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Best ways to light up a room


9 Lighting Ideas For Rooms Without Ceiling Lights – BlissLights

If a room in your house has no overhead lights, you might think that you’ll never be able to properly light it. That couldn’t be further from the truth – with lights designed for rooms without ceiling lights, you can completely reinvent your room’s aesthetic and have more control over its mood and decoration. The nine below lighting ideas for rooms without ceiling lights are prime examples.

Explore these ways to light a room without ceiling lights

If you’re lighting a room with no ceiling lights, try these easy-to-install alternatives that shine just as brightly.

1. Floor lamps

In a dark room, floor lamps can bring the night to life. Screw your light bulb into the floor lamp’s socket, then plug it in (unless it’s battery-powered) and let there be light! Just rotate the switch to power your lights – or, if you bought smart bulbs, use your phone or smart speaker to control your floor lamp’s brightness and power.

You can use especially tall and bright floor lamps in any part of your room to entirely replace ceiling lights. You can also use several floor lamps evenly distributed throughout a room or one lamp near a mirror for maximum lighting.

2. Plug-in wall sconces

The word “sconce” is the fancy interior design word for those eye-catching floating lamp posts that you’ve seen beautifully branching out from walls. You might think that since sconces are affixed to walls, you’ll need to call the electrician to install them, but with plug-in sconces, you get gorgeous wall lights without all that wiring. All you have to do is mount the sconce – after that, just plug and go!

Sconces are best arranged as a pair with one on each side of your bed, or you can evenly space several sconces throughout a hallway. You can also use them as decorative flair in your living room, but you might need additional fixtures for full room lighting.

3. Plug-in ceiling pendants

Here’s a mount-and-plug option that pairs nicely with living room sconces: Ceiling pendants. Plug-in pendant lights are super modern, plus you’ll often need just one or two for full room lighting.

To install your ceiling pendants, attach a hook to your ceiling, then wire the pendant’s cable through this hook. Run the pendant’s wire around your room so it blends with your walls and doesn’t run across your floor (lighting shouldn’t mean tripping hazards). Once you’ve got your pendant installed, just flick the wire’s on/off switch whenever it’s time to go dark. Keep the switch easily accessible but located just out of view.

4. LED strips

LED strips are great for accentuating darkly lit rooms with dim light for movie night or romantic dinners. If your kitchen lacks lighting, LED strips are especially good for under-cabinet lighting that illuminates your countertops.

You won’t have to drill holes or install hooks to mount LED strips. Just peel the adhesive backing off, gently affix your tape, and boom, you’re done. However, as easy as installation sounds, fully lighting a room with LED strips is close to impossible – they should be secondary, not primary, light sources.

5. String lights

Like LED strips, string lights typically work best as secondary light sources rather than your primary light source. That’s because, as pretty as they are, they’re not designed to be the main light in a room. They’re usually best for accentuating door and window frames or spaces above couches, beds, and large furniture pieces.

That said, some string lights work for full-room lighting. String lights with large, circle-like bulbs instead of the tiny, cylindrical bulbs often comprising string lights can provide ample room lighting, especially if you hang them from exposed pipes.

6. Table lamps

Another secondary light source, table lamps placed on side tables can fill spaces your floor lamps and pendants might not reach. They’re also great for task lighting if you’re reading or working. However, since their role is to illuminate smaller surface areas with modest amounts of light, you might want to consider some other lighting ideas for rooms without ceiling lights.

7. Portable lights

Why commit to lighting just one part of your room when you can use fixtures you can easily move? With portable lights, you can take your lighting with you from one dark room to another. Our StarPort Laser USB is a great example of a portable light for secondary lighting: It plugs into your laptop, wall port, or mobile charger, so you can easily move it between rooms. Wherever you go, it’ll fill your room with a brilliant backdrop for watching TV, gaming, or just lying back and relaxing.

StarPort USB Light

$19.99

One tiny light. Thousands of stars!

