How to Choose the Right Lighting Fixtures to Enhance Your Decor

How to Choose the Right Lighting Fixtures – Proper Lighting Can Enhance a Room’s Decor!

Choosing lighting fixtures for your home can be intimidating, but it doesn’t have to be. Find out how to choose the right lighting fixtures that will help enhance your home’s decor.

Did you know that the proper lighting can make your room look bigger (or smaller) than what it really is? Lighting can also enhance your home decor in other amazing ways as well. On the other hand poor lighting can actually make your home look tacky.

If you’re looking for some simple lighting fixtures that can bring a positive change to your room, you’ll get some great ideas to implement here!

3 Basic Types of Lighting

Lighting fixtures have been compared to being the jewelry of your home and in many ways that comparison is apt. The right lighting fixtures and lighting can help brighten dark rooms as well as complete your home’s décor in a subtle but very important way.

The type of lighting you need in each room of your home will determine to a certain degree the type of fixture you will need to get that type of lighting. There are basically 3 types of lighting.

Ambient Lighting

Ambient lighting is a type of softer lighting the purpose of which is to provide general lighting to a room or area of your home.

Also, ambient lighting is used in every room of the home and is the based layer over which other types of lighting is layered. Track and recessed lighting are two popular types of ambient lighting fixtures.

Task Lighting

Task lighting is area lighting that focuses a brighter light in a specific area and is geared to one or two specific tasks such as reading, writing, food preparation, or applying make-up. Popular lighting fixtures for task lighting include desk lamps, under the cabinet lamps, and those lights that are around and over make-up mirrors and vanity tables.

Accent Lighting

Accent lighting is a type of decorative lighting that is used for a variety of different purposes like to highlight art work, or light up a small alcove that contains statuettes, to create a mood or that are simply designed to draw attention to themselves such stairway recessed lighting and plinth lighting. Chandeliers are also a type of accent lighting.

Types of Lighting Fixture Material

Lighting fixtures are made from a number of different materials including glass, plastic, aluminium, ceramic, wrought iron, steel, fiber, wood and other materials.

The style of your home’s décor will determine the type of materials that the light fixtures you choose are made up of.

Various Types of Lighting Fixtures and Where to Use Them to Enhance Your Decor

Here is a look at various types of lighting fixtures for your home.

Pendant Lights

Pendant lights hang from the ceiling by one more chains, cords or wires. A Chandelier is considered to be a type of pendant lighting, but there are many other types as well. In most cases, pendant lights work in rooms with high ceilings.

Although pendant lights can be used in rooms with lower ceilings if the lights are placed in a place where people won’t be walking through, such as at the head of a bed.

Globe Electric 64413 Amaris 1-Light Plug-In Pendant, Brushed Steel with Frosted White Shade Truelite Industrial Metal Spherical Pendant Displays Changeable Hanging Lighting Fixture

Wall Sconce

A wall sconce is a light fitting that hangs on the wall and the wall is the lights only support. In most cases, the light from a wall sconce is directed upwards although you can find down lights as well as both up and down lights in wall sconces.

Wall sconces normally are used for accent lighting although if you have brighter light bulbs on either side of your bathroom mirror the sconces can be used for task lighting.

Stone & Beam Jordan Industrial Farmhouse Indoor Wall Mount Cage Sconce Fixture With Light Bulb – 5.5 x 74.75 x 11 Inches Stone & Beam Modern Metal Wall Mount Sconce Fixture With Light Bulb And Glass Shade – 16 x 8 x 10 Inches, Brushed Brass

Recessed Lighting

Recessed lighting is lights that the majority of the light fixture is recessed into the ceiling, the wall or the floor. Recessed lights are used for ambient lighting normally in a kitchen or a bathroom.

They can also be used as wall lighting usually at a low level or in stair steps to light you light up your staircase, under cabinets, or in the kickboards of your kitchen cabinets (known as plinth lighting.)

6 inch Ultra-Thin Led Recessed Lights 5000K Daylight Dimmable Ceiling Light Downlight with Junction Box 4″ LED Pot Light by Liteline – Flexible Gimbal Fixture for Wet Location – Elegant Design – Dimmable & Directional Lighting

Table and Floor Lamps

Table and floor lamps are free standing lights ( lights that are not hard wired into your electric main) Floor lamps are usually lamps that sit on the floor on a long pole type fixture usually behind a chair to provide task lighting for reading or crafts such as knitting, sewing, or crocheting.

