Best Lighting in the Living Room?

We've been battling back and forth with installing recessed lights in our home. On one hand, it would certainly update the look (so streamlined!), but on the other hand we're having a hard time letting go of the cozier look and feel of lamps. But before any blood was shed, our budget made the decision for us: at roughly $100 a pop, it would cost us a pretty penny to put recessed lights throughout our home.

We've been skimming through catalogues, Craigslist, and eBay to find some lamps, but there's a lot of choices out there: floor lamp, task lamp, torch lamp, reading lamp, table lamp, etc etc. You get the idea. So what's the best combination of lighting to have in the living room? We found this article over at House of Lights that gives a little guidance on the topic:

"When designing a lighting plan for a living room or family room, you need to consider the variety of activities that occur there. You'll want to include general lighting for entertaining and watching television, task lighting for reading or sewing, and accent lighting for artwork, plants, and interesting architectural features. Dimming controls are ideal for the living room because they allow you to design the lighting to suit each mood and activity."

[ Guide from House of Lights ]

Comments (2)

I think you made a wise choice. Recessed lighting has ot be designed. Each pot is put in a particular place for a particular purpose. They work in places where the structure in not going to move. A kitchen or bathroom for example, nearly everything is fixed so they work well. I find lamps much more flexible in other rooms where you may rearrange the furniture, or move the art, or get a different shape of table. Just my 2cents.

posted by quiltmaster on June 9th 2008 at 1:05pm
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i'm having some remodeling done & my electrician told me that recessed lighting can also be a pain in the butt to install. (that might just be in older homes, i'm not sure.) agree w/quiltmaster that flexibility is an important consideration for me.

i've read through several of those lighting web sites & end up completely confused. i walked through with my electrician and he gave me options for the different areas. that was much more helpful.

posted by loislane on June 11th 2008 at 8:24am
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