12 smart tips on improving the lighting in a cozy room

When you change the lighting in the room, its interior starts to look new and unusual. Here are a few tips on how to use the light to make the premise look cozier.

If you want to change something about the interior of your room, you do not need to buy new wallpapers or throw away the old furniture. The easiest and the most budget-friendly way out would be to change the lighting. You can either add more light to the room, or reduce the intensity of the light, or change its color. Thanks to this detail, the vibes of the premise might change drastically. In this article, you will find smart ideas on what to do with the lighting in your room to achieve the most impressive result.

Buy Multiple Sources of Light

It is not enough to have just one source of light. If you always use only ceiling lighting, the room might look too formal and soulless. Fluorescent in-built lighting is probably the worst option for a cozy bedroom. Buy a couple of floor or table lamps. Consider placing multiple light-diffusing shaded ones at varying levels (floor, table and shelves, for instance).

Professional designers single out three types of lighting: overhead, accent and task. Overhead is obvious. Task light is what you use in your reading nook and on your desk. Accent light is used, for instance, to highlight art. When you have at least 2 types of light in the room, you can switch between them to change the atmosphere. Ideally, you should be able to play with the additional lighting — for example, switch only half of the light-diffusing shaded lamps.

Let Different Sources of Light Complement Each Other

The contrast between light and darker places is essential for creating a cozy atmosphere. When you switch on additional sources of light, they should leave some attractive darkness in the premise.

If you have decorative modern lighting overhead, let the additional lamps look more minimalistic. But if the lamp on your ceiling is purely functional, then you might want to purchase floor and desk lamps with more creative designs.

Consider the Room’s Orientation

If the windows face north, the room might suffer from the lack of direct sunlight. In this case, it needs more artificial light. For instance, you can hang a chandelier in the center of the ceiling, put a sconce on each side of the picture on the wall and put a table lamp in the dark corner.

Light Up the Corners

To fill in a large dark empty corner, buy an oversized floor lamp. Its color and materials should nicely fit this corner. This item should not become a contrasting accent. In the daytime, it should look attractive enough and make a statement.

Install a Set of Sconces

Some people discard scones because they think they need to be hardwired. But in fact, there are plenty of scones on sale that you can simply plug in. These are just a few places where you can put this type of lighting.

• Over a mantle
• On each side of the door
• Above the bed or sofa

Their light needs to be soft and not too bright.

Let the Lighting Double as a Piece of Art

You can purchase a lamp that looks like an art installation and hang it on the wall. Alternatively, it might be a picture that partly lights up when you plug it in. Otherwise, you can buy a table lamp that looks like a cat, a cactus, a female head or whatever.

Light Candles

They add magic and character to the room. Put them on a coffee table, on a shelf or on the mantelpiece. Make sure that the fire cannot accidentally heat something that would burn, melt or crack. If you are a bit nervous about fire in the room, opt for flameless candles.

Change the Lightbulb

If you have a warm white one, try to replace it with a cool white one or vice versa. On the box of the lightbulb, you will see its Kelvin temperature. The bulbs with a warm golden glow have 2,700 Kelvins or less. They are ideal for bedrooms and relaxation areas. White light is optimal for home offices.

Some people would buy cold white lightbulbs for their bedrooms because the color palette of the premise is cold. Psychologists warn them against this mistake. Blue and white light colors promote alertness and suppress the production of melatonin. Melatonin is known as the sleep hormone. Yellow light, on the contrary, does not interfere with melatonin production.

Install Dimmer Switches

They are compatible with most types of incandescent or halogen bulbs. You will be able to modify the level of brightness of your lamps without purchasing any extra sources of light.

Hang String Lights

This might be a spot-on solution for a teenager’s bedroom but not the room of an adult person. However, you might want to enjoy it in December and January. Put one strand inside a glass lantern or line a shelf with string lights.

Consider Colored Light

This solution will not fit just any random interior. But if the room is not too minimalistic and features bright colorful accents, such an approach should work. Even if the colored lamp is bright, you should not use it as task lighting. When you want to read, you should switch on a standard lamp.

Create a Fireplace

Even if you live in a compact apartment, you can install a small flameless fireplace. It will look stunning — but only as long as the fire burns. When there is no fire, this decor item might look empty and cold. In summer or in the daytime, you might want to close the fireplace with decorative screens.

Final Thoughts

Light is largely responsible for creating the atmosphere in the room. The only place where the lighting needs to be purely functional is the kitchen. If you want to make the premise cozier, consider changing the color of the lightbulbs, installing dimmer switches and using candles. Ideally, there should be several sources of light in the room. The contrast between the well-lit and darker spots will add a unique charm to the premise.