Lighting Tips for Living Rooms, Dining Rooms, and Kitchens

Do you want some lighting tips for these three rooms? The key is to successfully combine various types of lighting.

Choosing the right places to locate lights and their orientation in these three areas of the house is also very important. Find out how in this article!

Lighting tips for the living room

Don’t know where to start? The best thing you can do in your living room is to use different floor lamps (incandescent or halogen light). You can even play with various wall lamps.

However, it’s common for this room to be illuminated with various spotlights. When opting for this solution, it’s advisable to avoid excess lighting by placing globe-type lamps or recessed spotlights on the ceiling.

In these cases, you can incorporate different lighting phases and potentiometers that regulate the intensity and independently highlight different areas of the room.

It’s best to avoid spotlighting the sofa or directly focusing on it because this will only create a shadow effect.

Finally, it’s essential to also add one or two small table lamps, located in key corners of the room. You’ll see that this is a great idea!

Illuminate specific points in the room

Also, you should keep in mind that other elements of this area of the house may need spot lighting.

Low-intensity light rails or recessed ceiling lights directed towards the shelves of a bookcase or large piece of furniture will make the room look brighter.

Think about the wattage. Adequate lighting can be a 100W ceiling light fixture, a 150W dimmer floor lamp, and two 40-60W table lamps.

Lighting tips for the dining room

In this area of the house, the dining table is the main focus. Therefore, it’s important to have a fixed lighting point with a ceiling lamp.

Try to place it at a distance from the table, so it allows diners to see the food but, at the same time, doesn’t bother them. Ideally, this distance should be between 27 and 31 inches.

On the other hand, you must take into account the shape of the table to be able to install the appropriate light bulbs. This is because a bad choice of the type of light can negatively affect the environment.

On a rectangular table, it’s a good idea to use a single elongated lamp or two smaller independent ones. However, if the table is round, it’s best to choose a circular model.

If you want to use a halogen light, it’s preferable to use hanging lamps that have small spotlights directed downwards because, if they point in another direction they may shine into people’s eyes.

Also, don’t forget to use several screened wall lights and a spotlight over a painting (if you have one and want to highlight it). These details will make the dining room look very cozy.

Lighting tips for the kitchen

Did you know that the fluorescent tubes that were widely used in the past in most kitchens are not so popular? Nowadays, people prefer recessed ceiling lights that emit a much warmer fluorescent light.

The market also offers other alternatives, such as halogen lamps with covered bulbs or ceiling lamps that direct the light downwards. This last option is perfect for kitchens with high ceilings!

In any case, this type of light should be combined with spotlighting in the cooking and prep area through fluorescent tubes inside a glass located under high cabinets.

Also, it’s important not to economize when installing the fluorescent lights that go on the ceiling, as insufficient lighting could create shadows.

Finally, don’t forget that, if the room is of average size, you’ll need approximately four switches in the kitchen (entrance area, prep area, cooking area, and dining area).

Did you like our lighting tips for these three rooms in the house? If so, you’ll surely want to use them!