Lighting your living room well will mean that you should be able to create different moods from the various light conditions. When most living spaces are put together, the lighting design can be a bit of an afterthought.

Vertical Washes.

Wall fittings are often at eye level, so you don’t want all the light of the bulb bursting across the room, catching your attention. Instead, wall mounted lights should throw their light backwards, creating a wash. With many wash type fittings the light is thrown in one direction only, but for a modern look go for one that projects in two directions.

A vertical wash is created by the fitting allowing light to escape both upwards and downwards, some times with two bulbs. If the light thrown upwards bounces on the room’s ceiling, then so much the better. A little sideways thrown light can help add to the vertical wash look, too.

Lanterns And Lamps.

Lanterns and lamps are the traditional fitting you might think of for wall mounting. However, there is little that is old fashioned about them. Lanterns often diffuse their light with bevelled glazing, which creates a bit of a glamorous sparkle.

A row of four simply designed lamps, spaced at equal distance to one another, can create an architectural feel. And a single wall mounted lamp can do the same job, especially if it creates a wash against a darker wall treatment. For a funky look, go for some angle poise lamps that are fixed to the wall, rather than mounted on a desk.

Visual Impact.

Wall lighting should not be the poor relation to ceiling lighting, when it comes to creating a visual impact. A lighting design can look just as good if the walls of a living room are used, instead of the ceiling. A series of wall mounted lighting boxes, arranged around a television, or a contemporary fireplace, is another good option which offers impact.

A single light box has the same effect in the corner of a living room. And there are plenty of wall mounted fittings that double as shelving units worth checking out, too.

Spot Lighting.

Spots are not just for ceilings! Recess them in an uneven wall surface, or a false wall, to create downward flowing washes. A good tip is to be able to turn some of them on at a time, rather than all together, as this allows more flexibility to adjust the look, depending on the time of day or mood you want to create. Wall mounted rack lighting is another good approach to take, particularly if you want to draw attention to features in your living room, such as wall hung art.

The Invisible Wash.

If your living room has a false ceiling, a good idea is to create a wall wash from behind it, so that you don’t have to see the source of the light. Point your fittings from behind the ceiling onto the wall with the light wash running downwards. There are low profile wall mounted fitting that will achieve a similar effect, too, if that is not practical.

Picture sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11.