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8. Star lights

Here’s a novel idea: Why go for just light when you could get patterns too? Enter star lights, a BlissLights specialty.

With star lights, your room becomes your own colorful utopia of not just an engrossing green, red, or blue but projections of stars and galaxies too. Our BlissBulb, for example, screws into any standard-base light fixture (that means floor lamps, ceiling sockets, table lamps, and even some pendant lights) and projects starry patterns from whichever direction it’s facing.

Our most popular item, the Sky Lite Laser Galaxy Projector (which you’ll see all over TikTok), goes a step further. It doesn’t just project stars – with this projector that’s not much bigger than your hands, you’ll get stunning visuals of full-on galaxies. Whether you go for a green Milky Way or a blue nebula, your room becomes a fully immersive space without ceiling lights, but with patterns that standard lights just can’t achieve.

Sky Lite Galaxy Projector

$59.99 $49.99

Shine a galaxy of moving stars and a blue nebula cloud.

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9. Laser projectors

If you’re wondering how we can possibly give you both full room-lighting and beautiful patterns, well, just thank lasers. The Sky Lite and BlissBulb are both laser projectors.

Save money on replacing ceiling lights with BlissLights

Laser lighting isn’t just beautiful – it’s better for your budget too. At BlissLights, all our indoor home lighting options are affordable, and since lasers use far less energy than other forms of lighting, your electric bill will drop too. Plus, we offer free shipping on all U.S. orders over $50 – that means when you buy a Sky Lite directly from our website, you don’t pay for shipping. Browse all our lights to transform your darkest room into a well-lit sanctuary!

How to Light Any Room

Interior designers know that lighting can make or break a room. A well lit room looks finished and feels inviting, whereas a poorly lit room can look and feel gloomy and incomplete. But home decorators sometimes overlook the fine points of lighting a room to its full potential. Just as natural light changes throughout the day and depending on the season, your lighting scheme should be dynamic, with layered lighting that can be adjusted to create dimension, highlight various zones, facilitate a range of activities, and create different moods. 

Here is a brief guide that will help you figure out how to incorporate lighting to improve your home’s functionality and make your decor shine.

Becca Interiors

Every Room Needs Three Types of Light

Different rooms have different lighting needs, but ideally every room should have three different types of lighting. The main categories of lighting include general lighting that will illuminate the room at large; task lighting for reading, preparing meals, or desk work; and decorative accent lighting that creates ambiance. Choosing the right mix of light fixtures—such as overhead lights, chandeliers or pendant lights, table lamps, desk lamps, wall sconces, floor lamps, decorative accent lighting and even candles—will ensure that every room in your house looks and feels its best while making daily tasks and pastimes from reading to cooking to shaving to relaxing more enjoyable.

Tip

Be sure to light all four corners of the room to minimize shadows and fill in any lighting gaps that make people look and feel bad.

Build On Existing Light Sources

Your home or apartment may have existing built-in lighting such as overhead lights in the bedroom, recessed ceiling lights in the living room, under-cabinet kitchen countertop lighting in the kitchen, or wall sconces hardwired onto the wall above the sink vanity in the bathroom. But built-in lighting should never be the sole source of lighting in a room. While homeowners can always replace unsightly fixtures or wire a room during renovations, renters can work around existing fixtures like a dated overhead ceiling light by adding floor lamps, decorative accent lighting, or plug-in wall sconces that will divert the eye and enhance the overall light quality of the room.

While interior designers include lighting in every stage of their decorating plan, DIY decorators may find it easier to add lighting as a final step that pulls the room together after the rest of the furniture and decor has been chosen. That doesn’t mean that lighting should be treated like an afterthought, however. Be sure to include enough room in your renovation budget to give every room in your house or corner of your studio apartment the lighting it deserves, knowing that there are options at every price point that will get the job done in style. 

