Mood Lighting Trends to Transform Your Home
Adjusting the dimmer switch, drawing the curtains and settling onto the sofa, you feel your whole body relax. The soft glow from your wall lights bounces gently across the room, making everything feel a little warmer, a little softer — the golden hue of evening setting the tone for a relaxing night in, your lighting sets the scene — for your mood, your comfort, your sense of home.
“Mood lighting isn’t just about atmosphere — though it’s brilliant at that. It also plays a surprisingly powerful role in our wellbeing, focus, and sleep. Choosing the right fixtures, bulbs and window dressings helps you shape each room to suit how you want to live in it.”
Ally Dowsing-Reynolds, Interiors Expert and Co-Founder of Dowsing & Reynolds.
To explore how lighting influences how we feel — and how to design with that in mind — we’ve collaborated with the experts at Hillarys. They share their knowledge on using curtains and blinds to control the amount of natural light entering your home, and combined with our expertise in beautiful lighting fixtures, we can help you create the perfect ambience for your spaces.
From the science behind natural light to the beauty of modern bubble chandeliers and atmospheric wall lights, here’s everything you need to know about mood lighting trends and how to transform your home.
Lighting design and its role in mood and wellbeing
Your circadian rhythm is your body’s natural internal clock — it regulates your sleep-wake cycle by responding to changes in light and darkness throughout the day. The amount of light we’re exposed to, and when, has a fundamental impact on our brains, influencing our mood, and changing how we perceive different spaces.
The International Association of Lighting Designers shares, “Exposure to natural views and daylight has been shown to enhance psychological well-being, reduce stress, and improve overall mood and alertness, which underscores the importance of integrating these elements into lighting design.”
“Where possible, it is important to incorporate natural light into your home’s lighting design for optimum wellbeing, and using made to measure blinds is a great way to control how much of that light comes into your home throughout the day, and night.”
Yvonne Keal, Senior Product Manager at Hillarys
Understanding the three types of mood lighting
Before diving into trends, it helps to understand the basics. Good layered lighting design always includes a mix of:
1. Ambient lighting
This is your room’s general artificial light source — the one that sets the tone. It might be a statement ceiling light, a soft-glow pendant or a few well-placed wall lights.
While not categorised as ambient lighting, natural daylight that enters through windows, skylights or doors often serves the same function — filling a space with an overall glow and reducing the need for artificial light during daytime hours.
Daylight and ambient lighting often work together. Good lighting design considers how much natural light a room gets during the day and layers in artificial ambient light to complement it when needed — especially in the evenings or on gloomy days. Blinds and shutters can help reduce glaring sunlight to soften a space on bright days.
Ally advises that: “If you do one thing to upgrade your lighting, fit dimmer switches. They give you complete control over the mood in your home — from energising mornings to cosy evenings — all with a single turn of the dial.”
2. Task lighting
Designed to help you see clearly when you’re doing something specific — reading, cooking, working — task lighting needs to be focused and glare-free. Table lamps, angled wall lights, or under-cabinet strips are ideal.
Image courtesy of @callertonkitchens
3. Accent lighting
Accent lighting adds layers and depth, often used to draw the eye to particular features in a room — a painting, shelving or architectural detail. Think spotlights on artwork or directional wall lights highlighting alcoves.
“Layering your lighting is one of the most impactful ways to create ambience,” says Ally, “start with a generous statement ceiling light to bring a sense of grandeur — it draws your eye upwards and gives the room structure. Then add wall lights, floor and table lamps to soften the edges and bring intimacy.”
Style tip: Your choice of bulb colour temperature can have a big impact on the atmosphere of your room. Discover our guide to light bulb colour temperature, and why it’s so important for creating a mood.
Ally goes on to say that: “Combining our warm-toned LED bulbs with brass fixtures and matching dimmer switches creates a cocooning glow that feels calm and intentional.”
5 mood lighting trends to explore now
From soft silhouettes to clever dimming, these are the mood lighting ideas we’re loving right now — with practical tips to help you bring them to life.
1. Chandeliers, reimagined
Forget intricately fussy crystal affairs — today’s chandeliers are refined, atmospheric and often playful. Frosted bubble chandeliers are a popular choice, with diffused glass spheres that soften the light and add gentle texture.
