A living room is used for everything: watching a film, reading, receiving friends, working on a laptop. One ceiling light cannot do all of that well, which is why the best living room lighting ideas start with layers rather than with a single fixture. Below you will find seven ideas, a table of real sizes for the lamps we sell, and a simple guide to how many lights a 15 m² or a 25 m² living room needs, using the coverage figures printed on our product pages.
The three layers of living room lighting
- Ambient light from the ceiling: a wide pendant or a chandelier that lights the whole room.
- Light at seat level: floor lamps and table lamps beside the sofa and armchairs, for reading and for a softer evening mood.
- Wall and accent light: sconces that wash the wall and make the room feel larger once the ceiling light is off.
7 living room lighting ideas
1. A wide pleated or drum pendant as the main light
A wide fabric shade spreads light without glare. The Pleated Fabric Dish Pendant comes in four diameters, from Ø 50 cm to a Ø 100 cm statement piece for a large living room, and also washes light up onto the ceiling. The Fabric Drum Pendant with Iron Arcs (Ø 55 or 65 × H 45 cm) gives a more graphic line. Our types of lamp shades guide explains how each shape directs light.
2. A chandelier for a larger room
The Large Acrylic Chandelier (round D60, D80 or D100 cm, or L120 cm linear) has five LED sources and covers about 15–30 m². It is a hardwired ceiling fitting. For a softer, couture look, see the French Draped Fabric Chandelier and our guide to French chandeliers and fringe lamps.
3. An arc floor lamp over the sofa
An arc lamp brings light over the seat without a ceiling point. The Amber Dome Arc Floor Lamp is 165 cm high with a 100 cm reach, is dimmable and lights about 10–15 m².
4. A sculptural floor lamp in the corner
Corners are where living rooms look darkest. The Wabi-Sabi Slanted Shade Floor Lamp (H 173 cm, shade Ø 30 cm, foot switch) reads as a sculpture; the Space Age Chrome Globe Floor Lamp uses Ø 35 cm opal spheres in seven models, from H 80 cm to a floor-to-ceiling pole; the Cowhide Tube Floor Lamp (H 130 cm) glows like a lantern. Retro fans will find more in mid-century, Bauhaus and space age lamps.
5. A reading floor lamp beside an armchair
The Tasselled Velvet Floor Lamp (H 158 cm) sends light both up and down from its open shade, for a reading corner next to a sofa or armchair.
6. Wall lights that wash the wall
Up-and-down wall lights make walls glow. The Walnut & Hammered Copper Wall Sconce (H 50.5 cm, two light sources, pull-chain) lights about 5–10 m²; the Two-Tier Plaster Wall Sconce (W 32 × H 13 cm) almost disappears into a white wall. For the basics, read what is a sconce.
7. A table lamp on the sideboard or console
A lamp at waist height adds a warm pool of light. The Bauhaus Silver Dome Table Lamp (H 39 cm, dome Ø 30 cm) lights about 5–10 m²; the Botanical Glass Globe Table Lamp is made for a sideboard or console.
How many lights does a living room need? A guide with real figures
Each of our product pages gives the area a light is suited to. Those figures are the manufacturer's ranges, so treat the sums below as a rough planning guide, not a lighting calculation.
| Light | Layer | Real size | Suited to (product page) | Light direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pleated Fabric Dish Pendant Ø 60 | Ambient | Ø 60 × H 12 cm | 8–12 m² | Down and up onto the ceiling |
| Pleated Fabric Dish Pendant Ø 80 | Ambient | Ø 80 × H 16 cm | 10–15 m² | Down and up onto the ceiling |
| Large Acrylic Chandelier | Ambient | D60 / D80 / D100 cm or L120 cm | 15–30 m² | Diffused |
| Amber Dome Arc Floor Lamp | Seat level | H 165 cm, reach 100 cm | 10–15 m² | Down |
| Wabi-Sabi Slanted Shade Floor Lamp | Seat level | H 173 cm, shade Ø 30 cm | 10–15 m² | Down |
| Space Age Chrome Globe Floor Lamp | Seat level | Spheres Ø 35 cm, H 80 to 280 cm | 5–10 m² | All around |
| Tasselled Velvet Floor Lamp | Seat level | H 158 cm | 3–5 m² | Up and down |
| Bauhaus Silver Dome Table Lamp | Seat level | H 39 cm, dome Ø 30 cm | 5–10 m² | Down |
| Walnut & Hammered Copper Wall Sconce | Wall | W 19.7 × H 50.5 × D 15.4 cm | 5–10 m² | Up and down |
| Two-Tier Plaster Wall Sconce | Wall | W 32 × H 13 cm | 1–3 m² per sconce | Up and down |
Example: a 15 m² living room. Pleated Fabric Dish Ø 60 (8–12 m²) + Tasselled Velvet Floor Lamp beside the sofa (3–5 m²) + Bauhaus Silver Dome on the sideboard (5–10 m²) = 16–27 m², one light per layer.