Erin Williamson Design

Form and Function

Light fixtures are functional decor objects in their own right that can add personality, charm, texture, or a sculptural element to enhance your room design even when the light is switched off. This might mean something as simple as an industrial bare Edison bulb pendant suspended by a knotted cord, a pair of vintage sconces, an antique chandelier, or a contemporary designer floor lamp. Keep in mind that there is a light fixture for every purpose, taste, mood, decor style, and budget. 

Whittney Parkinson Design

Warm or Cool

The intensity and temperature of the light cast by built-in and other light fixtures can be modified by your choice of bulb or by using a dimmer switch.

Warm, soft light will create a cozy atmosphere in areas such as the living room or bedroom. Use warm-toned LED bulbs, and choose light fixtures made from materials that will create a warm glow, such as lamps with fabric or woven shades, or sconces made from wood veneer or brass-, gold-, or copper-toned metals. 

Cool, bright light works well in kitchens and bathrooms, but consider adding dimmer switches as well as secondary lighting in warmer tones so that you can change the mood at bath time or for middle-of-the-night bathroom trips.

Tip

You can help maximize natural light in a room by painting it in pale, neutral colors that will reflect light and help a space feel brighter. Decorative mirrors hung opposite a window will reflect light and views, while a mirror placed on the wall can help brighten up a dark corner by amplifying light. 

Room by Room

While general lighting principles apply to every room in the house, different spaces also have unique considerations. Here are a few important things to keep in mind when lighting specific rooms in the house. 

Erin Williamson Design

Living or Family Room

Lighting and family rooms in newer homes and apartments might feature central ceiling lights or built-in can lighting. But unless the room is vast and deep, a living room does not need overhead lighting to be well lit. Just be sure that you add enough lighting to illuminate the space as a whole, and that each area in the room has its own lighting. This might mean, for example, a large arc floor lamp suspended over the main seating area, sculptural wall sconces behind the couch, a table lamp on the occasional table between two armchairs, a reading lamp next to the chaise, a decorative accent light on the credenza, and a raft of LED pillar candles on the fireplace mantel. For inspiration, check out these living room lighting ideas.

Becca Interiors

Kitchen

The kitchen is the hub of the house, a room that requires special attention to general and task lighting for everything from meal prep to cooking, homework sessions, cleaning, and other tasks. In a kitchen, general lighting may take the form of recessed can lights across the ceiling, pendant lights anchoring the island, and under-cabinet LED lighting illuminating countertops. Task lighting is a priority in this room, both for safety during meal prep and cooking and for cleanliness. Be sure that your stovetop and countertops are well lit and that your dining area has light that is bright enough so that you can see what you are eating but soft enough so you feel relaxed while doing so.

Kitchens are utilitarian spaces but you can add a big dose of warmth and personality by choosing a pendant shade made from a natural material or a sculptural pendant light that will look like a giant piece of jewelry hanging over a kitchen island or breakfast nook. And you can add charm to a small kitchen with a table lamp on the kitchen counter or in a dark corner that will make the space look more homey and feel more enjoyable to use.

Will Brown Interiors

Dining Room

There’s a reason that some restaurants light candles or add little table lamps on dining tables, creating a pleasant ambiance and a relaxing setting to enjoy a meal and conversation. Many dining rooms feature a chandelier or hanging pendant light over the dining table as a source of general lighting and a decorative accent that defines the space. Just be sure to hang it at the perfect height, which may be lower than you think to create the right look and feel when lit. Whenever possible, put your dining room light fixture on a dimmer so that you can easily make adjustments as the evening progresses.

Design by Emily Bowser for Emily Henderson Design / Photo by Sara Ligorria-Tramp

Bathroom

Bathrooms of all sizes often require multiple light fixture types in order to be well lit so that we can safely bathe, shower, shave, or apply skincare or makeup with precision, and keep them sparkling clean. But bathrooms are also multfunctional spaces that should be relaxing as well and have different lighting needs depending on the task and the hour of day. Be sure that your bathroom is well lit, but don't hesitate to add decorate lighting that will help make it feel like the oasis that it should be. This could mean a decorative wall sconce that doubles as a night light or an LED string garland light that is there simply to make the room feel special, and as thoughtfully decorated as the rest of the house.

