A Guide to Good Lighting | cozy lighting tips, where to buy lamps, home lighting tour
The Role of Lighting in Home Decor
One of the most important ways to make your space feel comfortable and cozy is by understanding lighting and how to correctly use it in your space. You might have seen the trend on social media of people using a bunch of lamps instead of the big overhead light that most apartments and houses come with, and that is definitely something that I live by.
Breaking the Myths About Lamps
Like a lot of other people, I used to have the misconception that lamps were unnecessarily annoying to turn on and used a lot of electricity, but over the last few years, I have really developed my passion for home decor and interior design.
I’ve realized that lamps play a huge role in making your space feel welcoming and cozy. B, they can be set up in a really convenient way, and C, they actually barely cost anything to power.
Why Good Lighting Transforms Your Space
Trust me when I say that good lighting can totally transform your space.
My Top 5 Lighting Tips for a Cozy Home
In this blog, I’m going to share everything that I’ve learned about lighting, including a full tour of all of my lamps and my current lighting setup, some specific Brands and lamps that I recommend, and most importantly, my top five lighting tips that you can use to level up your space a take.
Tip 1 – Understand Lighting Placement
Number one is to understand lighting placement. You can split your lighting needs into two categories to understand where to place them: functional lighting and ambient lighting. Functional lighting is to illuminate a specific area where you do things, and ambient lighting is just to fill in the dark spots to make the space look nice.
When you’re figuring out where to place your lamps, you want to start with functional lighting, since these make the space actually usable, and then fill in any gaps or dark spots with ambient lighting to really bring the space to life. Let’s take this living room as an example.
I place functional lights wherever I’ll actually be sitting and spending time, and then I place ambient lights in any dark spots where I want to highlight any decor and really bring the whole Space together.
Tip 2 – Use the Right Lighting Temperature
Tip number two is to use the right lighting temperature. You may have noticed that some light bulbs give off a colder, bluish tone, while most of the bulbs in my lamps glow more of a warm yellow tone.
These differences in the shade of white are known as the light temperature range, and light bulbs usually go from around 2,000 K up to 8,000 K, with the lower part of that range being warm light. And the upper part of that range, being cold light, to get this cozy aesthetic, you want to choose light bulbs.
Those that are in the lower part of this range, usually around 2700k lamps, using these bulbs will give up a warm, cozy light rather than a harsh Cold Light.
If you want the flexibility to choose the color of your lighting, you can also choose color-changing smart bulbs, but just make sure they support a warm white color because not all of them do.
Tip 3 – Use Different Types of Lamps
Tip number three is to use different types of lamps. Different lamps will fit better in different spaces and use cases. Broadly speaking, lamps can be broken down into floor lamps, table lamps, wall lamps, and pendant lamps.
Floor lamps are great for lighting spaces. When you either don’t have a table or shelf to place a lamp on, or when you need to free up table space, table lamps are probably the most common and self-explanatory, and are great for placing on desks, shelves, and side tables.
This also includes portable lamps, which are great for carrying around or for using in areas where you don’t have access to an outlet. Wall lamps are the most space-efficient because they don’t take up any floor space or table space.
My favorite use of this in my home is as bedside lighting, since nightstands are generally pretty compact and can get really cluttered. If you need to place a table lamp on them, and finally, pendant lamps are great for lighting large areas where you need some overhead lighting.
A good example of this is the pendant light above my dining table. When you’re eating dinner, you want to be able to see both the food and the people you’re eating with, so a pendant lamp like this works great here.
They can also be helpful for just generally making a Space brighter. If it’s particularly dark or large, just make sure not to only use one pendant light and pair it with some other lamps as well.
Tip 4 – Mix Different Lamp Styles
Tip number four is to use different lamp Styles. Even though every lamp functionally works the same, you want to get different styles to prevent the space from feeling one-dimensional.
Or repetitively, this corner is a really good example of that. I have one more modern-looking floor lamp that shines directly down onto this side table and lounge chair, and also one larger paper shade lamp.
Which diffuses light softly over the whole area, together they make this area look really interesting and multi-dimensional. One exception to this rule would be any lamps that you’re using. Purposely pairing together such as these matching kitchen pendants or these bedside wall lamps, and finally.
Tip 5 – Use Smart Bulbs for Convenience
Tip number five is to use Smart bulbs. One of the biggest potential downsides of using lamps is having to turn them all on and off one by one, which is especially annoying if you have a lot of lamps.
Like I do, especially nowadays, hooking up all of your lamps to either smart bulbs or smart plugs is super easy and very affordable. All you need is some smart bulbs, some smart plugs, and your supporting app or smart home system of choice.
I personally use these Amazon basic smart bulbs, which are affordable energy energy-efficient, and connect to my Alexa smart home or app for any lamps that don’t use traditional bulb sizes.
I just plug them directly into smart plugs and then into the wall not only does setting this up let you control all of your lights and turn them all on and off at the same time but most smart home systems also let you set schedules to turn them on and off during certain hours of the day and remotely control them in case you left the house and forgot to turn the lights off.
Best Floor Lamp Brands for Every Budget
Let’s talk about some of the best brands and lamps that you can buy for your space.
