The room-by-room guide to a quick, affordable interiors transformation using just lighting...
In the age of Instagram and Pinterest and the great, glorious stream of interior design trends, you wouldn’t be blamed if you sometimes feel like your home is rather lagging behind. But before you dive into an entire design overhaul, simply switching up your lighting is one of the most effective ways to create a new vibe and freshen things up.
A clever new fixture here and a quirky pattern change there can create a brand new design sensibility in a way that's quick, simple, and relatively easy on the wallet (and a whole heap of fun too).
Here are just a few ways you can turn some of your spaces from stagnant to spectacular with nothing just a ray of new light...
1. Entrance hall: Go big and bold
Entrance hall by My-Studio with Bulbus pendant; Holophane chandelier
Your entrance hall gives the first impression of your home so naturally when you’re looking to revive the space you want to make the right kind of statement.
So why not go big? Bold centrepieces, particularly for taller ceilings, are a wonderful choice when upgrading the wow factor in any room, but especially your entrance hall.
Offering oodles of practical light, as well as a show stopping focal point, what could be more sumptuous than a chandelier or dazzling hall pendant inviting you through the front door?
Hang a few mirrors across one wall too, or perhaps find a single larger mirror to put at the end of your entrance hall, and your light can also then bounce around the room, opening up the space and feeling brighter and bigger than it actually is.
For more ideas on lighting your entrance hall, read our expert guide here.
2. Sitting room: Make use of floor lamps
Columbari standing lamp
If you’re in the mood to redesign your sitting room, mixing in a new floor lamp or two could be all that the décor doctor ordered: they’re the unsung heroes of the lighting scheme. In fact, floor lamps are your interior design secret weapon.
Adding height and elegance, they do a splendid job of illuminating the room at eye-level, complementing ceiling or table lamps and allowing you to create different moods.
They can be real showstoppers in their own right, adding personality and a bold statement - but they’re super-versatile. You can pick up and plonk them anywhere, and you can change up the shades to give the room an instant visual transformation.
3. Kitchen: Hang pendants over your kitchen island
Beehive pendant in hammered brass - Unfortunately the Beehive pendants are no longer available, but please take a look at our extensive range of pendant lights here
The kitchen is the heartbeat of most homes; a multifunctional hub in which you can cook, work, relax and entertain. It’s both a practical and personal space so the simple addition of a useful yet stylish light can have a remarkable effect on how you feel about your kitchen and your home generally.
So if you have a kitchen island, invest in a suitable pendant that will make you happy. You may even want to try more than one; pendants can be especially fabulous in clusters or rows, and using odd numbers – three, or perhaps even five little ones – will help you create a beautiful, balanced look.
Have a read of our guide to lighting a kitchen island for more inspiration.
And if you don’t have an island, there’s still plenty more you can do. Read our guide to lighting a kitchen effectively and beautifully here.
4. Dining space: Lower your lighting
Pentabulous chandelier in antique brass for five shades
When lighting the dining room the trick is to create an exclusive, intimate atmosphere around the table – all the better to delight family and friends.
And what’s the secret to this? Swap your high ceiling fixture for a longer hanging pendant, or maybe three or five, directly over your table. With your light’s new vantage point, it can wonderfully create a warm, flattering glow around your guests and the rest of the room can recede.
Read more tips for lighting a dining room here.
5. Bedroom: Mix and match the bedside lamps
Sweetie table lamp in coloured glass
You certainly don’t need to do a lot to make a punchy impact in your bedroom and updating your bedside lamps is possibly the easiest way to revive the space.
Now you could go for a restful, zen-like calm… Or you could try a wallop of colour, a flamboyant pattern, an unusual new material (resin table lamp, anyone?). And whether you decide to get two-of-a-kind or two one-of-a-kinds, in the privacy of this room there are no rules so you can really have some fun embracing all sorts of weird and wonderful design ideas that you might not dare to display downstairs!
Have a look at our unusual table lamps to see if one catches your eye.
6. Bathroom: Soften the glow with wall lights
Long Roddy ip44 wall light in brass with glass rods
Bathroom lighting is generally very functional but there is certainly room to embrace more gentle ambient lighting too, for the moments when we aren’t purely in shaving or make-up mode.
Wall lights can really change the mood of your bathroom. With their sense of warmth and intimacy, together with a more indirect light they have the ability to create a soft luxurious glow that is perfect when unwinding amongst the bubbles in your tub.
Not all wall lights are suitable for the bathroom though, so make sure you have a look at our approved IP44-rated collection here – an array of rather charming fixtures perfectly safe to fit near water.
And for more on IP44-rated bathroom lighting read our expert safety guide here.
Pooky makes beautiful, affordable design lighting for beautiful rooms. Browse our collection of lamps, lamp shades and mirrors here.
