Cosy Lighting Ideas for a Relaxing and Ambient Space
Arriving home after a long day, you kick your shoes off, switch on your cosy lighting, and settle down for the evening with a mug of deliciously creamy hot chocolate. Looking around at the tranquil space you’ve created, you feel your body start to relax, and any thoughts occupying your mind slowly melt away.
The entire room is bathed in a soft, warm glow, cultivated by a beautiful array of intimate lighting features. Each light is carefully placed to create the comforting evening ambience you’ve been striving for, and you breathe a sigh of relief knowing the days of overly-bright overhead lighting are far behind you.
Cosy lighting has the power to transform any home into a sanctuary. Discover how to turn your space into an inviting oasis with atmospheric lighting that blends beautifully with your décor.
Curate the ultimate haven for relaxation with cosy lighting
When it comes to creating a cosy living space, fluffy blankets and velvety furnishings will only get you so far. There’s only one thing that can truly infuse your home with the calming ambience you seek, and that’s cosy lighting.
Any lighting that creates a feeling of comfort, warmth, and relaxation in your home can be described as cosy, from stylish wall lights to accent floor lamps. Knowing which lights to choose and how to place them in each room is all you need to craft effortlessly tranquil spaces that you can’t wait to come home to.
Cosy bedroom lighting: Dim the lights for a calming evening ambience
Walking into your bedroom, you feel for the dimmer switch and turn the lights down as low as they’ll go. Pools of warm light illuminate the space, casting a soft and inviting glow over your bed. Slipping under the covers, you sink into the cocooning mattress, the room’s calming ambience lulling you into a state of relaxation.
Image courtesy of @phemieloves
Making your lights dimmable is one of the easiest yet most effective ways to maximise the cosiness of your bedroom. Dimmer switches give you complete atmospheric control, allowing you to transform any shaded space from vivid and bright when you’re getting ready in the morning to soothing and cosy when it’s time to unwind for the night.
Designer tip: Consider double dimmer switches to control the intensity of different light features in your room separately from one another. This will give you even more options to create a cosy ambience with your bedroom lighting.
Product pick: Any type of fitted light feature can be made dimmable – but for bedrooms, wall lights are the most relaxing option. The Gold Waldorf wall light is not only a beautiful choice for creating a soothing atmosphere but also has a timeless design that will add a decorative flair to your space.
Cosy living room lighting: Add interest through layering
When creating a relaxing living room, layering your lighting is key. Ceiling lights are a necessity in any living space, but it’s the addition of well-placed table lamps and floor lamps that truly imbues the room with a cosy ambience.
Incorporating different layers of lighting into your living room creates small pockets of light, which your brain interprets as added warmth and safety. This is what gives the space that cosy, calming feeling that invites you and your guests in, making you feel at ease.
How to layer lighting in your living room:
- Start by selecting a statement ceiling light that suits your space. This will serve as a focal point and help to tie everything together, even when the light is not in use.
- Add some atmospheric wall lighting fixtures. These will help to ensure the space is well lit on cosy evenings without being as intense as overhead lighting. Ensure your wall lights are dimmable to create the right ambience with ease.
- Create depth with mid- and low-level cosy lighting. Use floor and table lamps to introduce small pockets of light that are crucial for making the space feel relaxed.
Not only does layered lighting make your interiors more intimate, but it also adds charm and visual intrigue. Deliberately placed lamps add depth to your space, preventing it from feeling flat and dull.
Product pick: For your low-level lighting, choose elegant, minimalist-design table lamps that will blend seamlessly with your existing décor, such as the Pearl White Asteria table lamp.
Style tip: Place a floor lamp behind a comfy chair in the corner of your living room to create a cosy, warmly lit reading nook.
Choose warm lighting to illuminate tranquil moments
Always opt for light bulbs with a warm temperature rather than a cold white hue. Warm lighting has a calming effect that naturally makes us relax, infusing interiors with a cosy golden glow.
Cool lighting, by contrast, feels too stimulating because it’s designed to help boost our focus during the day. This makes it impractical for spaces like bedrooms and living rooms where the goal is to switch off and unwind.
The warmth or coolness of the light that’s emitted from a bulb is known as its ‘colour temperature’ and is measured on the Kelvin scale (K). To ensure your lights have a cosy warm hue, make sure you choose bulbs with a colour temperature of around 2700K. Any bulb with a colour temperature of 3000K or above will be too cold and won’t produce the relaxing ambience you’re after.
Style tip: Some bulbs look too good to be hidden under a lampshade. Create a decorative fixture simply by suspending a cluster of Globe Spiral Filament Bulbs from your ceiling.
Product pick: For a beautiful warm glow, the Traditional Quad Loop Filament LED bulb is the one you need for your cosy lighting fixtures. This bulb gives out just the right amount of light to create a relaxing, intimate space.
Show us your cosy interiors
We’d love to see how you’ve used our cosy lighting ideas to curate a calming ambient space. Tag @dowsingandreynolds on Instagram – we can’t wait to see your ideas!
Feature image courtesy of @kylejosephinteriors
