Our tips for lighting small spaces

It is not unusual to have small spaces in a flat, a studio or a house. Like the other rooms in your home, these spaces deserve good lighting, both to keep you visually comfortable and to tie in with your overall lighting scheme. What’s more, well-planned lighting in a small room full of nooks can make the room feel bigger. Here are some practical tips for lighting the small spaces in your home.

Choose the best main lighting

Whatever the size of a room in your house, flat or studio, the main lighting plays a vital role in visual comfort. Poorly chosen main lighting will be dazzling and create an overbearing atmosphere, especially in small rooms. To avoid this, it is vital to choose your main light fitting according to how the room is used. In a living room, bathroom or bedroom, the main lighting should be moderately bright. This preserves the intimate, relaxing feel of these three living spaces. On the other hand, in a room used for many activities, some of which call for particular concentration, powerful main lighting is recommended. This is the case for a study, a library or a kitchen, for example.

Depending on the size of the room and how it is used, there are several types of light fitting you can use as your main lighting:

Ceiling lights

If you choose a ceiling light for the general lighting of a small room, it is essential that it gives off soft, indirect light. Ceiling lights with shades are perfect for lighting a bedroom, a child’s room or a bathroom. Adjustable track spotlights, meanwhile, will add a modern, stylish touch to your living room. Make sure, however, that the spotlights point towards the ceiling to create a light, welcoming atmosphere in your small living room. Finally, designer ceiling lights will easily find their place in a small kitchen. It is best to avoid chandeliers and pendants as, because of their size, these fittings take up a lot of space, which is detrimental to the comfort and furnishing of small rooms. This is all the more true if the room has a low ceiling.

Floor lamps

Floor lamps are most often used for task lighting, especially in the reading corner of the living room. Yet a floor lamp is an excellent light fitting, both highly decorative and practical. It is a very good choice as the main light in a narrow room. Choose arc floor lamps which, thanks to their design, can cast light downwards from above while standing in the corner of a room. This tip will, for example, let you easily light the space under a mezzanine while saving as much floor space as possible.

Install a task light

As space in the room is limited, it is important to install a few task lights. Having task lighting in certain areas of a small room is a matter of visual comfort, but also of safety. Generally, a table lamp or a clip-on desk lamp will do the job in a bedroom or study. In a kitchen, however, a wall spotlight is more practical for quickly lighting the worktop. If the walls are already taken up by shelves, opt for recessed spotlights that you can fit underneath the shelf. You will get excellent light on the worktop while saving space. Finally, industrial-style pendants will easily find their place in a small dining room or above the kitchen island. In a small living room, choose slim, upright designer floor lamps with LED bulbs to light the reading corner. As this type of light fitting takes up very little space, it is ideal for task lighting. Floor lamps also add depth to a small room, which helps reduce the cramped feeling caused by a lack of space.

Ambient lighting in a small room

To light a small room harmoniously, ambient lighting is essential. Here again, the way the room is used determines which light fittings to install. In a living space, table lamps, portable lamps and illuminated decorative objects (crystal spheres, backlit figurines, etc.) make excellent ambient lights. In your living room, for example, a table lamp on a piece of furniture is a simple, effective source of ambient lighting. For ambient lighting in a child’s bedroom, choose fairy lights. Very stylish, trendy and modern, fairy lights bring a magical atmosphere to a bedroom. Wrought-iron lanterns are another example of perfect ambient lights. From the living room to the bedroom, the kitchen and the bathroom, a wrought-iron portable lamp fits easily into any room in your home, especially small spaces. Wall lights are also an effective solution for successful ambient lighting. Both decorative and practical, wall lights give off a soft, subdued light, which is ideal in a bedroom or bathroom. Installed in a row, wall lights provide stylish, elegant lighting in a narrow hallway or a small entrance hall.

Illuminated furniture is another good option for ambient lighting in a small room. Illuminated shelves, display cabinets, sofas and armchairs are just some of the options available to add depth to your room. Both attractive and practical, these pieces also bring originality and modernity to your interior decor.

Make use of the walls

To make a small room feel bigger and lift the heavy atmosphere that often fills it, another tip is to make use of the walls with indirect lighting. Opt for floor-recessed spotlights that cast light upwards. This visually stretches the walls upwards, which adds to the feeling of space. Another way to light your walls: LED strips fixed along the top of the wall near the ceiling give an even, flowing light in a small space. This method frees up space, especially on the ceiling, creating a sense of depth in a small space such as a hallway. You can also fit LED strips behind your largest pieces of furniture, which creates indirect light and enhances the sense of space in the room.

Choose light colours for the room

Light colours can make a room look bigger, as they reflect a lot of light. Make the most of this by painting the walls in a light, fresh colour. The same tip applies to furniture. Choose furniture in light colours such as beige or off-white for your living room or bedroom. For the kitchen, champagne yellow is ideal for both units and walls. Also choose your flooring according to how much light it reflects. Whitewashed wooden flooring is an excellent option for the living room or bedroom. In a kitchen or bathroom, however, choose light-coloured tiles that reflect light well.

Add one or more mirrors

A simple, effective and very decorative tip: adding a mirror opposite an opening brings more light into a small room. You could, for example, hang a very large mirror directly opposite a window or a glass partition. The incoming daylight will be amplified, making the room feel much more spacious. If you don’t have a large mirror, you can hang several mirrors on the wall next to a window. The lighting in your small room will be improved, and the room will feel more spacious too.

Keep doors and windows clear

Arranging your furniture well obviously frees up space in a relatively narrow room. To gain space, it is essential to spread out your furniture as much as possible. Windows and doors should never be blocked by furniture. As well as making the room feel airier, this ensures the best possible natural light throughout. One final tip for lighting a narrow space properly: take down dark curtains made of heavy fabrics in favour of soft, light materials for your windows. Opt for sheer curtains or, failing that, curtains in very light shades such as white or sky blue. Also choose long curtains, which make your small rooms feel more spacious.