How to light your living room well

Which light fitting for a living room?

Who hasn't dreamt of welcoming guests in a charming, stylish setting? As a multi-purpose room, the living room is a space where lighting plays a key role, every bit as important as the décor. Good lighting makes your living room both practical and welcoming. It lets you switch from a warm, inviting atmosphere to a more intimate mood, perfect for curling up with your favourite book. To light your entire living room to its best, there are a few rules worth following.

What you need to know about lighting your living room

First of all, because the living room is a multi-purpose space where relaxing, socialising and quiet time alternate, it needs several light sources to make each change of activity easy. For the main lighting, choose ceiling lights, chandeliers or pendants. Highly decorative, these fittings bring chic and elegance to your living room while spreading strong, even light throughout the room. Available in many materials (metal, wood, plastic, crystal and more), they fit effortlessly into any interior style. Next, add various functional light sources to your living room depending on the areas to be lit and the activities that take place there. It is a good idea, for instance, to have a dedicated reading light next to your armchair. A floor lamp, a wall light with a reading arm or a table lamp is the perfect choice here. Then, for the dining table or coffee table, you can choose between a table lamp and a chic, modern pendant. Finally, add ambient lighting to give your living room a cosy atmosphere. These fittings add depth to the room while showing off your other decorative pieces (paintings, figurines and so on). Wall lights and spotlights make excellent ambient lights that are both functional and discreet.

Light intensity and colour temperature

To make sure all the light sources in your living room don't dazzle your guests, it is important to pay attention to the quality of light throughout the room. Two key factors determine the quality of a light source: intensity and colour temperature. A lamp's light output is expressed in lumens, while the light level it produces in the room is measured in lux. A minimum of 150 lux, for example, is needed for comfortable reading. A properly lit living room, on the other hand, enjoys an average light level of 300 to 400 lux. For optimal comfort throughout the room, this light level should be shared across all the light sources present. This guarantees good-quality lighting across your entire living room. The overall mood of a room also depends on its colour temperature. In a living room where several activities overlap and alternate, the right balance makes life more comfortable for everyone, residents and guests alike. For a TV corner, a low, gentle colour temperature of around 3000 kelvin is more than enough. For a reading corner, however, a higher colour temperature close to natural daylight is recommended, between 4500 and 6000 kelvin. Choose fittings with a dimmer for maximum control and comfort in the busiest areas of your living room.

Ceiling lights for the living room

As the ceiling light, like the chandelier, acts as the main fitting, it needs an attractive, eye-catching design. To light your living room instantly while keeping it visually comfortable, choose ceiling lights fitted with LED or halogen bulbs. Available in many shapes and colours, ceiling lights bring a modern, elegant touch to your living room, whatever your interior style. Scandinavian, vintage, industrial or country, a ceiling light blends easily into any décor. If you are looking for a designer ceiling light, you can choose from aluminium, wood, metal, brass, plastic, glass and many other materials. As for colour, white and grey ceiling lights really lift the atmosphere of a living room. For a more rustic, traditional style, go for classic, slightly raw-looking models.

Pendants for the living room

A pendant is a highly decorative fitting that brings a breath of fresh air to a living room. You have a huge choice of shapes, sizes and decorative styles. If your living room is spacious, opt for large pendants. These create a sense of depth and volume throughout the room. You can also choose cluster pendants, which offer both an eye-catching look and wider light coverage across the room. Naturally, this general lighting will be complemented by other supplementary light sources such as wall lights, floor lamps or table lamps.

Wall lights for the living room

Wall lights are essentially ambient fittings, alongside table lamps. With designs and colours as varied as they are elegant, wall lights are an undeniable decorative asset in your living room. Ceramic wall lights, for example, are highly decorative fittings made from a sturdy material that combines modernity and understated style. Gold, aluminium and glass wall lights are also excellent options for functional lighting in a living room.

Spotlights for the living room

Track spotlights can work perfectly well as the main light in a living room. Adjustable in every direction, track and bar spotlights can easily light the whole living room while casting elegant plays of shadow on the ceiling. As well as track spotlights, wall spotlights are used as supplementary lighting and to create an intimate, warm atmosphere in a living room. Contemporary, antique-style or industrial: choose your spotlights according to your taste and your interior décor.

Table lamps for the living room

Essential and timeless, table lamps are an integral part of any living room. Naturally placed on a coffee table, console or sideboard, a table lamp is a decorative asset like no other while remaining an effective source of supplementary light. The ideal lamp for your living room could be a classic desk lamp, an industrial-style lamp with an articulated arm, a salt lamp or a neo-retro table lamp.

Floor lamps for the living room

Although floor lamps are most often placed in the reading corner of your living room, they bring modernity and elegance to the whole room. A refined, stylish source of supplementary light, a floor lamp adds energy and depth to your living room décor. For a large living room, it is best to choose tall floor lamps with large shades to spread the light widely. Arched or tripod, with or without a reading arm, minimalist or oversized: your choice of floor lamp will depend on your décor and what you love.