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Inspiration & Tips/Interior design tips/Ceiling lights for the living room
You see two Tense lamp shades from New Works hanging over a grey sofa and coffee table with books.

A guide to choosing the right ceiling light for your living room - 7 Tips & Ideas

The living room, the place where we socialise, read, devour the latest tv series or just be. A room with various functions where we spend much of our free time. So how do you choose the right ceiling light for your living room and how many light points do you need? We've collected our best tips & ideas to help you find the right ceiling light that will give you a cosy and atmospheric living room to spend time in, from early morning to late evening.
Monday, July 1, 2024
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7 Tips for Choosing a Living Room Ceiling Light

1. Need & use: What are the needs of your living room? Is it only used as a TV room or is it also a room for socialising, playing and reading? Defining your needs and how the living room is actually used is the first step to helping you find the right ceiling light for your living room.

2. Living room size: Do you have a large or small living room? This can determine how much light is actually needed. The bigger the room, the more light sources. The shape of the room can also determine how the light is dispersed and reflected; a living room with high ceilings can be fitted with a large lamp, while a low ceiling is a little more restrictive, which determines which ceiling light is best in terms of light dispersion and aesthetics. It's important to consider balance in the room so that a ceiling light doesn't feel too big or too small.

3. Colour scheme: The colour of the living room can easily influence the choice of the right living room ceiling light. Light colours reflect more light and generally make the room feel lighter and more spacious. Dark colours absorb light and therefore may require more lighting to keep the room from feeling too dark and heavy.

Hand made in frosted glass - Lantern pendant from New Works.

Give the ceiling light some friends! 10-15 light points in a room is a good rule of thumb.

4. Choosing the right light bulb: The right temperature for a light bulb is crucial for how both the lamp and the room are actually perceived. Both the lumen and kelvin affect the look of the light and the feeling in your room, but what are these and how do you choose? Do you want a warmer light which is more subtle or something cooler and stronger? With our guide to choosing the right light bulb, you'll find plenty of tips to help you illuminate your living room.

5. Choose a dimmable ceiling light: Being able to adjust the brightness is both practical and useful when you want to create different moods in the room. A ceiling light for the living room often serves as general light, which means that it is light that is needed to socialise and be active in a room, illuminating the entire or larger areas of the room. So being able to adjust from maximum strength to a more subtle light is preferable.

6. Complement the ceiling light: The ceiling light will do much of the heavy lifting in the living room when it comes to illumination, but it is equally important to provide the living room with other light points as a ceiling light alone will rarely fulfil all the needs of a room in terms of light. A living room can easily be decorated with between 10-15 light points to create harmony, atmosphere but also to fulfil functional needs, such as reading light. Give your living room ceiling light some friends, it will make all the difference in the room!

7. Style, colour & shape: Of course, an important part of choosing the right ceiling light for your living room is finding a candidate that qualifies in terms of style, colour and shape. Do you want something modern, classic, colourful or muted? Keep in mind that the ceiling light is a central part of the living room, so it's important that it harmonises with your furniture and style choices. The important thing here is to try to combine the practical with the visual, then it will be at its best.

Ideas for living room ceiling lights

There are no shortage of ceiling lights for living rooms, from large to small, pendant to sconce, colourful to neutral, and in different materials and price ranges. To help you navigate and find the right living room ceiling light, we've listed some of our favourite ceiling light ideas:

Rice lamps for the living room

Right with rice! The rice lamp has made a real comeback, and you have to love this seemingly simple and brilliant idea for a living room ceiling light. A rice lamp works easily with many different interior styles. Hanging one or clustering several together gives the room a soft feel and a glare-free light that is comfortable without compromising on light.

Relaxed in linen - Anna ceiling sconce from Watt & Veke

Creative clusters - Gross sconce from By Rydéns

Ceiling sconces for the living room

Sconce lights that sit more flush to the ceiling, as opposed to a hanging pendant light are sometimes overlooked, but it's a perfect ceiling light for living rooms with low ceilings or where you simply don't want a hanging light. Ceiling lights can also be used in larger living rooms, and are great for covering the need for ambient lighting. Sconces come in a variety of styles - from austere and stylish to romantic & trendy pleated.

A classic in an unexpected place - Flowerpot VP1 from &Tradition

Topan ceiling light in the colour vermillion red hung near the floor to spotlight a specific area in the living room.

In the spotlight - Topan VP6 ceiling light from &tradition.

Classic ceiling lights

Investing in a design classic is always a great idea, you get design that lasts over time, as well as high quality materials and thoughtful function. When you are looking for a ceiling light for your living room, there are many design classics, large and small and in different materials and expressions. If you want something that lasts over time, it can be a worthwhile investment.

Colourful & patterned ceiling lights

For those who dare, a colourful or patterned ceiling light for the living room can be a welcome detail. Here you can choose something that contrasts with the rest of the interior and gives an eclectic feel, or why not pick up a colour that you have in the rest of the interior to create a common thread?

Large ceiling lights

If you have a spacious living room with high ceilings, a large ceiling light would certainly be appropriate. Large ceiling lights for living rooms have become increasingly common and there are many exciting expressions, styles and materials to choose from. A large ceiling light can really become a statement piece in the room and can help to lift the feeling in the living room to a whole new level. If you have a larger living room, a larger ceiling light may also be necessary to meet the need for light, so here it is important to find the right balance for your particular living room.

For living rooms with space - Tense pendant lamp x 3 from New Works

Want more inspiration on how to decorate your living room?

Check out our best tips & ideas here!

Photography: New Works, 101 Copenhagen, HAY, ferm LIVING, By Rydéns, &Tradition

Josefin Beijer
Author

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