The Best Places to Use Lamps in Home Décor
When creating your dream home, you want to create a space with beautiful natural light. At night however, you need some different options beyond the typical track lighting. When thinking of the different types of lighting you might use in your home, don’t forget lamps. Lamplight provides a soft glow that creates pools of illumination throughout the house. When it comes to interior design, lamplit space feels cozier and more intimate than bright overhead lights like chandeliers or recessed ceiling lights and lamps provide wonderful mood lighting in the evening when it's pleasant to turn the lights low. Decorating your home with lamps can provide accent lighting, reading lights, and task lights while creating a relaxing ambiance from room to room.
In every home, there is a perfect balance for lamp placement to create ambient lighting. At least one lamp in each room allows you to turn off the overhead lights and navigate by lamplight, while lamps at specific locations around the house can allow your family to turn on lights only when a favorite area is in use. Today, we're exploring the best places to use lamps in home décor and where to place different light sources to enhance your home's evening lightscape. Using smart light bulbs in the lamps allow different lumens, dimmable light, and even colors of light to be used with the ease of an app.
Table Lamps, Floor Lamps, and Wall Lamps
First, let's talk about the three different types of lamps for your living space. Table lamps are probably what you imagine when you envision a "Lamp". These portable light fixtures consist of a short pedestal or neck, a bulb, and a lamp shade. They sit on tables, counters, and shelves.
Floor lamps are tall lamps that sit on the floor and extend from shoulder to near-ceiling height, depending on the design. Floor lamps are useful in very specific spaces, often where a side table might not fit.
Wall lamps are a variation of sconce lighting that favors a traditional shade or oil lamp design. They fit best in tight spaces, outdoors, and along high-traffic areas.
Place Table Lamps Near Seating Areas
When coming up with design ideas, the most traditional lamp placement is near seating areas. It is custom to put a lamp on either side of a couch, next to an armchair or rocking chair, and at intervals around a conversation circle of seating. This allows each person in your circle to decide if they want a light over their shoulder, and often to control how bright that light is.
Table lamps near seating areas combine the convenience of a nearby surface for drinks and personal items with the clarity of nearby illumination. These lamps become reading lamps and soft lighting for evening conversations, and provide layers of light in a versatile space.
Place a Reading Lamp in Your Bedroom
The best place for a lamp in your bedroom is by the bed or near a large, comfortable chair to act as your reading light. Many people find that reading before bed or in the quiet privacy of their bedroom is relaxing. Bedside lamps are traditionally table lamps or, sometimes, wall lights. Reading lamps beside a chair can be a table lamp or a floor lamp nestled into a corner casting a pool of light over the chair.
A bedroom lamp also allows you to provide a small amount of light without switching on the overhead bright lighting, which can be safer and more soothing for midnight shuffles and early morning moments.
Use Lamps to Create Living Room Focal Points
In the living room, it is common to use flush mount lights or wall sconces, but you might want to consider some lamps and use them to create focal points. A lamp combined with overhead lighting gently draws attention to a decorated space and beckons people to sit in comfortable chairs. For other living room lighting ideas, you might combine a lamp with a favorite piece of tabletop décor, casting clearer light and creating a small scene on the table surface, or you can use a light to draw attention to a beautifully decorated corner of the room.
Place a Desk Lamp Anywhere Work is Done
Desk lamps become task lights for any area used as a desk. This includes designated home offices, desks in personal bedrooms, and the end of the island or dining table where homework and paperwork are often done. Placing a desk lamp stakes out that space and makes the work done there more official. It creates a place for paperwork and ensures there's an outlet for laptop and phone charging. A desk lamp can also help to create a focused space where it's easier to narrow down your attention in that dedicated pool of light.
Light Up Shadowy Corners with Accent Lamps
Many homes are designed with dark corners and small spaces created by an odd combination of overhead lights, architecture, and furniture. Few homes start with a perfect layout for lighting design, and lamps are wonderful at filling in the shadowy gaps between illuminated spaces. If your home has areas that are always cast in shadow, consider what lamps might work best.
A side table and table lamp can claim a shadowy space and give it a purpose. More narrow and awkward spaces might provide the perfect spot for an artful floor lamp.
Place a Lamp on Either End of a Sidebar
Do you have a long, narrow piece of furniture that poses a challenge to decorate? A runner cloth and small décor look good in the center, but sidebars and other similar items look great with matching table lamps on either end. It’s a great décor idea to use these lamps to help frame your sidebar, giving it a sense of balance, symmetry, and purpose in the room while also providing a little extra illumination to the space.
Put a Lamp Table at the End of a Long Hallway
Homes with multiple bedrooms are often designed with a long interior hallway separating rooms that face the outside of the house. While this ensures there's a window in each bedroom, it can leave the hallway itself feeling enclosed and gloomy. Lamplight is a great remedy for the décor challenges of a long and narrow hallway.
Wall lamps can provide some cheer and extra light along the length of the hall, while a table lamp at the end of the hall can make the whole space feel more welcoming and conclusive. You can also use lamps in your entryway hall.
Place Wall Lamps Along the Patio and Front Porch
You can even enjoy soft pools of lamplight outdoors. When thinking of outdoor lighting, it's typically impractical to take standing lights outside, so wall lamps are a popular choice for making both patios and front porches feel more cozy and inviting. Here, you'll want to match the exterior style of your home with the lamp style to create just the right effect.
Try Lamplight on the Kitchen Island
Kitchen lights are traditionally brilliant. They have to be to light up your cooking tasks and help you clean every corner. But your kitchen doesn't need to be awash with bright chandelier or pendant light all the time. A lamp on the kitchen island or peninsula can make your kitchen a more relaxing place in the early morning and evening when cooking may not be your top priority. A soothing cup of tea, a family conversation, or evening activities are more enjoyable in lamplight.
Find the Right Light Solutions for Your Home with Urban Ambiance
Every home is suited for unique lighting options. The best place for lamps in your living room, dining room, and throughout the house are where they suit your general lighting needs and your personal sense of style. When you are thinking about the best lighting for your home, Urban Ambiance can help you choose the right lighting solutions for every space in your home. Contact us today to learn more.