Whittney Parkinson Design

Laundry / Mud Room

Many laundry rooms and mud rooms are located near the back door or in a part of the home with limited natural light. It’s important that your laundry room is well lit so that you can inspect your laundry and keep things clean. You also want to be sure that lights can be turned on as soon as you enter a mud room from the outside so that you don’t have to fumble around in the dark. Prioritize bright, clean general lighting in these spaces but don't be afraid to make it decorative to give these utilitarian spaces a lift.

Becca Interiors

Home Office / Library

In a home office library, task lighting is of the utmost importance, both in terms of having a desk light that illuminates your desktop for reading, reviewing paperwork, or other tasks, and reading task lights if you have an armchair, window seat, or seating area. Also be sure not to neglect the use of ambient light in the form of wall sconces or decorative lighting that can help light all four corners of the room and keep the room feeling warm and inviting to encourage a feeling of well being and enhance productivity. 

Forbes Masters

Bedroom

Controlling natural light from the windows in the bedroom using window treatments such as shades, shutters, and curtains is crucial to ensure privacy and a good night’s sleep. It’s also important to get the bedroom lighting right so that you can create a relaxing ambiance at night that will help you wind down before bed. Your bedroom lighting should include general lighting for tasks such as getting dressed in the morning, bedside lamps for nighttime reading, and accent lighting for ambiance. If you choose to install an overhead light in the bedroom, make it a sculptural pendant light that will create a focal point when turned off and produce soft diffused light when turned on (and add a dimmer switch for good measure).

Will Brown Interiors

Corridors

Hallways, stairwells, entryways, and other pass through spaces need good lighting, too. The hallways in your home may have one or more skylights, overhead lights, or wall sconces, depending on the length and layout. While it’s easy to neglect a pass through like a hallway, it’s actually a fun place to get creative with lighting.

Kate Marker Interiors

Hanging a series of pendant lights will add a sense of rhythm and ensure that the light is spread evenly. Or skip the overhead lighting and install a group of wall sconces at eye level to add interest and warmth. You can also hang mirrors in a hallway that will bounce light around and create perspectives that will add dimension to what can feel like a dead space when left bare.

Maite Granda

Open Plan Space

If you live in an industrial loft, a home with an open plan renovation, or a studio apartment, you already understand the importance of creating different zones in the context of a single space. Be sure that each of those zones has its own lighting source. This will ensure that each zone is functional at any time of the day, and will allow you to turn on the light in one area while it’s in use, and to turn off the light in another at different types of day which will almost feel like closing an invisible door. This can be especially important when you are working from home and don’t have a dedicated office, where illuminating or switching off the desk light can help signal the beginning or end of the workday that might otherwise never end.

While a large room or open plan loft will need multiple light sources in order for it to be sufficiently lit, smaller spaces also benefit from multiple light sources. Just be sure not to overwhelm a small space with too much light by choosing low intensity bulbs or using dimmer switches.

Forbes Masters

Basement or Windowless Room

Lighting a windowless room presents unique challenges. In addition to following the general principles of lighting a room, you may wish to include special fixtures such as faux windows or tray lights and follow other specific tips for lighting a basement to help you compensate for the lack of natural light.

Good lighting in the room - 7 main rules. The best solutions in engineering and design.

If you want to make good quality lighting in the rooms of your apartment or house, you need to follow 7 basic rules.

This is what most designers and planners adhere to when compiling their expensive projects. They are not so complicated and will be clear to any user and customer.

Number of lights

Avoid using only one light source whenever possible. The well-known classic way is to illuminate the room with a large chandelier.

On the one hand, of course, it's great when you can illuminate a large space with just one powerful lamp. No problems with a bunch of wires, a choice of fastening points.

However, from the point of view of good lighting design, it is better to illuminate the space with several local light sources. For example, floor lamps, single suspensions, wall lamps.

