4 Ways to Make a Small Room Appear Larger with Lighting
Figuring out a lighting design plan for a room can seem daunting at first. I try to simplify the process by approaching a room’s decor and lighting plan in the same way that I might arrange a stylish outfit.
First there is the main garment, followed by the items that serve a function like shoes, belts and watches. Accessories such as bracelets and rings are then added to accentuate the less noticeable but interesting parts of the ensemble. Finally, smaller decorative pieces like sparkly hairpins or sunglasses complete the look.
In a similar vein, a layered lighting design plan can do wonders for a room—especially a small one. Keep reading as I share a few small living room lighting ideas that plan to implement for my makeover space.
Welcome to Week 3 of the One Room Challenge: An 8-week, self-imposed challenge to makeover any space of your choice in 8 weeks or less. If you’re just joining me, you can find all the details on thespace I’ll be working on below:
Week 1: Small Living Room Makeover: The Challenges // Week 2: Mood Board and Floor Plan // Week 3: Lighting Design Plan // Week 4: Wall moldings // Week 5: DiY Fireplace plans // Week 6: Ceiling Decoration // Week 7: Awkward Alcove Dilemma // Week 8: Small Living Room Makeover REVEAL
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How to Broaden a Small Dark Space Through Lighting
How can I make a small living room look larger with lighting? That’s the question I kept asking myself when planning out this space. Recall that poor lighting was one of the major challenges I had to overcome in this small living room makeover.
In short, the best way to light up a small room (or any room for that matter) is to incorporate light from above, the center, and the lower half of the room. To see how this can be applied, let’s continue with the analogy of styling an outfit. Here are the 4 ways that I plan to add light and dimension to this space:
Ambient lighting (the main garment)
Task lighting (the functional fixtures)
Accent lighting (the accessories for drama)
Subtle Decorative lighting (purely decorative)
1. Ambient Lighting for High Ceilings
What is ambient light? Ambient lighting, also known as general lighting, is defined as the first layer—the “main garment”— of home lighting, and provides the overall illumination of a space. This central lighting can come in the form of natural light from the sun. Or, it can be created using florescent, ceiling pendants and flush mount lights.
Since natural light is scarce in the space I’m working with, I’ll have to infuse ambient light artificially with a bright overhead fixture. Additionally, this living room is slightly taller than it is wide. So I’ll need to find appropriate lighting for high ceilings that will fit into a small rooms. Below are some great statement light fixtures for a small living room.
Sadly, many of my client’s top choices were either unavailable for shipment (due to the current state of the world) or out of the budget. But she has earmarked her favorite to purchase it at a later date.
1 ) Keenan 8-light Chandelier // 2) Poppy Matte Black // 3) Sterling Twilight // 4) Keenan 6-light // 5) Heiress
2. Task Lighting for Function
What is task lighting? Task lighting is to a room is what shoes are to an outfit. Yes, both can be stunning. But their main purpose is function. A task light shines on areas where you need to control the direction of light in order to see what you’re doing. Some examples of task lighting are: a desk lamp, a reading floor lamp, or a bankers light over a piano.
Floor lamps are not always considered task lights. However, some floor lamps tend to cast light on such a small area that they act more as task lights than ambient lighting. Below are a some choices for floor and task lighting.
1) Lorne Arctic by Kelly Wearstler // 2) Double Light Fixture // 3) Iris 3-Prong Floor Lamp // 4) Cachet by Kelly Wearstler
3. Accent Lighting: the Accessories of a Room
In my opinion, no interior lighting design plan would be complete without accent lighting. Accent light fixtures can take a room from just nice to absolutely fierce. These fixtures are powerful with all of the lights on or off, because they bring attention to the intricate details of a room.
What is accent lighting and what role does it play in illuminating a space? Besides creating a vibe, accent lights add drama, can be used to bring attention to the room’s architectural features, or to create an additional focal point. Accent lights can provide wayfinding. I like to think of them as theater lighting that makes finding your way through a room easy, without the use of a main light source.
Accent light fixtures include: wall sconce lighting, LED lighting ropes, plug-in wall lamps, track and recessed lights, and even floodlights for outdoor spaces.
1) Mitzi Merry Black Sconce // 2) Sutton Silver Leaf Candle Sconce // 3) Isola White Striped Sconces // 4)Wray Black and Antique Plug In Lights // 5) Brava Antique Brass Down Lights // 6) Amidon Warm Brass Drop Ring Wall Lamp
4. Subtle Decorative Lighting
Technically speaking all lighting could be categorized as decorative lighting. What I’m looking to incorporate are the kinds of decorative lights that are not readily seen. Adding uplights to a few indoor plants is what I had in mind.
Although client and I had a clear vision of the kind of lighting we wanted for the space, shipping delays have forced us to make a few changes. It will be interesting to see which pieces make it into the space. We’ll be biting our nails to the very end for sure! Stay tuned…
