Lighting in a Living Room

True to its name, a good living room should be our favorite space to LIVE in – a place of gathering, a place to fill with laughter, and with heart. Such a special place surely deserves some well thought illumination! And because this room tends to be multi-functional, its lighting plan should be equally multi-leveled. Below are some expert insights on thinking through your living room lighting:

LIKE BEY SAID - YOU PUT MY LOVE ON TOP In an ideal situation, we like to see a living room ceiling with both recessed cans as well as a statement making fixture (and given the choice, we’d take that gorgeous chandelier!) But, sometimes you gotta Tim Gunn-it and “make it work!" No matter your current situation, an easy update is to change your regular old switch to a dimmer. This will give you the ability to flood the room with light (perfect for those midnight cleaning sessions!) or to take it down a notch for an evening of entertaining.

IF YOU BUILT IT THEN YOU SHOULD A PUT A SCONCE ON IT At Alice Lane Home Collection, we never pass by a built-in bookcase or cabinet without looking for a way to light it up. Our preferred method is to place sconces on the header or side rails for a super stylish, but also functional feature.

WHO RUN THE WORLD? LAMPS The final frontier of our lighting universe are lamps. Providing not only soft, ambient lighting, lamps should be considered also for their visual impact in a space. A sculptural floor lamp with a large drum shade compliments an accent chair and side table. A pair of colorful table lamps bring balance and interest to a sofa grouping.

[photos from Elle Decor, Domino, Pinterest, One Kings Lane, and Alice Lane Home Collection]