Table lamps are those lamps normally placed on end tables next to your living room sofa, or on a stand between a couple of chairs. Table lights may also be used on a table next to a wall or on your bedside tables.

Elegant Designs LT1025-BLK Genuine Leather Table Lamp, 10 Henn&Hart FL0014 Modern Farmhouse seeded Task Lamp, One Size Black Simple Designs Home Etagere Organizer Storage Shelf Linen Shade Floor Lamp

Track Lighting

Track lighting can either be used on the ceiling or on the wall and consists of a track that is hard wired into your electric main. Light heads are then placed into the tracks.

Track lights are great due to the fact that the light heads can be adjusted closer together or further apart depending on where you need or want the most light. The tracks on track lighting can normally be placed in different designs.

Track lighting often works well over kitchen islands or even breakfast nooks.

Globe Electric 58932 Payton 4-Light Track Lighting Kit, Silver

Tips for Choosing the Right Style of Lighting to Match Your Overall Decor

The key to enhancing your décor with lighting fixtures is choosing those fixtures that actually go with your overall décor. Here are a few tips for choosing light fixtures that go with different decors.

Country Decor

Rustic decors are going to need those old fashioned lighting fixtures. Choose simple wooden chandeliers and table lights or with those wall sconces and other lighting type fixtures that are made from tin.

Ceramic table lights with old fashioned designs will also work well with that country décor.

DOCHEER Vintage Distressed Metal Wood Chandelier 1-Light Retro Iron Wooden Chandeliers Light Fixtures Hanging Lamp Westinghouse Lighting 6333600 Stella Mira Six-Light Indoor Chandelier, Barnwood and Oil Rubbed Bronze Finish

Ultra Modern Decor

Modern décor and ultra modern décor is the place where recessed lighting can really add to the look of your home. Other lights made out of glass, plastic and even aluminum and various types of fiber work well as well.

Modern lighting should chic and minimalistic. Lamps should have simple shapes and can be either black and white or use bright colors.

LALUZ 8-Light Rust Kitchen Island Lighting Transitional Chandelier, 26.4 LightInTheBox 90W Pendant Light Modern Design LED Three Rings Chandeliers

Sophisticated and Elegant

If you have a sophisticated and elegant home, this is the place where your lighting can really make your home shine. A sophisticated home décor is the perfect background for that recessed ceiling lighting, staircase lighting, that glass chandelier that gleams and sparkles and gold coated wall sconces.

Saint Mossi Modern Elegant K9 Crystal Glass Chandelier Pendant Lighting Fixture – 5 Lights Palladium Empress Crystal ™ Glass Fringe 3-Tier Flush Chandelier Light Chrome Finish H 17.5

Art Deco Decor

There are still a lot of homes that are decorated in that timeless art deco style. This type of décor is perfect for those lighting options that come in geometric shapes. Table lights for an art décor décor can be cube shaped and fun.

Art deco chandeliers are normally beautiful and real conversation pieces. Art Deco pendant lights can be both fun and colorful.

Cube Chandelier, 6-Light ANJIADENGSHI Lantern Pendant Light

Outdoor Lighting For Your Home

While it is important to have the right indoor lighting to enhance your home’s décor knowing how to use that outdoor lighting to enhance the overall look of your home is as important as well.

Outdoor lighting can be used along your driveway or walkway to create a warm welcome for guests visiting your home after dusk while outdoor spotlights can showcase your home’s special features or make your outdoor living space more useful.

It can also be great for highlighting water features, statues and your beautiful garden.

Designers Fountain 1161-BK Value Collection Wall Lanterns, Black LITOM 12 LED Solar Landscape Spotlights, Waterproof Solar Powered Wall Lights

Final Thoughts on Choosing Lighting Fixtures

The key to using lighting fixtures to enhance your décor is to determine what type of lighting you need to meet your needs and then to keep your lighting choices to those that actually go with your home’s décor. And don’t forget to enhance the outdoors of your home with some small touches of light here and there.