Lighting

There are several considerations to bear in mind when deciding where to put a floor lamp in the living room. Will you be using it simply to light a dark corner, or do you need the light to fill a larger space in the room? You’ll also need to consider where you will safely plug in your floor lamp, as you won’t want loose cables trailing across the floor. Adding a floor lamp behind a sofa, especially one with an arch or angled arm, is also an excellent choice if you need a reading light for your favourite spot on the sofa.

Do living room table lamps have to match?

Not if you don’t want them to! You can certainly choose matching living room table lamps if you enjoy symmetry in your space, but there’s no reason you can’t go for different shapes, colours and styles for your table lamps. A great way to ensure they work well together is to select lamps with features in common - for example, they all have brass elements, cream shades, or are mid-century inspired. But there are no hard and fast rules - if you want to use one ultra-modern lamp and one totally traditional, you do you! It’s your space, after all.

Are LED floor lamps better?

Gone are the days when LED lamps were ugly and offered harsh lighting! The majority of energy saving bulbs are now LED, and they come with a whole host of benefits.

The main benefit of LED floor lamps - as well as their table and ceiling cousins - is that they consume less energy than other types of energy saving bulbs, and up to a whopping 90% less than conventional halogen bulbs. LED lighting also lasts a lot longer - each bulb lasts up to 50,000 hours - light up to full brightness almost immediately upon turning on, and are free of mercury, which is a toxin used in both incandescent and CFL energy saving bulbs.

Additionally, they are much more suited to more decorative lighting, with bulbs even available in decorative vintage-inspired styles that imitate the look of a classic filament bulb. With all these benefits, it’s clear LED lighting is definitely the best option when it comes to lighting your home.

What type of ceiling light is best for a hallway?

As we don’t tend to spend a lot of time lingering in hallways, ceiling and wall lights tend to be the best option here. For long hallways that don’t get much light, you might choose several flush or semi-flush ceiling lights, track lighting, or a row of recessed spotlights to light up the whole space. If you have a hallway with high ceilings, you could consider multiple pendant lights, or a single larger, more decorative ceiling light, to make the most of the available height. If you’re planning on where to put your switches, it’s a good idea to include them at both ends of the hallway, making it convenient for you to turn them on and off as you move around the house.