Lighting is an often overlooked design element in the home. You can have amazing furniture, rugs, and artwork, but if your lighting is not good it can ruin the entire mood of your home. Lighting can also help a small room look cozy instead of cramped, and can help a large room feel less cavern-like. Combined with the windows in your home, lighting can help your home look great all day long, through the day and into the evening. Every room in your home can benefit from great lighting, so let’s explore how the right lighting can impact every room in your house. If you are looking for some new lamps to illuminate your home, or any other new furniture, Horizon Home Furniture in Atlanta has what you need!
Bedroom
If you have ever had a bedroom with only an overhead light, you know the impracticality of that configuration. Lying in bed and reading is not peaceful with a bright overhead light, and when it is time to turn off the lights, it is not fun to have to get up and flip the switch. Lamps are incredibly useful in the bedroom, especially on a bedside table. Lights flanking your bed can make the room seem incredibly cozy, and are so easy to turn off once you are ready to sleep. They also create a peaceful, relaxing mood that is perfect before bed.Lights in the closet are also very important in a bedroom. If you have a walk-in closet, they are essential, but even in a regular-sized closet, lighting can really make a difference. Finding the clothes you need is made easier with good lighting. Even with specific lights for the closet and by your bed, a good overhead light is also important. Consider a beautiful fixture that will really complement the style of your bedroom. A small chandelier, or other unique ceiling light, can add drama to any bedroom. If your bedroom is lacking in the lighting department, stop by Horizon Home Furniture to find the perfect lamp to illuminate your space. While you’re there you might just find the perfect bed or dresser as well!
Living Room
The living room can be host to a whole range of activities, from family game night, to watching a great movie, to relaxing with your book club. Your lighting should be able to handle all of these situations, and you need a variety of lighting options to accomplish that. While watching TV, a darkened room is great, but other activities will require better lighting. Just like the bedroom, one measly overhead light in the living room is not going to be enough. Using lamps around the living room add in warm light, and can illuminate areas where you might want to curl up with a book or magazine. Lighting can also be incorporated above bookcases, to illuminate the ceiling and make the room appear taller, or on individual pieces of artwork to really make them stand out. Most living rooms are large enough that it is convenient if there are light switches on multiple walls; so you always can turn the lights on or off regardless of where in the house you are coming from. An arc lamp provides great overhead lighting while adding unique style to your living room, and can help define a conversational area. Check out Horizon Home Furniture for your living room lighting solutions, and don’t be surprised if you find a new sofa you need as well.
Dining Room
Dining rooms can quickly become shadowy and uninviting, so use lighting to help illuminate evenly and cast a warm glow that diners will be glad to bask in. Buffets can be used to hold lamps, and corners could be illuminated by small lights that project upward. A dining room is a great place for a dimmable ceiling light, to allow you to change the mood with the flick of a switch. You may want a brighter light for a kid’s birthday party, or a more intimate glow for a small dinner party. A dining room is another great place to use a really unique and showstopping ceiling fixture. Because the dining room table usually takes up the majority of the middle of the room, a larger, low-hanging pendant or chandelier can be used without the fear of someone bumping into it. If you also are in need of a dining room table, Horizon Home Furniture has you covered! Your dining room should be a place to gather, eat, and relax!
Office
You office is a place where you may need good lighting for reading, writing, or working at a computer. If you are working on a screen during a large part of the day, you don’t want there to be a glare from lighting. Any task lighting used on your computer desk should not be pointed directly at your screen, but having another light source besides your screen will make the room seem more cheerful and inviting. Having a good overhead light is great for any detailed work you may be doing, but a cozy lamp by a comfy chair is also great if you are often making phone calls. Consider what you use your office for, and plan the lighting in the room accordingly.
Entryway
When you first enter a home, you want enough lighting to be able to remove shoes, jackets, and bags, but not so bright that it seems cold or sterile. An overhead light is usually the best option in an entryway, as there may not be many places for a lamp. If you do have a console table in your entryway, a lamp can provide a warm glow that welcomes people into your home. An entryway can also showcase a great piece of art, and lighting can illuminate it and draw in the eye. This is also a great choice for a hallway! If you need a new lamp, or a great console table for your entryway, head to Horizon Home Furniture!
Kitchens
Kitchens need a wide variety of lighting, from overhead, to task lighting, and accent lighting. The kitchen is where you spend a large amount of time, and cooking and baking both require adequate illumination. A kitchen is an often overlooked spot for a small lamp, but one placed in a corner, or on an island peninsula, can add in a great glow that makes your kitchen look even better. Under counter lighting, over counter lighting, and even lighting at the base of your cabinets, can all create a warm and welcoming glow in your kitchen. If you have an island, you have a great chance to use a dramatic pendant light overhead!