The most common option is spotlights.

All this diversity gives you the opportunity to combine the lighting environment, making it independent and variable. Use light only where and only when needed.

What's more, it saves a lot of energy consumption, allows you to form the environment more evenly. You won't have much contrast between the bulky chandelier that hangs in the center of the room and the dark corners of the room.

In such a space, both the one who eats at the dinner table and the one who reads a book near the floor lamp feel equally good.

Types of lighting

Always consider the functionality of the room when choosing the type of lighting. There are three main types in total:

Direct - this is the light from built-in or ceiling lamps shining strictly from top to bottom. This also includes table lamps.

Objects in this light will appear to you a little more voluminous than their actual size.

For the living room and bedroom, indirect light sources are very suitable, which allow you to create a soft, evenly lit environment that is comfortable for the eyes.

Accent light is a bright, directional light source. It is used where you need to draw attention to something, emphasize a separate object or element of the interior.

However, this light source has a big minus - it blinds the eyes very much.

Therefore, it must be used pointwise, thoughtfully, and only where it is necessary and acceptable.

Wall lighting

Never forget to illuminate vertical surfaces. About 80% of our attention in the rooms is riveted to the walls.

When we move around, communicate with each other, just sit in a chair, our eyes are always on vertical surfaces, not on the ceiling.

In this case, the ceiling space takes only 15% of the attention, and the floor gets only 5%.

Therefore, if you want to get a comfortable room, where it will be pleasant to be, do not forget about wall lighting. In large living rooms, the concentration of lamps around the perimeter should be done on the basis of this rule.

One color temperature

In a good, cohesive, finished interior, the light environment should be monotonous.

This means that luminaires with the same color temperature must be used for illumination.

A rare exception may be the case when you want to emphasize the texture of some materials, or highlight individual interior items.

Placement of luminaires

Try to place the luminaires so that direct eye contact with the light source is avoided as much as possible.

In a good way, you should not see them directly at all. For example, in high-level restaurants, it is written directly in the instructions that lighting devices should not come into contact with the eyes of visitors.

This allows people to focus on the most important thing - on tasty and healthy food, and not be distracted by blinding light bulbs.

Also do not use spotlights in the bedroom. Especially over the bed.

It would be more correct to distribute the lamps around the perimeter, bypassing your bed.

If you still need to use accent light in the interior, then use special accessories. For example, anti-reflective grilles.

They virtually eliminate eye contact with the bulb or LED inside the light point.

Variation of light

Light in all rooms should be variable. Solutions that adjust the light environment in the room in accordance with the natural human biorhythms are gaining great popularity in this matter.

It's no secret that our eyes were formed in natural light - sunlight.

The sun changes its color temperature over a fairly wide range. In the morning, afternoon and evening, completely different light emanates from it.

At home, we can also simulate the change in color temperature over time to match our natural biorhythms. Such a lighting system increases efficiency, makes you feel better, and reduces eye fatigue.

This system is very simple and you can create a light environment in your room with a flick of the wrist:

In addition, this process can be automated. It is enough to bind LED sources to light sensors, a timer, and the system itself will change the color temperature at the right time.

Lighting design ahead of time

Always start designing your lighting system as early as possible. Through our eyes we get over 90% information about the world around.

Light is the very conductor, thanks to which a nondescript room can be transformed into a beautiful interior without much effort.

Furniture and paintings will return to their true colors.

Therefore, the lighting concept must evolve along with the interior concept. This will save you from many mistakes, make the interior holistic, beautiful, well lit.

Room lighting: basic calculation principles

How to make the right lighting in the room?

The lighting design of a room is the element that will transform even the simplest room into something extraordinary. The correct arrangement of lamps, their accentuation, the choice of brightness and color scheme, the competent play of shadows - and, of course, the choice of the correct control scheme, will create an unusual atmosphere in the room.

But at the same time, one should not forget about the purely unitary tasks of lighting, so that all this extravaganza of colors and shadows does not ruin your eyesight and does not cause a depressive state.

