Illuminate your living room to create a pleasant ambience.

Lighting is one of the most important aspects of interiors. For a living room where one needs to achieve a spacious look, the lighting system has to be varied. It should accent works of art like wall paintings and sculptures, murals, niches and alcoves, glass cabinets, display cabinets and other accessories in a living room. It must be flexible bright enough for activities like sewing or homework, and dim enough for when you are in the party mood. Table and standing floor lamps can be placed on side tables with a dimmer fixed to the lamp. Stained glass lamps and hanging lights are colourful and classy so are the glass lamps, which are classic and never go out of style. Make sure the colours gel with those in the room.

Create a focal point

Use a dimmer switch to create different moods with lighting. Wall washers light up the walls uniformly, creating a bright ambience while diffused lighting gives a wall wash effect. If the house is not highly elevated, French windows are the best solution to create a lavish ambience. It is the best alternative for living rooms, providing openness. It gives openness and allowing more light and breeze into the room. A combination of the main curtain with sheer curtain can be used for such long windows. Sheer curtains are useful in cutting off the glare while the main curtains can be drawn for privacy. Most seating should have light available from a lamp or overhead fixture.

Lampshades

Purchasing a new shade is a quick and inexpensive way to update a lamp. Use translucent lamp shades instead of opaque ones. A dimmer can be fixed to the lamp. Stained glass lamps and hanging lights are colourful and classy. Glass lamps are classic and never go out of style. You can get them specially made for your living room. Make sure the colours gel with those in the room. If you like your lampshade to exude ethnicity, you can choose from a selection of traditional designs. There are also handmade lanterns like the traditional lanterns, handmade hanging lanterns, handmade decorative lanterns, handmade designer lanterns and handmade stone lanterns.

If you have houseplants, consider adding twinkle lights. These lights add warm, subdued lighting when used alone, and accent light any time.

Finesse with recessed lights

Recessed lighting has becomes quite a fashion in home decor these days. In recessed lighting, the lights are installed into the walls or ceilings and hence do not take up any other extra space, though they provide adequate lighting to the whole room. They are attached to the main switch in the room and come with a lot of in-built features like low lights, back lights, accent lights and dimmer lights. They are handy when the room is used to a variety of purposes and all the activities require different light settings.

If you are designing a new home, try to have recessed lights in the ceiling. They add finesse to the living room. In recessed lighting, the lights are installed into the walls or ceilings and hence do not take up any other extra space, though they provide adequate lighting to the whole room. They are attached to the main switch in the room and come with a lot of in-built features like low lights, back lights, accent lights and dimmer lights. They are handy when the room is used to a variety of purposes and all the activities require different light settings.

Lighting may be designed to match the interior design scheme, the furniture, colour scheme, and taste. If you opt for a hi-tech, sleek look with leather furniture to go with it, the lighting fixtures need to be metallic or equally sleek. If you have a focal point rock garden, sculpture, or trophy cabinet, the layout of the furniture may be circled around it and the lighting should follow suit. Slim, pencils of light focused on art or trophies will provide dramatic respite.