Living Room Lighting: This Is How It Gets Cozy
The living room is the focus of your apartment and is used in many ways. Whether for reading an exciting book, receiving visitors or relaxing with a great film. Thanks to modern LED technology, the right lighting for a cozy atmosphere can be achieved for every scenario. Here you will find tips and ideas for beautiful lighting in the living room.
Nice light in the living room
The living room is the most versatile room in many apartments. The lighting should therefore be just as varied here. The best way to achieve this is to use different light sources. So you can switch on the right light depending on the mood and activity you want.
For homely lighting, it is not only a question of the number of LED lamps used. The color temperature and brightness also have a major influence on how comfortably the light is perceived. The light should be much brighter for concentrated reading, for example, than for relaxed television.
Types of lighting in the living room
Since the introduction of LED technology at the latest, there have been a large number of new types of lights for all imaginable applications. However, these can basically be divided into the following categories:
- Basic lighting
- Accent lighting
- Decorative lighting
- Direct and indirect light
The basic lighting is also referred to as general lighting and is intended to ensure uniform and, above all, shadow-free illumination of the living room. This is primarily achieved using classic ceiling lights.
With the accent lighting, you can additionally highlight individual areas of the living room. Individual walls, pictures, or furniture can be illuminated in a targeted manner using spots, wall lights, or ceiling wash lights.
The decorative lighting is illuminated decorative items such as vases, figures, or other objects. Placed in the appropriate place in the living room, these are a beautiful eye-catcher.
All lights that emit their light directly into the living room are direct light. If the light is shone on the ceiling and walls, it is indirect lighting. A classic example is ceiling wash lights, which with their soft light create an atmospheric atmosphere.
Matching lights for the living room
With a mix of different LED lamps, you can achieve versatile lighting for your living room. While it should be nice and bright when eating or reading, you can turn on the cozy dim light to watch TV. You can combine the following lights for an optimal living room light:
- Overhead lighting
- Recessed spots
- Pendant lights
- Floor lamps
- Wall lighting
- Reading lamps
Living room ceiling lights
The ceiling lighting provides the basic brightness in the living room. LED ceiling lights or hanging lights can be installed on the living room ceiling. The number of lights used depends on the size and layout of the room as well as on your own taste. So you can attach a bright light in the middle of the room or use several lights in different positions.
In living rooms up to around 20m², a ceiling light mounted in the middle of the room is often recommended. In larger rooms, several lights are often an advantage, especially if they can be switched individually. For example, one lamp can be installed in the area of the sofa and a second lamp above the dining area.
What brightness?
A brightness of around 100 lumens per square meter is recommended for the basic lighting in the living room. In the dining area, it can be brighter with 150 lm / m². In order to lower the brightness if necessary, the connection to a dimmer switch is highly recommended.
Recessed spotlights in the living room
Recessed spotlights are an alternative to classic ceiling lights. These are installed in the living room ceiling at the desired distance. For recessed spots, however, there must be a cavity in the ceiling or this must be suspended.
There are now countless versions of recessed spotlights with LED technology. Some spots can be swiveled at a certain angle to highlight the wall or a picture. The main advantage of the built-in spotlights is the very even illumination of the living room.
What brightness?
A brightness of around 100 lumens per square meter is recommended for the basic lighting in the living room. In the dining area, it can be brighter with 150 lm / m². In order to lower the brightness if necessary, the connection to a dimmer switch is highly recommended.
Pendant lights and hanging lamps
A modern LED pendant lamp is very well suited for lighting the dining table within the living room. Pendant lights are mainly mounted directly above the table (dining table or coffee table). There they come into their own and nobody walks under the lamp who could bump into it. Pendant lights are available in many modern designs.
What brightness?
A brightness of around 150 lm / m² is recommended for the lighting in the dining area. Since the pendant lamp hangs directly above the table, it can be darker.
Floor lamps and uplights
Floor lamps often provide a combination of direct and indirect light. Ceiling wash lights mainly emit their light towards the living room ceiling. This makes both lights a great addition to accent lighting in the living room. In addition to the floor lamps, there are also table lamps that achieve a similar effect. These can be placed on a sideboard, for example.
Reading lamp in the living room
When reading, the eyes have to strain, so good lighting for reading is very important. The normal room lighting is rather unsuitable for longer reading. This emits its light over a large area, which is why only a low light intensity reaches the small area of a book page.
A directional light source is therefore always recommended for regular reading. This can be a separate reading lamp or a ceiling washer with a separate arm with an integrated reading lamp. The light should ideally fall from the side of the book and not dazzle. A reading lamp should generate a luminous flux of around 350 - 400 lumens.
Wall lighting
You can set great accents in the living room with wall lights. These can either be installed alone on a bare wall or in combination, for example, with a picture or decorative item. If the light color of the wall lights differs from the ceiling lighting, these come into their own and can create an atmospheric ambiance.
Indirect lighting in the living room
You can create great effects in the living room with indirect light. Here the light is not emitted directly into the room but against the wall or ceiling. The light reflected there is pleasantly soft and is a nice addition to the ceiling lighting.
With RGB LED strips you can easily create indirect living room lighting. For this purpose, the LED strips are attached to the wall or ceiling behind a glare protection edge. With the colorful LED strips you can also set all imaginable colors to suit the respective mood.
Conclusion
The perfect lighting in the living room is mainly achieved by a mix of different lights. With a combination of, for example, an LED ceiling light, wall light, and ceiling washer with adjustable brightness, you can set the right light in your living room for every scenario. With the tips presented here, you have a good overview of how you can put your living room lighting in the limelight.
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