The post Living Room Lighting Mistakes You Should Avoid appeared first on UK Construction Blog.

A living room can serve as a hub of any home, as it is a multipurpose area where families come together to entertain guests and relax. The lighting balance should be just right for such a core room to ensure that the atmosphere stays welcoming and snug. In fact, many homeowners have been victims of common living room lighting mistakes leading to negative overall feelings and functionality.

However, what surprises many individuals is when they realize these are errors they commit unknowingly. It goes beyond soft lighting into complete confusion that interferes with your living room’s usefulness.

In such circumstances or rather when you want to know how your living room will be lighted; all you need is an extra pair of eyes. Let us start by understanding some of these common mistakes and their consequences then provide practical suggestions on how to create an elegant lighting scheme for your living space.

Insufficient Lighting

Additionally, if the lights are insufficient, your living room may feel claustrophobic, gloomy and unwelcoming too. Additionally, different activities like reading books or playing board games etc. will suffer greatly due to poor illumination. One primary reason behind lack of adequate light results from dependence on one central overhead fixture.

Solution

Instead of this, combine ambient lighting with accent and task lighting to create a harmonious effect. Of the entire room’s light supply, ambient lighting provides general illumination, but task lights like the one for reading or doing office work can be used.

Some examples of accent lighting include wall sconces and table lamps which add character to these spaces while emphasizing their particular design features.

Ignoring Natural Light

This is a mistake frequently made. Disregarding the truth that natural light enhances beauty and uplifts moods as well. When windows are blocked or are not fully utilized it results into dullness in an otherwise lively environment.

Solution: Instead, position furniture strategically and dress windows in order to maximize sunshine penetration. Whenever curtains are drawn, they should be transparent enough or else have blinds that are lacey enabling passages for outside light straight into buildings either at home or office premises. Furthermore, mirrors can be placed so as to channel sunlight into rooms thus making homes appear more spacious.

No Task Lighting

Living rooms do not usually have adequate task lighting even though there are various activities done which require such lights like studying in them.

To avoid straining and hampered performance, it is necessary to have task lighting for basic activities like reading, working or gaming.

Solution: To establish task lighting in your living room, there are designated areas such as reading corners, workstations or even gaming tables. You can add adjustable table lamps, floor stands and sconces on the wall for targeted lighting in each of these sections. This makes it more functional and less tiresome on the eye.

Not Caring about Dimmer Controls

The mistake of disregarding dimmer controls limits the possibilities of one’s light installation. Nonadjustable lights with only one level tend to create a fixed ambiance that may be lacking versatility for different occasions and moods.

Solution: Try installing dimmer switches for overhead as well as ambient lighting purposes. For instance, with various atmospheres going at once, they can be useful when you have several tasks being done concurrently. When you want to entertain friends on a weekend evening or simply have some family movie night at home dimmer controls will help adjust the lighting accordingly.

Misplacement of Lighting Fixtures

When lighting installations are misplaced in the living rooms, it may affect both the beauty and efficiency of the room. If you fix your fixtures too high or too low or even at a wrong position, shadows will be formed and lights will not be evenly distributed.

Solution: Carefully look into how your living room is arranged and used when placing lighting fixtures. The overhead fixtures should be placed centrally and hanged at a considerable height on the other hand floor lamps and table lamps should be positioned in strategic places to avoid glare as well as shadows. Experiment with different fittings till you get the correct mix for those specific rooms.

Conclusion

Avoiding these common mistakes in living room lighting is very important in creating a visually appealing and functional space. By using layered lighting, taking advantage of natural light, understanding brightness requirements for tasks, installing dimmer controls, and thinking about where we put our lights; we can transform our living rooms into brighter spaces that are optimally functional.