Yvonne recommends adjusting your window dressing too: “In the evenings, drawing your curtains or lowering blinds as you dim your lights creates a cocooning effect that helps the body relax and wind down naturally.”
Some chandelier designs even include foliage-like details — we’ve seen Biophilic trend inspired fern lighting appearing as part of the become a stunning statement in living rooms and bedrooms alike.
2. Pebble lamps for peaceful corners
Soft-edged, low-glow pebble lamps are trending for good reason. They feel serene and tactile, casting an ambient light that invites you to pause.
“Pairing blinds with gentle lighting helps shut out the noise of the day,” says Yvonne, “creating a sanctuary to unwind in.” These lamps work beautifully in nature-inspired interiors, and their simple forms complement both modern and rustic styles.
“I’ve got pebble lamps dotted around my home — I love how their soft glow instantly makes a room feel calm and cocooning,” says Ally.
3. Fluted glass lights for vintage vibes
If your main light feels too harsh, vintage-inspired fluted glass lights are an elegant alternative. The beautiful ridged texture diffuses brightness beautifully, making the room feel calmer and more flattering.
“We’re seeing a real resurgence in ribbed glass lighting — it’s a subtle nod to nostalgic interiors, bringing warmth and character with a timeless feel,” says Ally.
Wall-mounted fluted lights — like our customer-favourite Bramley— offer a softer glow and elevated detail, while fluted pendants and bubble chandeliers provide structure without the glare. Whether placed in dining spaces, reading corners or beside the bed, they add softness and style in equal measure.
4. Wall lights for cosy atmosphere
Wall lights are more than a practical choice — they add texture and depth to your interiors. Our Fender wall light, in its various configurations, is a customer favourite for its nod to industrial heritage and targeted lighting.
“I love this vintage-industrial design in a modern country kitchen — place three above a worktop and you get angled, practical light exactly where you need it, plus a comforting warm glow from the brass interior,” says Ally
5. Portable table lamps for convenience
Cordless, rechargeable portable table lamps are one of the easiest ways to upgrade your lighting — especially in spaces without convenient plug sockets. Move them around your home as needed, from reading nooks to alfresco dinners. Some even offer dimming or colour temperature settings to suit your mood.
They’re practical, yes, but also deeply atmospheric — letting you carve out pockets of calm wherever you need them most.
Customising your lighting throughout the day
As we’ve discussed, lighting that mimics the cycle of daylight can help regulate your mood, energy levels and sleep quality. Here’s how to align your home lighting with nature’s cycle and so your circadian rhythm:
- Morning: Bright, daylight-mimicking light helps wake your body up. Open curtains fully, or use sheer drapes and voiles to soften the transition if you’re not a morning person!
“Open your blinds to let natural daylight flood in first thing,” says Yvonne. “This helps kickstart your body’s alertness and supports your overall wellbeing.”
Ally adds that: “In the morning, cool daylight bulbs are brilliant for helping you feel more awake and alert — they mimic natural sunlight and are ideal for task lighting in kitchens or home offices.” - Afternoon: Slightly warmer light that helps you maintain focus but without the harshness that can cause eye strain is best here. Yvonne recommends slanting shutters or tilting blinds to reduce glare.
- Evening: Soft, low, warm light encourages your body to wind down and rest. Add layered lighting to create a cocooning effect.
“Blackout blinds are especially important here,” says Yvonne. “They support melatonin production and help your body prepare for sleep — especially in summer, when it stays lighter for longer.”
“Smart lighting is a game-changer — being able to shift the colour temperature of your bulbs throughout the day means you can energise your mornings and wind down properly in the evenings, all at the tap of an app,” says Ally
Don’t worry if you haven’t got a smart home setup. Simply combining dimmable bulbs with the right layered lighting — plus good curtains or blackout blinds — gives you all the control you need to adapt your lighting to your natural rhythm.
Creating a cosy, ambient home
Mood lighting is one of the simplest — and most effective — ways to transform how your home feels. It’s not just about decoration. It’s about comfort, clarity and atmosphere. With expert tips on window dressings from Hillarys and the right lighting choices from Dowsing & Reynolds, you can create spaces that energise you in the morning and help you switch off at night so you feel like the best version of yourself.
Show us your mood lighting trend inspired interiors
We’d love to see how mood lighting trends have influenced your home. Tag us on Instagram @dowsingandreynolds so we can have a peek at how you’re layering lighting.
