How to use lighting to make a sitting room sing - here are five examples from the interior design stars of instagram…
Lighting can transform spaces in more ways than one. The way you use and layer light creates moods and atmospheres. You can use lighting to mark out different zones within a space. And then there’s the colour and texture you can introduce with shades and with different materials and styles of lamp.
Here are five real-life examples of how sitting room lighting can transform a living space, from some top UK interior designers and renovators...
1. Create wow factor in the sitting room with a statement pendant light
The main ambient light in a sitting room usually comes from a pendant light or chandelier. With so many different styles available (and now affordable), the main ceiling light is a real opportunity to stamp your personal design aesthetic on the space - and why not do something spectacular?
As well as providing plenty of lovely lumens, a large pendant light can be a focal point in a sitting room, drawing the eye as you enter the room and tying everything together - as is the case with this use of Pooky's two-tiered Loki chandelier by very talented home renovators Ali and Jon of @sashandstone.
2. Use table lamps to introduce colour and texture in a sitting room
Photo: Verity Coleman
As well as providing a lovely layer of warm, atmospheric lighting in a sitting room, well-chosen table lamps can also bring a pop of colour and texture (whether they’re on or not!)
In this room interior designer Verity Coleman (@rascalandroses) has featured our classic Artur table lamp in turquoise crackle glaze together with a vivid pink straight empire lampshade, creating a striking pairing which provides drama and contrast against the neutral backdrop of the sitting room.
(Find out more about Verity and her work in our Q&A here.)
3. Create a reading nook with a floor lamp
Photo: Carlos Garcia
Floor lamps add height and elegance to rooms space, and they’re also great for dividing spaces up and creating different zones - such a reading nook. You can make these super 'cosy corner' with soft materials and a fabric lampshade, or go for something cooler, like this room by Carlos Garcia featuring Pooky's Galore floor lamp.
For more ideas, see How to create (and light) the perfect reading nook.
4. Pair your lighting for sitting room symmetry 
Pairing your lighting can create a lovely sense of balance and symmetry in a living room. A pair of stylish wall lights, table lamps or floor lamps placed on either side of a fireplace or a sofa makes a beautiful focal point.
Here, renovation king Greg Penn (aka Instagram star @Manwithahammer) uses a pair of pink block printed cotton lampshades to frame the fireplace. The paired lamps work in harmony with the matching pictures and the twin sofas, to create a sense of perfect symmetry.
Find out more about Greg’s adventures in his magnificent Georgian house here. and see more ideas for pairing table lamps here.
5. Change up your lampshades for a quick room transformation
Photo: Sean Symington
Lampshades are an easy, effective (and affordable) way of quickly styling up a sitting room. As well as complementing an existing design theme, they can also be a way of introducing bold new colours, patterns, materials and textures.
Here, interior designer Sean Symington has chosen our striking Berries ikat lampshade with its vibrant ‘egg and spoon’ design, which fits brilliantly alongside the reds, blues and greens of the furnishings and accessories – while still hogging plenty of limelight for itself.
Feeling inspired? Browse our astonishingly varied lampshade range to find something to make your sitting room sing!
Have a lazy wander through Pooky's range of sitting room lighting here.
See also:
Pairing table lamps: why, where and how to use matching table lights
