Our Guide to Lighting
Our Guide to Lighting
How we approach lighting.
We are lovers of every design component, but there are a few things really set the scene for a space, and lighting is one of them.
Whether it’s natural or accent, good lighting can completely change the feeling of your home. Today, we’re sharing some of our comprehensive guide to lighting, including our top tips for elevating the lighting in your home to create an ambiance for day and night., room-by-room breakdown, some of our favorites, and a guide to hanging them.
Lighting can make or break a space, but “good” lighting in a home isn’t just about natural light coming in through the windows; it’s also about creating feeling through layered fixtures that bring ambiance and function. Lighting is one of the first things we consider when designing a home, and in our opinion, it’s just as important as other hard finishes like paint and flooring.
Whether you’re starting from scratch or looking to give your lighting a refresh, finding inspiration is always the best place to start. In this post, we’re sharing our favorite tips on approaching lighting design in every part of the home.
Our Top Tips For Home Lighting
Tip 1: Layer Your Lighting
To achieve the best look and feel, it’s important to layer your lighting pieces. Start with your overhead lights to brighten the room, and then add in dimension through accent lighting. Table lamps, floor lamps, and even scones add extra design elements while making your space feel warmer. If you have can lights and don’t have a chandelier or pendants, you can still draw the eye into your lighting with a statement accent lighting piece!
Tip 2: Choose the Right Size
Finding the right light for your space is often the most challenging part, but maintaining the right lighting scale can make or break your space’s balance.
For tips on how to measure your lighting correctly, check out our guide to hanging lights below!
Tip 3: Create Moments
Use your lighting to your advantage to create special moments in your home. Adding a library sconce above a piece of art instantly elevates its status — even if it’s just a simple sketch! Try breathing in some new life to built-in or open shelves with a sconce to make your styling stand out.
Tip 4: Contrast your lighting styles
For open floor plans, you don’t want your lighting to compete, so it’s important to mix your lighting. For example, in an open kitchen and dining space, we’ll often use pendants over the countertop, and picture lights or sconces over the cabinets.
If you have an open concept dining and kitchen space, try mixing styles and shapes between your kitchen pendants and the light over your dining table.
Tip 5: Create Intentional Symmetry
Make a statement with your lighting by doubling up on matching table lamps and going symmetrical. It feels balanced but in a cool, unexpected way.
Whether you decide to place your lighting in symmetry or asymmetry, make sure it’s intentional. We love the asymmetrical table lamp look on a console or dresser, but we always make sure to balance the look out with decor on the opposite side.
Tip 6: Break Rules
Rules are meant to be broken, and sometimes design magic happens in experimentation. Don’t be afraid to use task lamps on a bedroom nightstand or play with scale and try using an oversized piece to add visual value.
Why Accent Lighting is So Important
Lighting makes a big difference in a room, and we love the way statement lighting adds an elevated focal point to any space, but accent lighting might be just as, if not more important. Layering lighting through floor lamps, table lamps, and even sconces not only adds depth and interest to your space, but it gives you the ability to have a few lighting options throughout the day while making your space feel softer and more collected.
I think different lights create different moods; sometimes you just want your can lights on so you can get that bright room effect, sometimes you want it to feel cozy. I turn off all cans in our house in the evening and just turn on our lamps.
Use secondary lights as an opportunity to mix metals and bring more interest in your space. If you have a lot of silver tones in your space, add in brass accents through floor lamps or sconces.
From the silhouette of a substantial stoneware or ceramic lamp or the sculptural quality of a task lamp, take advantage of the added layer of lighting to add shape and form in unexpected ways.
“I almost always recommended splurging on a good lamp and save in other areas when on a budget.”
Lighting Tips For Every Room
Lighting in the entryway
When it comes to choosing lighting pieces that work together in a home, it’s all about finding a cohesive element that ties each room and selection together. The entryway is often the start of your “lighting story” and where you set the scene for your lighting throughout the home. We love incorporating a statement lamp on a console table to add personality and welcome you with a warm low light.
When choosing a lamp for your console table, consider bringing in an interesting material element like marble, plaster, or even glass, that you want to incorporate in your lighting selections throughout your home
Statement-making table lamps
Set the scene for your lighting with a textural entryway table lamp.
Lighting in the great room
We like to have multiple lighting levels in the great room to create a cozy ambiance and mood for settling in, kicking our feet up, and enjoying good conversation. While we often start with the overhead light to draw the eye up to the ceiling, sconces, table lamps, and floor lamps bring the space to life, allowing for lighting adjustments based on the time of day occasion.
Layer in a floor lamp to your great room to add an element of shape, bring in a new level of heigh for dimension, and ensure all of your guests look their best with that warm lamp glow.
Fool-proof floor lamps
Add an element of shape and height with a structural floor lamp
Lighting in the kitchen
Lighting in the kitchen is all about merging form and function, and it’s amazing how much of a difference can be made by switching out your lighting in the kitchen. Over-island pendants are often one of the most eye-catching features of the kitchen, and whether you want them to blend into your kitchen design or stand out and make a statement, the possibilities are endless.
Not sure where to start in choosing cohesive kitchen lighting? Match your cabinet hardware to one of the materials on your pendants!
Kitchen perfect pendants
Instantly refresh your kitchen with elevated pendants.
Lighting in the dining room
As one of the main focal points of the dining room, lighting can completely change the style and feel of your favorite gathering space. We love incorporating a chandelier directly above the dining table in both divided and open-concept spaces to introduce a new purpose for the area and add a material element.
While we like to mix up styles, shapes, and forms of lighting throughout a home, choosing a cohesive element between your dining and kitchen lighting like material or shape can help bring the look together.
Chandeliers for every occasion
Bring a focal point to your dining room with a designer-detailed chandelier.
Lighting in the bedroom
Lighting in the bedroom is all about creating a mood, and we love layering overhead lighting with sconces and floor and table lamps. When choosing your bedroom lighting, start with your overhead chandelier or pendant, and then select an element, be it material or style, to coordinate your secondary lighting choices.
We love incorporating sconces above the nightstands as an alternative to the table-side lamp to create a retreat-like atmosphere.
Bedside worthy sconces
Bring an ambient mood to your bedroom space with unique sconce lighting.
Lighting in the bathroom
While lighting can be disregarded in the bathroom, it’s crucial in softening and elevating one of the spaces where we spend the most time. Sconces and flush mounts can be a great way to bring contrast to your finishes with a new shape or material, while over-bath pendants bring a luxurious feeling to everyday rituals.
Looking to mix it up? Round shapes in lighting can help soften the hard lines that bathroom features and finishes often bring through cabinetry and appliances.
Designer favorite bath lighting
Bring a luxurious feeling to everyday rituals with elevated bath lighting.
Outdoor lighting
Outdoor lighting might be slightly different than the lighting throughout the interior of your home, but because it introduces the lighting story for the rest of the space, it should still feel resonant with what’s happening inside.
Outdoor lighting inspired by timeless lighting pieces like lanterns and candelabras can go a long way in adding an element of character and charm to your exterior!
Outdoor lighting we love
Build the character of your exterior with timeless outdoor lighting.
Our Guide to Hanging Lights
Hanging lights can be more challenging than it looks, and we get a lot of questions about how to do it right, so we're sharing our go-to guide! Whether it's pendants over your countertop or a chandelier over your dining table, it's important to get the spacing and sizing right so that the room feels balanced.
Here are some tips and examples for hanging lights:
2 Pendant Lights Over a Kitchen Island
3 Pendant Lights Over a Kitchen Island
Lights Above Dining Table
Chandelier In Great Room
Pendant Lights Placement
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