How to layer light in a living room: what to consider

A living room is used for many things at different times, and one bright ceiling light does none of them well. Designers often build the light in layers instead. These are the things worth settling before you choose. The numbers are common rules of thumb, not fixed rules.

Floor lamps →·Table lamps →·Wall lamps →

Three layers

Ambient light fills the room: a ceiling lamp, a pendant, wall lamps that wash the walls, or a floor lamp with an uplight.
Task light is for doing something: a reading lamp beside a chair, a table lamp on a desk.
Accent light picks something out: a wall lamp over a picture, a small lamp on a shelf.

Lamps at different heights

Many rooms feel better with several sources at different heights, often at least three, than with one at the ceiling. A floor lamp by the sofa, a table lamp on a sideboard and a wall lamp give light at eye level and below.
Put task lights where you sit, not where the lamp looks best. Sit down in the chair and check where the light falls.

Dimming and colour

Dimmers on the main lights let the room change from a bright afternoon to a low evening. Check that each lamp can be dimmed.
Keep the colour temperature similar across the lamps in one room: warm white (around 2700 K) is the usual choice. Lamps of very different colour in one room can look wrong together.

Where to start

Start with the main light and decide whether it is enough on its own. Then add a lamp beside the place where you read, then one on the far side of the room, then a light for a wall or a shelf.
Plug-in floor and table lamps need no work in the walls or the ceiling, so they are the easy way to add a layer.

Materials and care

Check how each lamp is cleaned: fabric and paper shades suit dry rooms and sit badly beside hot bulbs. Metals and finishes vary; raw brass darkens with age.
Check the cable length and where the sockets are, so the cables do not cross the floor.

Questions worth asking the maker

What are the exact dimensions and the height of the light? Can it be dimmed? Is the bulb included and replaceable? Where is the switch and how long is the cable? Are spare parts and finishes available later? What are the delivery and return terms?

Sources and further reading

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Floor lamps →·Table lamps →·Wall lamps →