wonderful, of course. Just take a look at the lighting here.
The living room looks dreamy and inviting thanks to the nuance the accent light creates. The beauty of the accent lighting here is that it helps sets the living room’s mood smoothly and subtly.
Mix and Match
Earlier, we mentioned there are three kinds of lights. What you need to know about these lights is that they are not mutually exclusive. Yes, you can have two and even three of them in your living room. Here in this living room, there are two lights: ambient and accent.
The ambient light comes from the corner living room lighting fixtures. Notice how light is emitted to above and below directly from the fixture.
The accent, on the other hand, comes from the fixtures near and on the table. Together, they make the living room looks so cozy.
Along the Wall
Ambient living room lighting lamps are often installed on the ceiling. Is that the be-all-end-all option? Nope. Far from it, you can get ambient light from multiple angles, not just from the ceiling. There are many living room lighting ideas that prove that.
These string lights provide the perfect ambient light to the small living room. Such lighting fixtures work well for any living room, especially small ones as they don’t need as much lighting. The best thing about stringing the lighting along the wall is that it can double as wall decor, making it both practical and functional choice.
Boho Living Room Lighting Ideas
Preparing for fall? Then you will need appropriate ideas for living room lighting. The one we got here incorporates both ambient and accent light.
The ambient light comes from the ceiling and wall-mount fixture while the accent comes from the small fixture on the table.
Notice how both the ambient and accent lighting fixtures are both rather dim. This dimness sets the warm and welcoming mood, which is perfect to welcome the coming season. The decorations of the living room lighting fixtures accentuate the mood even further.
Chic Chandelier
The next on our living room lighting ideas list is a chic chandelier. A chic chandelier’s main purpose is, of course, provides lighting all over the living room. The other purpose is to add a chic touch to the living room.
As simple and small as this chic living room lighting might be, it creates an interesting visual cue. Even more so when it is lit. Unlit, it looks like hanging art. It looks good no matter day or night.
Modern and Dramatic
Going for a modern living room doesn’t mean you can’t make it dramatic. With living room lighting like this, even the most neutral modern living room will be dramatic.
Since most of the living room’s decorations are neutral in color and style, the unique lighting fixture becomes a lot more noticeable.
Things get more interesting when the lighting is lit. Take a good look at the ceiling. What do you think about the shadow? Quite an amazing visual cue, isn’t it?
Make It Two
If you have a large living room with multiple chairs/sofas, a coffee table, and a TV, you probably need more than just one light source.
A single light source will leave many corners dark and you don’t want that. So if one lighting fixture is not enough, make it two.
There is no need to worry about how they look. A twin living room lighting fixtures, as seen here, look absolutely stunning.
With proper positioning, the fixtures make a unique statement while leaving no dark corner in the living room. It is among the best living room lighting ideas for large living rooms.
Lights the Gallery up
Accent light can also be used to highlight other decorations in the living room. For instance, photographs on the wall. There are two options here: either highlighting the decorations from above or below. Either choice is valid.
Notice how the living room overhead lighting directs the focus on the photographs. It shifts the attention away from the other parts of the room to the wall gallery. If your living room’s focal point is not noticeable, incorporating accent light like this will help.
Keep the Mantel Warm
Not everyone is blessed with a fireplace in their house. If you do have it, please don’t let it stands alone. One of the best living room lighting ideas is to bring focus to the mantel. This will turn the fireplace into a focal point and highlight whatever decorations you put above the mantel.
A fireplace on its own makes a great visual cue. A fireplace with living room lighting shining on it from above? Now that’s a focal point nobody can miss.
Mid Century
Similar to the minimalist decor, the mid century decor also emphasizes on simple forms and functions. The difference is, however, the mid century decor is more democratic in terms of color tone. Just look how colorful this living room is.
The lighting fixture here is mid century to the core. It has simple forms and focused on functions as the lamps emit light in all directions and accentuate the mid century vibe.
The mid century styling is returning. It shouldn’t be a surprise considering how amazing the styling looks. Want your own mid century living room? You don’t want to miss these ideas.
Minimalist Stylish
Next is another example of minimalist living room lighting ideas. Minimalist decorations look clean, sleek, and without any unnecessary shape. This living room lighting right here fits the characteristics so well. Notice how simple looking and sleek it is.
The best thing about this minimalist lighting is it provides proper lighting while keeping things down to minimal and make an unusual statement in the living room. It is as minimalist as you can get.
Focal Lighting
Living room lighting as the focal point? Why not! Although this idea can work for just about any living room, it works wonder in smaller living rooms. The reason is that it brings the focus upward, rather than on the ground. Thus, creating the feeling as if the room is larger.
Of course, not all living room lighting fixtures are effective for that. The best living room lighting to create a focal point are the ones that subtly attract attention, like this one here.
Farmhouse Light
There is no need to go superfluous or overboard with the lighting. The best kind of living room lighting is the one that provides enough lighting to the room. Yes, enough. Neither too dim nor too bright. Just look at how these simple string lights are enough to brighten the room.
Accent Light for Warmth
The last idea on our living room lighting ideas is accent light for warmth. When you look at this living room, you can’t help but feels warm and relaxed.
The lack of bright light doesn’t make the living room looks bad. On the contrary, the dim lighting sets a relaxed and inviting mood.
If you spend a lot of time in your living room with your friends or family, this accent light for warmth is certainly among the best ideas for living room lighting you’d want to try.