What Lighting Should I Put in a Living Room?

General Lighting

• General or ambient lighting is used to illuminate an entire space. In the living room, ceiling pendants or chandeliers provide direct ambient lighting, cast a soft glow and are decorative. Recessed incandescent lights will keep the line of the ceiling simple and also function as mood lighting when controlled by a dimmer switch.

Task Lighting

• For close-up work like reading or sewing, place task lamps by seating areas. Place table lamps on side tables or cabinetry, or use floor lamps next to chairs. Task lighting should be positioned so that the light shines over your shoulder when you are seated. The indirect lighting given by a table lamp is softened by the lampshade.

Accent Lighting

• Accent lighting is used to highlight different areas of the room. Downlights direct light downward to illuminate surfaces. Install downlights over the fireplace to illuminate the mantle. Over the billiards table, install pendant fixtures which will serve double-duty as task lighting. Hang low-voltage picture lights directly over artwork to cast a light directly over the face of the painting. Use lights that direct light up in the corners of your living room to visually expand the space. Place a fixture in the base of a floor plant to illuminate the foliage.

Position, Movement and Color

• Choose lighting types that will work well together and help to draw the eye around the entire room. The combination of ambient, task and accent lighting coordinate to provide ample illumination for different areas. To keep room movement consistent, use bulbs that cast the same hue and color throughout. Halogen bulbs cast a yellow hue while incandescents and xenon bulbs are whiter and brighter.