6 Living Room Wall Lighting Ideas
Pinning numerous living room wall lighting ideas to your latest board inspires you to refresh your lounge. Desiring the more layered lighting effect that installing wall lights will give, you research practical solutions to provide the comforting evening ambience you seek.
Letting your eyes roam around your living room, you notice the blank spaces where more lighting could go. The overhead fixture is excellent for the daytime but far too bright for relaxing in the evening. Wall lighting features will embellish the space and create the soothing atmosphere you’re after.
Multiple types of wall lights are available, including feature pieces that hold your gaze and traditional heritage styles that radiate a warm, nostalgic glow.
Whether you’re curating a space for entertaining, winding down after work, or combining the two, delve into our wall lighting ideas for the living room.
6 living room wall lighting ideas for every style and setup
Wall-mounted lights are a transformative addition to the living room. When day turns to evening, and the bright main ceiling light is no longer needed, these fixtures help you gradually pare back your lighting to set a more intimate ambience.
For smaller living rooms, wall fixtures eliminate the need for accent lamps and free up valuable space on side tables and shelves. They add a decorative element or illuminate dark corners in larger spaces, casting pools of warm light for a cosier feel. Or, in open-plan apartments, the strategic placement of wall lights can define zones, such as a cocktail bar area or above an accent chair.
Expert tips on where to place wall lights in the living room:
- Have multiple wall lights dotted around your living room; they provide a low-level glow to your space that’s ideal for relaxation.
- Place the lights just above eye level for the most flattering illumination and comfort when walking around the room – you want to avoid being dazzled by the bulbs.
- Use wall lights in dingy alcoves to make your room look bigger; fixed to either side of the chimney breast, they also add relaxing symmetry.
- Use wall lights to accentuate your favourite framed prints or architectural features – fixed above a painting, they draw attention to it and provide a point of interest in your space.
- Choosing adjustable fixtures provides flexibility in directing the light exactly where needed.
How to create a stylish and tranquil space with wall lights:
- Reduce glare by opting for frosted glass shades or bulbs.
- Choosing wall lights with arms in metallic finishes adds lustrous accents to your room that attract your eyes, creating interest.
- Matt black designs make a bold statement in neutral spaces, adding much-needed punctuation to pale tones.
- Pair the wall lights with complementary light switches, either in a matt or metallic finish – a dimmer switch enables you to change the ambience of your space at different times of the day.
Create the illusion of space with a two-bulb light
A great choice of wall lights for a smaller living room is two-bulb lights; these fixtures maximise brightness, casting light upwards and downwards. The dual direction exaggerates the room’s proportions, as does the slightly oversized feel. Choose bulbs with a frosted finish to diffuse ambient light into the room, avoiding filament glare.
Find the perfect pair
Wall lights work well in pairs, balancing the room’s décor and proportions, creating a visually pleasing display; it’s a timeless aesthetic you can use to frame your living room’s central feature, whether a fireplace, the TV or a large piece of art.
Another modern living room wall lighting idea is to repeat wall lights around your room, providing visual continuity. By making your eyes travel around, your décor feels interesting and ‘put together’, and your room appears larger, too, as there’s more to see.
Light cable can become a feature
Trying to conceal wall light cables can be challenging, especially if you’re not planning on a full-scale renovation. Plug-in peg light designs turn this functional element into a stylish detail; drape and drop the beautiful Italian fabric cable around the wooden peg so it becomes a feature. Wrapping the cable also means you can adjust it to the perfect height, add a frosted LED bulb, plug in, and you’re good to go.
Cosy up your reading corner
Living room lighting can create an inviting nook when positioned alongside a bookshelf or above an oversized armchair. Large glass shades emit plenty of relaxing light, while bare bulb designs are no fuss and keep clutter to a minimum.
Add interest with industrial details
You can incorporate industrial-style lighting into various living room designs to increase the traditional heritage feel. Whether you have a calm, neutral colour scheme or a lounge with dark, inky blue walls, industrial-inspired wall lights introduce an unexpected element with their materials and textures.
Using bulkhead lights instead of a more usual fixture instantly changes the feel of a space, as does swapping your current opaque bulbs for clear versions where you can see the glowing filament.
Choose decorative wall lights
Decorative wall lights support your main ceiling light, providing softer, more relaxing illumination as the day creeps into dusk – making these into a feature adds more grandeur; captivating bubble wall lights provide mini focal points with their intriguing shape.
Show us your living room transformations
We’d love to see how you’ve used our wall lighting ideas to complete your living room. Tag @dowsingandreynolds on Instagram – we can’t wait to see your ideas!