Example: a 25 m² living room. Pleated Fabric Dish Ø 80 (10–15 m²) + Amber Dome Arc over the sofa (10–15 m²) + a pair of Walnut & Hammered Copper sconces (2 × 5–10 m²) = 30–50 m².
So what: aim for at least one light in each layer, and make the sum of the ranges reach the size of your room. Two small lamps rarely replace a ceiling light in a large room, but they change the mood once it is switched off.
Dimmers, switches and plugs
Dimming matters most in a living room. The Amber Dome Arc Floor Lamp is dimmable, and the Wabi-Sabi Slanted Shade Floor Lamp offers a remote dimming option. Several floor lamps, including the Amber Dome Arc and the Cowhide Tube, are offered with EU, UK, US or AU plugs. For light colour, see our guide warm white vs cool white.
Deciding between a ceiling pendant and wall lights for the main layer? Read pendant lights vs wall lights. For a calm, natural living room, see Japandi vs wabi-sabi lighting.
For a warm, textured living room built on rattan, knitted fabric and hide, read our boho lighting guide; to match the metal of your lamps and sconces, see brass lamps and lights.
For wood, hide and copper together, see our guide to rustic and wood lamps; the Large Acrylic Chandelier and the amber dome of the arc lamp are compared with our other acrylic lights in acrylic lamps and chandeliers.
For a side table with no socket nearby, see our Cordless Lamps collection: these lamps run on a rechargeable battery.
The opal spheres of the Space Age floor lamp are compared with our glass and silk globes in globe lamps and globe pendants; for a pared-back room with a few well-placed lights, such as the Two-Tier Plaster sconce and the Bauhaus dome, see minimalist lighting.
Looking for a statement style? See our guides to Victorian lamps, with fringed shades and stained glass, and to sculptural lamps in plaster, stone and ceramic.
For the wall layer in detail, our guide to wall sconces for the living room gives mounting heights and real sizes for ten sconces; for a period look, see vintage wall sconces.
Choosing the main light for a specific room? See our guides to bedroom ceiling lights and living room ceiling lights, with a sizing rule and the headroom each fitting takes.
Choosing the fitting for each layer? Our guide to the types of chandeliers matches flower, linear and fabric chandeliers to room sizes, and our guide to the types of table lamps shows how much space each lamp takes on a side table or console.
Planning the whole room? Our guide to how many lights a room needs adds up real lighting areas, the wall lights beside a mirror guide covers an overmantel mirror, and for a tall room see pendant lights for high ceilings and staircase lighting ideas.
FAQ
How many lamps should a living room have?
Plan at least one light per layer: one ceiling light, one or two lamps at seat level and, if you can, wall lights. Using our product figures, three lights already cover 16–27 m² in the 15 m² example above.
What size pendant light for a living room?
Match the coverage to the room. Our Pleated Fabric Dish Pendant is suited to about 8–12 m² in Ø 60 cm and about 10–15 m² in Ø 80 and Ø 100 cm; the Large Acrylic Chandelier covers about 15–30 m².
Where should a floor lamp go in a living room?
Beside or behind the sofa and armchairs, and in the darkest corner. An arc lamp such as the Amber Dome Arc (100 cm reach) can bring the light over the seat itself.
See all our floor lamps, pendant lights, wall lights and table lamps.
