Living room lighting

Information about what to consider when choosing lights for your living room

Living rooms are often used in many different ways. They may be a space for children to play, a place for socialising or somewhere to switch off and relax. The lighting we choose should consider all of these needs and a combination of ambient, task and feature lighting will support such a wide range of activities.

When considering the uses of your room, remember to position lighting where it will be most useful. For example, if you always sit in the same chair to read, place a light next to that chair to provide good task lighting and to help prevent eye strain. The light should be positioned to one side and should illuminate the page without casting shadows.

Floor and table lights are good options for ambient light and using freestanding lights gives flexibility if you want to redecorate or rearrange furniture, as they can be moved as necessary. If you do choose fixed lights, it’s better to align them with permanent features, such as an alcove, rather than something that may be moved or replaced in the future.

It’s important to have the right level of light for watching television. Too much light can make it difficult to see the television, while too little can result in eye strain and headaches. You should position a light behind or beside the television to generate a low level ambient light, although you need to be careful not to position it too close to the screen where it will cause reflection. You can practice with a small desk light by placing it where you’re thinking of having your lights and checking the results.

Our living rooms are often places of display for artwork and objects. Spotlights can be used to highlight such features.

In terms of control, dimmers switches are both practical and flexible and afford a great deal of control for different occasions. A dimmer switch can be fitted as the overall control for the room, although many products now come fitted with an individual dimmer.