Our mission here at Lulu and Georgia is to bring beauty into your home. Your home is the crucial part of that statement. We want to ensure we help properly incorporate our products into your space and have you love how they look and feel. We often refer to lighting as the "jewelry" of the room. Well-curated lighting creates depth, dimension, and height, draws attention to focal pieces, and sets the mood for cozier and more intimate areas. In this first installment of our room-by-room guides, we're taking a closer look at living room lighting. We know there is a lot to consider when choosing pieces for your sitting room or lounge, so we're breaking it down into three distinctive categories—overhead, wall, and lamp lighting. Overhead or ambient fixtures work to light up the majority of your living room. Wall or accent lights add dimension and draw attention to a chosen focal point, like a sofa or console table. Table and floor lamps work as task lighting on a side table or beside your favorite reading chair. It makes sense to incorporate a few statement-making fixtures if you have a more formal sitting room. A more laid-back space, like a family room, helps to include a couple of versatile styles that can complement each other to set different moods. Think about lighting as an element of design that can help tie the room together. Light fixtures can be the missing piece if your room lacks variation in textures or materials. Woven, ceramic, and metal pieces are great ways to bring visual impact to a space. Read on for more of our living room guide, and check out our recent Design Focus on lighting.

OVERHEAD LIVING ROOM LIGHTING

A modern black large chandelier hangs over a light living room with a white sectional sofa, round light wood coffee table, and dark wood and rattan accent chair atop a white and black checkerboard rug

Ceiling lighting installed in the living room really helps draw the eye up towards the fixture to make the room feel more dramatic. Most commonly, the light should be installed in the center of the room but if you have a larger space, you may want to install multiples throughout the ceiling. For a ceiling that is 8’ high, a good rule of thumb is to install your hanging light at least 7’ from the floor. For taller ceilings, add 3” for every additional foot. The size of your fixture depends on the size of your space and the height of your ceilings. If you can, have your overhead lights installed on a dimmer switch so that you can adjust the ambiance accordingly.

Types of living room ceiling lights:

Chandelier: Create a focal point in your family room and pair it with an oversized sectional and coffee table.  

Pendant Light: From basket pendant light designs to sleek black pendant lights, our wide selection lets you balance form and function.

Flush Mount: Whether you choose a flush or semi-flush mount, these designs are ideal for adding a striking visual accent that does not interfere with headspace.

LIVING ROOM WALL LIGHTING

Two wall sconces hang on either side of a fireplace with a black framed arched mirror above the fireplace. Four rounded ivory barrel boucle chairs surround a round wood pedestal coffee table.

Wall lighting is a great way to add some additional glow and ambiance to the living room. What is helpful is that wall lights allow you to choose between wired and plug-in options. In a rental home, a plug-in sconce is especially useful to avoid any unnecessary or not allowed electrical updates. Using a wall sconce, you can not only brighten up a part of the room that overhead lighting might not reach, but you can also provide a beautiful design element that brings your entire room to life. On the other hand, a picture light offers a warm glow to highlight wall art.

Types of living room wall lights:

Sconce: Some common areas we like to use sconces are on either side of the fireplace or over a bar cabinet

Picture Light: If you have a larger, open-concept living space, we like pairing a picture light with hung artwork and a console table.

A dark wood and rattan sideboard has two neutral ceramic table lamps on it and a potted tree next to it.

LIVING ROOM LAMPS

Table and floor lamps are the most practical living space choices, as they help you shine a light for a specific task. Place table lamps on your accent furniture or use a floor lamp beside your favorite reading nook. Their warm glow and direct light balance ambiance and functionality. Floor lamps provide eye-level light, which counters the brightness of wall- and ceiling-mounted fixtures. To create a relaxing space, we love using smart bulbs as an easy way to dim lightbulbs without a dimmer. 

Types of living room lamps:

Table Lamp: Lamps for a living room can be styled in various ways. It may be best to pair two large-scale living room lamps on each side of your sofa in either the open-concept or traditional family room. Using two end table lamps creates a cohesive look for your living space. Or, if you have a small-space living room that serves as the center of your home life, think about utilizing a tall, slim-lined table light. 

Floor Lamp: Compared to other lights, standing lamps share a particularly close relationship to the other decor in a room as they sit alongside these pieces, occupying floor space. Several tall lamps spaced throughout a room can provide an even ambient pool of light perfect for late-night entertaining or lounging. Directional floor reading lamps styled next to a plush accent chair or at each end of a sofa offer a great source of task lighting and a less intrusive light. Tall lamps can also be used as accent lighting in the corner of a room to accentuate the dimensions of a transitional area or open living space.

How to Light a Living Room With No Overhead Lighting

We understand that overhead lighting is not always a viable option in older homes or certain rental apartments. For living rooms without hanging lights or flush mounts, look to layer lamps and wall sconces (plug-in might work best). A few tall floor lamps offer ambient light when styled around the room, then augmented with sconces and table lamps on or above consoles and atop accent furniture pieces.