Bathroom
The bathroom is an often overlooked room for lighting, but it is very important! Not only do you need lighting that will make showering and bathing easy, you also need lighting around a mirror that will help illuminate the face. Bathrooms have a tendency to be stark and sterile feeling, so use a warm bulb to help add in some coziness to your bathroom. A bathroom can be a great place to add in a pendant over the sink, or even a lamp on a side table. If you have a large enough bathroom, you will need to consider light sources that can illuminate every corner of the room.As you can see, lighting plays a huge role in the design and beauty of a home. If you are thinking of adding in some lamps to your home decor, Horizon Home Furniture in Atlanta is the place to go! Our huge warehouse has discounted prices on everything from sectional sofas to live edge furniture, with new items coming in daily. If you want to find truly unique items that will make your house a home, come see why Horizon Home Furniture has been rated one of Atlanta’s top furniture stores!
If your living room feels cramped, dark or crowded, you may not need to knock out a wall just yet. Hold the sledgehammer, and try some of these tricks that can make your room seem larger, and give you more usable space. The right furniture pieces can transform a crowded living room into an airy, open space. And Horizon Home Furniture in Atlanta can help. As a top provider of intermediate to high end furniture at outlet prices, Horizon has remained one of Atlanta’s top furniture sources for designers and home-owners for over 16 years. Visit our 40,000 square foot showroom/warehouse in Atlanta’s Design District and let us become your source for designer furniture brands at unbeatable prices (we are often below wholesale, and typically 15-35% lower than the lowest internet prices). See for yourself why we were named one of the “Best Furniture Stores in Atlanta 2017â€.
How to Easily Identify the Right Size Furniture
If your gigantic sofa is dwarfing the rest of your living room, it may be time to reconsider the scale of your furniture. There are plenty of other options for living room furniture, such as a smaller scale sofa, a loveseat, or several comfortable, coordinating chairs. Don’t feel you must have a large sofa in your living room to provide seating and style. Conversely, having too many small furniture pieces can make a space feel cluttered and messy. It’s always best to optimize space by first starting with a floor plan. Horizon Home Furniture can help you with that very easily and has a great selection of attractive and comfortable sofas and chairs, so you are sure to find something perfect for your small living room. Ask about some of our favorite picks for the Tiny Homes community we are furnishing in Tallahassee.
Consider a Neutral Palette
If your walls are dark, consider painting them a light, neutral color to open up your living room and make it visually larger. Coordinating your furniture with the walls, and keeping everything in a light, neutral palette, can help keep the eye moving around your living room and give the illusion of more space. When you use neutral furniture pieces, you can go more daring with the accessories and art!
Use Mirrors
Mirrors really can make a big difference in a small living room. Many designers adhere to the mantra that every room needs a mirror. This especially rings true in a small space. A mirror across from a window can bounce the natural light around the room and brighten up everything. A large mirror also gives the illusion of more space, visually opening up your living room and making it appear larger. Mirrors are easy to install, inexpensive, and have a great visual impact.
Visually Light Furniture
No matter the size of your furniture, avoiding skirted, low to the ground pieces can open up a small living room. Sofas and tables that sit on thin legs (midcentury styles are great for this!) make a small crowded room seem bigger. At Horizon Home Furniture, we have a huge selection of sofas, tables, benches and chairs that can visually lighten up your living room.
Versatile Furniture
If your living room is really small, you will want each of your furniture pieces to be extremely hardworking. Hidden storage in a bench or coffee table gives access to blankets or TV remotes. A pouf can double as seating or a small side table. A console table is a great option for a surface to put mail, and can also serve as a small desk. Use your imagination to get the most out of each living room furniture piece you choose. Visit our Facebook page to keep updated on our Tiny House reveals.
Draw the Eye Upward
Hanging your curtains near the ceiling, painting trim the same color as walls, and painting the ceiling a contrasting color, or installing floor to ceiling bookshelves, can all help draw the eye upward and open up the space. If a living room is small, utilizing the full ceiling height can help make the space seem larger.
“Float†Your Furniture
Pulling your furniture away from the walls, and floating it somewhere in the center can open up a small living room. Instead of crowding all of the furniture along the edges, and leaving space in the middle, floating your furniture gives more space at the edges of your room, and can create more visual and usable space. Try out different furniture arrangements (again, doing this on paper or letting our in-house designers help you with this - all at no charge) will help you see what configuration gives the most space.
In any case, don’t despair! There is no need to completely remodel, when choosing the right furniture and arrangement can have such a big impact. Visit Horizon Home Furniture in Atlanta to shop our amazing selection of living room furniture, and furniture for your entire home. With our designer brands, huge selection, and outlet prices, you are sure to find the perfect pieces to open your living room up today!
