Lighting 101: 4 Cool Ideas for Your Home

Good lighting is powerful. It will not only brighten dark corners but, also affect your emotions.

When done right, proper lighting sets the tone for a room, improves people’s moods, makes everything look better, and can even increase your productivity.

That’s why IKEA designers believe that good lighting can make or break the deal for any space. So we asked them: how can we light our spaces well and effectively without spending a bomb? Here are their top pieces of advice:

Layer your illumination – everywhere

• The biggest misconception about lighting is that one source is enough.
• Actually, every room needs more than one source of light.
• Ideally, use a mix of overhead, accent, and task lights to find the perfect balance.

Multiple lighted areas for the living room

• You can have one large chandelier hanging down from the living room ceiling, but you can also have accent lights and spotlights for art on the walls.
• Table lamps placed next to seating areas add another layer of illumination.
• You can also have freestanding floor lamps to add an elegant touch.

Recessed lighting and pendants for the kitchen

• The kitchen needs to be the best-lit, brightest room in the house. Also, direct lighting is better than ambient light because it’s important for you to be able to see what you cook.
• An easy way to flood the room with lights is by using recessed lighting, which is neat and long-lasting.
• A more aesthetic way is to use hanging pendants over the areas you use the most.

Wall-mounted lighting for your bathroom

• Having lights directly over your mirror is the worst idea, according to experts.
• Rather, go for wall-mounted sconces that are approximately 66 inches off the floor to provide even illumination for your whole face.
• Another interesting feature to incorporate is motion-lighting on your cabinet bases. This will create a warm night-light effect if and when you need to use your bathroom at night.

Oversized floor lamps for dark corners

• An easy trick to utilise or brighten up an awkward, empty corner is to light it up with a statement oversized floor lamp.
• Not only will it provide illumination, but it will also turn an underutilised little space into an intentional, striking part of the design of the entire room.
• IKEA has an extensive collection of floor and table lamps that’ll give you some ideas.

With these simple ideas, every room in your house will soon look bright, warm and inviting.