Using Lamps for a Cozy Atmosphere
Lately, I’ve been seeing lots of posts or reels on Instagram where people are using lots of lamps instead of the standard down lights that come with your house, or whatever these ceiling things are called. It generally creates a really nice, cozy atmosphere in that room.
The Challenge of Switching On Multiple Lamps
But you don’t want to have to turn on every single light separately when you enter the room. And secondly, is there a way to methodically do this so that you don’t accidentally miss spots in your room, and you know it’s actually a functional space?
Six Tips for Lighting Your Space
In this blog, I’m going to try and give you six tips on how I managed to light this space, and hopefully you can take this recipe and apply it to your own.
1. Separate Task and Ambient Light
As the name suggests, task lighting references the areas that you’re going to be working in, and ambient lighting is pretty self-explanatory. I like to map out where the work areas are going to be in the space and then fill in the gaps later.
Example Setup
In this space, we have two desks side by side, and we have like a central work area, which is where I tinker with my keyboards and all that kind of stuff.
2. Backlight Your Screens
This actually leads us really nicely into the next one, which is to backlight any of your screens where possible. Screens are so bright, man, and they’re like the complete antithesis to a cozy space because they’re so blue.
Why Backlighting Helps
You want to help your eyes by balancing out the brightness of the screen where you can. Behind our monitors, we have these two light bars, and they’re just pumped all the way to the max.
Of course, I’m like not an eyeball specialist, but I liken it to when you’re trying to take a photo out of a window on a really sunny day. Hear me out, this makes sense, trust me. You focus outside, and then the inside of the house goes completely black, and then if you try and focus on the inside of the house, the outside just gets completely blown out.
To me, that’s what your eyes are always trying to do. So if you minimize that as much as possible, then you’re going to have a nice, pleasant viewing experience.
3. Understand the Difference Between Harsh and Diffuse Light
The smaller the source, the harsher the light; the larger the source, the more diffuse the light.
Application in Home Lighting
Because of this, harsh lights are really good at focusing in on a spot to a certain extent. Diffused lights are really good for filling in spaces like this.
When we were picking the desk lamps, we wanted to make sure that there was a good balance between not too harsh and not too diffuse, because you want it to focus in on the area so that at night you’re not distracted by the amount of shadows being cast everywhere. But you also don’t want to be too diffuse because then there’s no focus, and you just end up having a big muddy area with no contrast, and that’s not fun.
4. Keep Everything the Same Temperature
Light temperature is measured on what’s called the Kelvin scale. I don’t know who Kelvin is, but the confusing thing is, though: the larger the number, the colder it gets. I don’t know why, but that’s just how it is. There’s probably stuff online somewhere, I just haven’t looked into it that much.
Warm vs Cool Lighting
Warmer lights are generally seen as cozier, obviously, to a certain point. When it gets past a certain point, it just turns red. That’s just not what you want, unless you’re into that, I don’t know. Cooler lights are much more sterile, hospital-esque.
Consistency is Key
Pick an area that you want to be seated in and stick to it. There’s nothing worse than being in a room with like seven different color temperatures, and it just looks crazy. You just don’t want to be one of those.
In this room, I think everything is balanced to about 4500 Kelvin. This is definitely on the cozier side. Interior designers would probably scoff at this and be like, “You only want to have that temperature in a bedroom, or you want to have that in a living room, because it can be harder to focus if you’re purely trying to work.” But I don’t know, I just like it. I think it looks nice.
5. Use Smart Bulbs
Tip number five: Use smart bulbs. But this whole space is done up with Ikea smart bulbs. They’re way cheaper than Philips Hue bulbs.
How It Works
You basically connect this gateway thing to your Internet modem, and then you connect your light switches to the lights. The switches kind of act as a bridge between the gateway and the lights, so you can group them, which is amazing.
I’ve got two switches: one is task and one is ambient light. That eliminates the entire need to switch on every single lamp separately. I’ll leave links in the description to the line of smart bulbs that I use if I can find them.
6. Just Take Your Time
Tip number six: just take your time. I know this is not the most groundbreaking advice ever, but honestly, it’s just a gigantic work in progress.
Building the Setup Over Time
When we first designed this space, we only actually had the two desk lamps, the monitor backlighting, and this lantern, which is lighting my face right now. Over time, we just ended up finding dark spots, and we just kept adding and adding until the space was balanced.
Applying This to the Kitchen and Living Room
Kitchen Example
Can we take this and apply it to other spaces? Yes, we’ve got a kitchen and a living room scenario. This kitchen is much more high-end. This is designed by my uni, actually. Ben, if you’ve read this, you single-handedly made uni an amazing experience. Thank you so much.
You can see it’s not actually dark and the lights aren’t fully in use, but a clear example of task lighting right here and ambient easy.
Living Room Example
On to the next one. Again, super simple: they’ve got task lights over this sofa and a task light over this dining table. Very clear example of where the priority is and where you should put your lights if you want the space to be functional.
And they’ve just filled the rest of the space with ambience. I hope you probably get the idea. You get what I’m trying to say at this point.
Wrapping Up
This blog is very different from my usual one. I usually do like keyboard content, and this is very much not keyboard content. But for some reason, I had the urge to make this, and I hope that it helps. And if it does, let me know, and I will probably make a few more, ’cause there are a few quirks about this space that I think I’ve figured out in terms of efficiency and how to place things so you don’t waste money.
FAQs
Q1. Which type of lighting instantly makes a room feel cozy?
Soft, warm lighting in the 2700K–3000K range creates a sunset-like glow, making any space feel relaxing.
Q2. Can I skip overhead lights and just use lamps?
Absolutely. Using multiple lamps instead of a single ceiling light spreads warmth evenly and avoids harsh brightness.
Q3. What’s the real difference between task lighting and ambient lighting?
Task lights are focused on areas where you work or read, while ambient lights provide overall mood and comfort.
Q4. How do I avoid lighting that feels too harsh?
Choose lampshades, frosted bulbs, or larger light sources that diffuse brightness rather than focusing it in one spot.
Q5. Are smart bulbs worth it for cozy lighting?
Yes, because you can control brightness and color tones with ease, adjusting the mood to match your needs.
Q6. How do I mix different lights without making the room look odd?
Stick to a single color temperature for all bulbs, then layer floor lamps, table lamps, and wall fixtures.
Q7. Do candles make a big difference in coziness?
Definitely. The gentle flicker of candlelight adds natural warmth and makes evenings feel intimate and soothing.
Q8. Should I ever combine warm and cool lights in one space?
It’s better not to mix them often makes the room look mismatched instead of inviting.
