How to Choose the Perfect Light Fixture for Every Room in Your Home
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If you’ve always thought adding lamps and light fixtures around the house was a casual task with no real strategy, think again! The secret behind those stunning spaces you save on Instagram, yes, even the daytime views, is all about the light fixtures that have been carefully and thoughtfully chosen.
When a designer picks a light fixture for a room, it’s not just about looks! There’s a whole science to it. In this post, I’ve put together all the tools you need to choose the perfect light fixture for your space based on your style, the size of the room, type of fixture, and room-specific considerations. Whether you’re updating a bedroom, living room, or even a hallway, this guide will give you a fresh new perspective on lighting.
Before you dive in, though, I recommend checking out my previous post where I break down the fundamentals of lighting types and light fixtures. It’s important to understand this to really nail the lighting in your home.
Related: Types Of Light Fixtures You Didn’t Know Your Home Needed
1. Think About The Purpose Of The Room
The first step in choosing the right light fixture is to consider the purpose of the room you’re shopping for. This is key because, as you’ll see from the table above (and if you’ve read my previous post), each light fixture provides a different type of lighting whether it’s ambient, accent, or task lighting. And every type serves its own unique purpose.
For example, task lighting is crucial for focused activities like preparing food on a kitchen counter, working at a home office desk, or cozying up with a book in your reading nook. In these cases, you’ll want something like a table lamp with a focused beam, a pendant light over the counter, or a floor lamp without a shade to get a direct light. Here’s more such examples:
Bedrooms: You typically want a cozy atmosphere, so a dimmable table lamp is a great choice to create accent lighting. You may add a floor lamp (with task lighting effect) next to an accent chair or a table lamp (with task lighting effect) on a writing desk if there’s one in your room. For additional ambience, you can add a picture light on a dresser mirror or wall art.
Living Rooms: This space demands a lot of ambience since it’s a gathering area. You will need majority of ambient lighting in the form of great ceiling lights (chandeliers, recessed lights, flush mounts, etc.) to ensure the living room is well lit. You can then layer the lighting by adding a table lamp on the side table, floor lamp in a corner, track of spotlights to display art.
Bathrooms: Yet another cozy space that does not need a ton of bright light but rather demands accent lighting. Here, wall sconces, up/down light fixtures work well.
So, before you start browsing fixtures, think about how the room will be used and what kind of lighting it really needs.
2. Factor In The Ceiling Height
The type of light fixture you choose should also depend on the ceiling height and room size you're working with. One of the most common design mistakes is choosing a fixture that isn't scaled properly to the room, throwing off the overall visual balance.
Let’s say you’re selecting a light for a room with high ceilings, a flush mount ceiling fixture won’t do a great job because:
a) It will not emit enough light to properly illuminate the space, especially if it’s a large room.
b) Even if it does, it won’t fill the space visually, leaving the room feeling empty or incomplete.
In such spaces, a chandelier is an ideal option. It offers better illumination and also acts as a statement piece that fills the vertical space beautifully. Here’s a small summary to help you choose light fixture types based on the ceiling height.
For spaces with high ceiling (9+ ft): Chandeliers, Pendant lights
For spaces with standard ceiling (8 - 9ft): Semi-flush mounts, Medium sized chandeliers, Pendant lights
For spaces with low ceiling (less than 8 ft): Flush mounts
On the flip side, if you’re dealing with lower ceilings, a chandelier may overwhelm the room and make it feel cramped. Here, flush mounts become a great choice, providing functional lighting without overpowering the space.
I’ve put together a quick reference table to help guide your decision based on ceiling height.
3. Factor In The Scale Of The Furniture
Just as crucial as ceiling height is the scale of your furniture. Getting this right is essential for achieving that polished look you’re aiming for. Imagine an oversized chandelier over a dining table or a tiny table lamp on a console table in your entryway. Both are surefire ways to throw off the vibe in your home decor. Plus, these costly design mistakes can be tough to rectify!
Here are some tips and tricks to keep in mind:
Chandelier Sizing: When selecting a chandelier for a rectangular dining table, aim for a width that is two-thirds of the table's width. This balance will create an elegant focal point without overwhelming the space.
Floor Lamp Height: For your living room, choose a floor lamp that isn’t much taller than your couch or other seating pieces. A good rule of thumb is to aim for it to be about twice the height of the couch. This helps maintain harmony in your layout.
Table Lamp Dimensions: In the bedroom for example, when selecting table lamps for your nightstands, make sure they are not taller than the headboard. On the other hand, if you opt for wall sconces, they can extend a bit above the headboard.
Hallway Lighting: For long, narrow hallways, pendant lights, flush mounts, or a track of spotlights are your options. Just ensure that pendant lights are hung high enough so they won’t hit anyone with an average height.
Bathroom Fixtures: When choosing bathroom light fixtures, take the shape and size of your mirror into account. A round mirror pairs beautifully with a picture light, while rectangular mirrors look stunning with wall sconces on either side to add that perfect touch of accent lighting.
Variety of Heights: Lastly, adding a variety of heights in your lighting throughout a room creates visual interest. The different levels of light emitted at night not only brighten up the space but also enhance the overall ambience in a more luxurious way.
4. Layer Multiple Lighting
Layering is a big deal in the world of interior design. At its core, layering means combining different elements like colors, textures, patterns, and materials to create depth and interest in any space. This concept extends beautifully into lighting as well! By layering various types of lighting fixtures, you can add visual interest and transform your home!
Did you know about the 5-7 rule? The experts say that you should aim for at least five to seven lighting fixtures in a single space. This doesn’t mean you should go for multiple fixtures of the same type, that could be a recipe for disaster.
Take a living room, for example. Imagine a combination of flush mounts scattered across the ceiling, a chic floor lamp tucked in the corner, and a stylish table lamp on the side table. Add in some picture lights on a wall art and wall sconces next to the fireplace mirror, and you’ve got yourself a beautiful ambiance. This thoughtful layering not only brightens up the room but also adds that luxe factor we all crave.
So, as you choose light fixtures for a space, remember the magic of layering.
5. Choosing The Right Bulb Temperature
If there’s one thing that can truly make or break the ambience of a room, it’s the bulb temperature! No matter how much time, energy, and money you invest in selecting the perfect light fixtures for your space, this factor can throw everything off the moment you flip the switch.
Bulb temperatures determine the warmth and feel of the light they emit. Here’s a fun fact, bulb temperatures play a huge role in retail spaces, too! For instance, you’ll never find a yellow hue in a grocery store because they want to keep things bright and inviting. On the flip side, a gold jewelry store often uses warmer bulbs to enhance the beauty of those stunning pieces, making them even more enticing. Meanwhile, a diamond store typically opts for cooler lighting to showcase the clarity and shine of the gems. See what I mean?
In our homes, choosing the right bulb temperature is essential to achieving the desired look and feel. For cozy spaces like bedrooms, bathrooms, dining rooms, and living rooms, warm white bulbs (ranging from 2700K to 3000K) are the way to go. They create that inviting, snug atmosphere we all love.
In contrast, kitchens and workspaces need a brighter light to keep things functional while still providing a pleasant ambience. Neutral white bulbs (3500K to 4100K) strike the perfect balance here. If you want to add a touch of warmth to your kitchen, add warm white bulbs in pendant lights or under-cabinet fixtures to create a layered lighting effect.
That’s a wrap! This blog post was all about helping you choose the perfect light fixture for your home. I hope it gave you a deeper look into what goes on behind the scenes in the design world and how you can easily apply these tips in your own space.
Feel free to drop any questions in the comments below, I’d love to help you out!
