4 Simple Lighting Ideas to Transform your Home

One thing that is often overlooked when designing homes, or the spaces within them, is the one thing that has the potential to transform your spaces to a whole new level … lighting!  In this guide, we give you 4 simple lighting ideas that can transform your home!

Understanding the role lighting plays in the spaces of your home

Lighting has the power to make or break spaces in your home, to turn your house into a home, and to add your touch of personality and style.  In fact, without the right lighting, any other design choices you make in your home can be lost, so getting the lighting right is crucial.

A good lighting scheme will set the tone and create atmosphere in a space.  The key here, is to combine function with style, so that your spaces allow you to complete the tasks required of them, while still setting and maintaining your desired atmosphere for the space.  And, to do this requires a good understanding of how you use each of your spaces, and to incorporate lighting ideas that fit the brief.

When we talk about simple lighting ideas, layering your lighting is almost always at the top, and a good way to start.  This involves incorporating a mix of ambient, task, accent and decorative lighting to ensure you have the functional needs of your space covered, but to also add depth, warmth and character to your spaces.  See our post Our 5 Easy Tips for Lighting your Home through Every Season for some great lighting ideas on getting the layers right, and what these layers are.

Simple Lighting Ideas to Transform your Home

1. Make a lighting statement over your dining table and your kitchen island or bench

Pendant lights are perfect for making a lighting statement!  Hanging a statement pendant over your dining table will create a centre piece to define the space if you have open plan living.  It also serves to create a more intimate setting.

A good tip for dining room pendant lighting is to hang your pendant slightly lower than standard height.  This will add to the intimate atmosphere of your dining area.

Over your kitchen island or bench, pendant lights are ideal for adding personality to what can be an otherwise practical space.  With kitchens long being the heart of the home, it is important your design choices here reflect your personality as much as less practical areas of your home.  Create a kitchen that you want to spend time in with lighting that reflects you and your style!  For more tips of choosing your kitchen lighting, see our blog on kitchen pendant lighting.

2. Let your entryway really shine!

First impressions count, and lighting can help you make the right first impression!  Bold statement pieces are the perfect choice for showing your personality, and providing the wow factor on entry to your home.

Your home’s entryway does have to remain a practical space of course, but space doesn’t have to limit your choice too much.  Some other lighting ideas might be a pendant or chandelier hung high, or a flush fitting that creates a light show, for instance. These can have as much impact as a large statement piece.

3. Add a lamp, or add several!

Lamps are often an under appreciated lighting option, but, as far as lighting ideas go, lamps will pretty much always get the job done!  Lamps have this unique design ability to transform spaces without too much work.  In fact, they could be considered the ultimate DIY in lighting options!

What makes lamps the ideal lighting feature?

• Lamps are perfect for defining spaces.  Think reading nook or sitting area.
• Lamps are versatile.  What was a floor lamp for your reading nook yesterday, is creating mood in your living room today!
• Lamps offer an added design element.  Think your hall table or living room side board.  A well placed table lamp will add height and depth to some of the often forgotten spaces in your home.
• Lamps can be an inexpensive option for making style changes to your spaces.  Changing out your lamp is much more economical than calling in your electrician!

4. Use wall lights wherever you can!

Wall lights, or sconces, are often another under used lighting option.  In fact, when most people think lighting ideas for wall lights, they think practical uses, such as in stairwells or hallways, where space can be an issue; or as exterior lighting. 

Wall lights are, however, a great option for adding a luxe feel to your spaces.  A little like walking down the hallway of your favourite hotel!  For this reason, they are a great option for the bedroom, with the added bonus of saving space on your bedside table.

Other lighting ideas where wall lights shine is in the bathroom, where task lighting is crucial.  There are many wall light options that are suitable for bathroom use, or mix it up, consider adding exterior lighting to your bathroom lighting selection!  Not all wall lights are suited to bathroom use though, so make sure you check with your electrician to ensure you are selecting options with a suitable IP rating for wet area use.

Lighting offers a versatile and inexpensive way to easily transform the spaces in your home into areas that reflect your style and personality, and areas you will want to spend more time in.

Our friendly Rovert Lighting & Electrical lighting experts are on hand to help you bring all your lighting ideas to life!