I’ll preface this by saying you absolutely do not need expensive lamps to have good lighting. As someone who’s made both a career and a passion out of interior design and home décor, I do happen to have a lot of high-end lamps, some of which I’ve spent a lot of money on, and also some that I’ve been gifted by working with these amazing brands.
With that being said, over the years, I’ve used a ton of different lamps from a ton of different brands. I can confidently say that there are great lighting options at every single price point.
These are some of my favorites, broken down into:
- Budget options
- More premium options
- High-end designer options
Budget Options (IKEA & Amazon Finds)
First, starting with budget options, Ikea is by far going to be your best bet. They have a bunch of different lamps in a lot of different styles, so there’s really something for everyone here.
One of my all-time favorites is the De Sal lamp, which I actually have two of in my space.
Here are some of my other favorites (and I’m probably going to butcher the names of almost all of these):
- Multiple Ikea lamp styles available
- Great variety to match different setups
- Affordable pricing with decent durability
If you want to take a look at them, Amazon also obviously has a bunch of different options. But like anything on Amazon, they can really be hit or miss.
I don’t have any specific suggestions here, but if you do use Amazon, I would just encourage you to use the highest-rated options.
Premium Options (Gantry, Wuj, Hay, Naguchi, Urban Outfitters)
Gantry
Gantry is a brand that actually 3D prints all their lamps, and something cool about them is that they actually partner with a bunch of independent designers and Studios to create a really wide variety of designs that are both really unique and super functional.
Wuj
Wuj is another great brand that also 3D prints its lamps. They’re a bit newer in the lighting space, so the options are a lot more limited, but they’re definitely worth checking out.
Hay
Moving on, Hay is another great premium brand that’s most well known for their paper shade lamps, which are a more expensive and premium version of the ones you find at Ikea. I would also highly recommend checking them out for great portable lamps.
Naguchi
Speaking of paper shade lamps, the Undisputed King of the style is Naguchi. Their Akari paper lanterns are definitely more expensive than Ikea and even Hay, but the thing that really makes these stand out is the detailed craftsmanship and the materials they use.
These paper lanterns are handcrafted by artisans in Japan using a more natural-looking off-white material rather than pure white. This makes these lamps in particular glow a really warm and comforting light.
They also come in a huge variety of styles and sizes.
Urban Outfitters
If you want some more playful options, you can also check out Urban Outfitters. Some of their items can definitely be overpriced, but if you’re going for a more colorful, playful aesthetic, there are definitely some great options.
High-End Designer Options (Louis Poulsen, Herman Miller, Flos, & More)
Last up are the high-end designer Brands, even though they are very expensive, these can be worth it if you’re either a rich or B have a really strong passion for authentic and high quality design in this price range you’ll find a lot of iconic and really eye-catching options that can really stand out as the centerpiece in any room you place them in.
Louis Pson
One of my favorites that is all over my home is Louis Epson. They’re most well-known for their panthella lamps, which have that signature mushroom shape, but pretty much all their lamps are some of the most iconic designs, and they have a huge variety of table, floor, and pendant options.
Herman Miller
Next up is Herman Miller, with their most popular and recognizable designs are their Nelson lamp L, which look like a much more refined version of the paper shade lamps, and comes in pendant floor, and table variations.
And Tradition
And tradition is another great high-end option. One of their signature pieces is the flower pot lamp, which you might have seen around, but I also highly recommend checking out all their portable lamp options, too.
Floss
Last up and probably the most expensive of the bunch is floss. They have a lot of really great modern designs, but my absolute favorite is the 265 wall lamp. It has the space-saving benefits of a wall-mounted lamp, but with its flexible design, it can move to cover multiple areas.
Final Note
Obviously, I just threw a ton of different brands at yo u, but honestly, you can’t go wrong with any of these options. I would recommend first determining your price point and then figuring out what style you’re going for in your specific space. From there, you can then choose which specific brands and lamps fit that vision.
Final Thoughts on Home Lighting
So that’s pretty much it for this lighting Focus blog. Hopefully, you learned some things about how to deal with Lighting in your space.
But if I miss anything you’re wondering or still need help with, definitely let me know in the comments below, and I’ll do my best to respond and give some advice.
I guess I’ll just end this blog off by emphasizing that, like any other part of decorating, figuring out how to properly let your space will probably take some time in experimentation.
My personal design philosophy is to always take your time to figure out how you actually use and live in a space.
Because every space is different and will require a good bit of trial and error to figure out how to make it work best for you.
So do your research, find inspiration online, and figure out what you like and don’t like about your current space.
FAQ’S A Guide to Good Lighting
What are the 4 C’s of lighting?
The 4 C’s of lighting are: color, contrast, clarity, and consistency.
How to get really good lighting?
You can achieve good lighting by using a mix of functional and ambient lamps, choosing the right bulb temperature, and balancing light placement.
What is the 3 lighting rule?
The 3 lighting rule refers to using three layers of light: ambient, task, and accent lighting.
What are the 4 types of lighting?
The 4 main types of lighting are: ambient, task, accent, and decorative lighting.
