5 simple but effective lighting ideas to transform your home

Any home can be enhanced with the right lighting

It’s incredible how much lighting can affect a home's overall appearance and mood. The proper choice of lighting can transform a space with relatively minimum effort.

Great lighting creates a certain mood or ambience. It also highlights focal points and features while making rooms more functional. Like a piece of art, it can add to the overall decorative appeal of the home.

Combine pendant lights, table lamps, and wall or floor lights to produce your desired effect. If the occasion warrants, it's perfectly fine to mix them up as well. Here are five simple but effective lighting ideas to transform your home.

Don't miss: 7 smart and sleek home devices

1. Entrance foyer : Bold is beautiful

Above Menu Collector chandelier

Above Verpan Fun floor lamp

First impression is forever, and your entrance foyer is where your guests will have their first glimpse of your home. So naturally, when you’re looking to reshape the space, you want to make the right statement.

The foyer is an excellent place to go bold. Large centrepieces, especially if your entry has high ceilings, will make a memorable first impression and a perfect choice when upgrading the wow factor.

Offering plenty of practical light and a show-stopping focal point, what could be more special than a chandelier or dazzling hall pendant inviting you through the front door? Consider hanging a mirror too, as your light can bounce around the room, opening up the space and feeling brighter and bigger than it actually is.

Don't miss: Part 1: The rise of the design-led restaurants and cafes in Kuala Lumpur

2. Living room: Have fun with lamps

Photo 1 of 2 & Tradition Formakami lamp

Photo 2 of 2 Normann Copenhagen Bubble lamps

If you’re in the mood to redesign your living room but don't want to exert too much effort, mixing in a new floor lamp and table lamp could be all that's necessary.

Adding height and elegance, both lamps do a splendid job of illuminating the room at eye level, complementing the ceiling lights and allowing you to create different moods.

They can also add personality and make a bold statement while being super-versatile, as you can pick up and place them anywhere when the mood (lighting) strikes you.

Don't miss: Home tour: A London apartment with a kitchen inspired by kebab shops, and more fun touches

3. Dining room: Lower your lights

Above Menu Dancing Pendant Lamp

When lighting the dining room, the goal is to create an intimate atmosphere around the table—all the better for sharing delightful meals with family and friends.

How do you achieve this? Swap your high ceiling fixture for a longer hanging pendant, or maybe even three or five, directly over your dining table. This new vantage point will create a warm, flattering glow around your guests, and the rest of the room can melt away.

Don't miss: 8 Feng Shui Tips for a Harmonious Dining Room

4. Kitchen: Add pendant lamps over the island

Above Hay Pao pendant lamps

The kitchen is often the heart of the home, a multifunctional hub where you cook, gather, eat and even entertain.

A kitchen island is usually where most of these activities happen, and pendant lights in a group add illumination, style and ambience. Whether in clusters or in a row, always use odd numbers to help create a beautiful, balanced look.

Don't miss: Top 12 Design Trends for a Stylish Kitchen Update

5. Bedroom: Mix and match lights

Photo 1 of 2 &Tradition Tripod floor lamp

Photo 2 of 2 Menu The Audo lamp

Bedside lamps are possibly the easiest way to revive your bedroom. Depending on your personal taste, you can go for zen-like calm with natural materials and simple shapes or bright colours complete with a striking pattern. Or add a touch of quirk with an unusual material for the base, like driftwood or resin.

Even if you can't choose just one, consider two lamps that don't match. After all where better than in the privacy of the bedroom where you can be truly adventurous.

NOW READ

Home Tour: An artistic Parisian townhouse with an enviable spa zone

Home Tour: A modern net zero energy home in Kuala Lumpur

Home tour: Step inside an oceanfront Hong Kong apartment, inspired by art and nature

Topics

designinspo lighting design pendant light ambient light task light statement lighting