5 Stylish Lighting Ideas For Your Home

Posted on - 20th January 2020

When it comes to interior design, lighting is an important weapon in your arsenal. Not only can it help to create a warming glow to your home, but it can also highlight certain features and make spaces look bigger.

So, how do you use lighting to your advantage when decorating your home? We’ve put together 5 simple ways to help you illuminate your home in style, and draw attention to all of the best bits.

Make the most of natural light

Okay, maybe we’re cheating a little bit with this one - but it is important! Exposure to natural light is so important for our health and wellbeing, so maximising the presence of it in your home when you can is vital.

An easy way to do this is to position mirrors opposite windows. By doing this, the light will be reflected back into and around the room, thus effortlessly brightening it in the daytime. In fact, any glass, chrome or mirrored surfaces will do this, all of which can be used in furniture, light fixtures, and even decorative items like vases and photo frames.

Another easy hack that will make the most of natural light is using light colours on your walls or in your wallpaper. Darker shades, like blue, can make a room that is already dark look even drearier. Much like a mirror, lighter shades such as white or cream will reflect light more effectively and make the room look larger, taller and brighter.

Ambient lighting for a relaxed atmosphere

Ambient lighting is often softer and more muted than your traditional statement lighting. And it’s a fabulous way to create a welcoming, comfortable and cosy atmosphere - particular in the bedroom and living room.

Ideally, you want ambient lighting to mimic natural daylight as much as possible. This can be achieved with the addition of floor lamps, wall lights and even pendants that create soft, lighter pools of light that feed into a relaxing atmosphere.

Use lighting to highlight your best bits

Just like in photography, lighting is important for showing off all of the best bits of your home. One way to achieve this is to use accent lights (such as spotlights, downlights and uplights) that are intentionally placed to draw attention to your favourite pieces of furniture or artwork.

Accent lighting is most often used in the kitchen in the form of uplights beneath cupboards - but the same premise can be applied anywhere. For example, if your living room features alcoves, you can add spotlights to brighten and highlight these spaces, which will not only warm up your room but also make it look bigger and draw the eye to any decorative features, prints, artwork or houseplants.

Be bold (and bright)

Of course, lighting is a practical (and essential!) addition to any home. But it can also be used to make bold style statements, too. For your living room or dining room, consider making your main lighting a feature - the bigger, the better!

Think oversized ceiling lights, statement chandeliers (hello, everyday glamour!) and even big and beautiful floor and table lamps. These can be used to great effect to add interest to any room. For example, a strip light with hanging accents above your dining room table can create a chic, industrial look. Or a chandelier with refective pendants looks effortlessly luxurious.

Go au naturel

2020 marks the start of a new decade. And we’re all becoming a bit more conscious of our environmental impact, particularly when it comes to our homes. For that reason, upcycled statement pieces and natural materials are set to be on-trend for a while to come.

Carry this over into your home lighting by using natural materials in your lighting such as metal, marble, stone and wood. Similarly, muted browns and slate greys can effortlessly blend into surroundings for an earthy, rustic look that’s set to go the distance in 2020.

Illuminate your home with Toons

Lighting is a powerful tool when it comes to interior design. It can brighten, highlight, welcome and even make rooms look bigger when used in the right way. Hopefully, you’ve found some ideas to spark your imagination when it comes to letting light into your home.

At Toons Furnishers, we have a dedicated lighting section at our showroom in Swadlincote which is packed full of inspiration for your next interior design overhaul. As well as a huge range of living, dining and bedroom furniture to complement it. So why not plan a visit to our superstore soon and see what catches your eye?