Natural light

We need light not only at night. You can't do without it during the day either. Therefore, the natural light that the sun gives us must be taken care of in the first place.

Now you say, what can I do? I won’t remake the windows, and what it is, it is. But it is not so!

Mixed natural room lighting

Types of natural light

Extension of window openings

But the norms are the norms, and sometimes there is not enough natural light. In this case, there are several options for solving such a problem. The first and most logical is the expansion of light openings.

But not everyone can decide on it, and this is a change in the design of the house, and it requires appropriate approvals. Sometimes it is enough just to change the design of the window to increase the light-transmitting space.

Window height increase

An easier option, in some cases, may be to increase the distance from the floor to the window.

Even a slight rise of a window a few centimeters can significantly increase the illumination of the opposite wall.

Light tunnel

Modern technology allows the use of so-called light tubes or tunnels, through which you can add a level of natural light to any room.

But the price of installing such devices is still quite high.

Wall reflectance of different colors

The simplest, but far from the most ineffective, is to increase the amount of reflected light. As you know, light has the ability to reflect off surfaces. And the brighter the surface, the greater the spectrum of light will be reflected. Therefore, in rooms with insufficient natural light, a bright interior should definitely be used.

Artificial lighting

But, of course, the main emphasis when choosing lighting systems falls on artificial lighting. It would seem that everything is simple here, but it is far from being the case. After all, in order to create the right artificial lighting, you should think through every detail.

Artificial lighting for rooms

So:

General artificial lighting

Please note! Spotlights are diffused and concentrated light. For general lighting, diffused light fixtures should be used.

Zone lighting

Ambient Lighting

Decorative lighting

Examples of lighting in different rooms

But a theory is a theory, but the best question is: how to properly make lighting in a room, consider specific examples. To do this, let's analyze the lighting system and its regulation for each specific room.

Bedroom

Let's start with the most intimate room in the apartment - the bedroom. It does not require too bright lighting. According to the norms, 150 lux is generally enough here.

In this case, it is desirable that the light be warm. Light in the range of about 2700 K is considered warm. You can find the light range of the lamp in the product data sheet.

An example of general lighting in a bedroom

So:

Bedroom Spotlight

Decorative bedroom lighting

Lighting in the room can be adjusted using dimmers. Now there are such devices on the remote control that allow you to control the dimmer from a distance. But here it should be remembered that diode lamps, as well as some other types of lamps, cannot adjust the brightness of the light flux.

Living room

Next in importance is the living room. There is no single style of lighting system for this room. After all, the purpose of this room can vary significantly, depending on your preferences.

If you need a living room to relax in an armchair with a book or just lie down under the TV, then this is one thing. If you need a room for meetings with friends and noisy holidays, then the lighting system requires a completely different one.

Living room warm general lighting

Cool living room lighting

Living room area lighting

Living room decorative lighting

You can also experiment with the color emitted by the luminaires and use the diode strip to highlight individual elements - for example, a multi-level floor. Or, as with attic lighting, try creating a pattern with light on glass or a wall.

Children's room

Children's room should be filled with light. The minimum allowable level of illumination for it is 200lux, and is one of the highest values ​​for an apartment.

For general lighting, it is better to use lamps that give white color in the range of about 4000 K. But in the working area, you should use lamps that give cold light in the range of about 6000 K.

Uniform general lighting of the nursery

Night light with subdued warm light

Children's fiber optic lighting

Room wall lighting and spotlights can play a decorative role. But from a variety of floor and low-lying lamps, it is better to refuse in favor of safety.

Optical fiber lighting or similar devices can be used to create a dreamlike atmosphere.

Entrance hall

The very first room your guests see is the entrance hall. It should be cozy and light here. At the same time, too bright light can cause irritation. Based on this, it is better to use warm colors in the area of ​​2700 K in the hallway. 0033 General lighting in this room can be done with diffused spotlights, like lighting in a dressing room. If the room is spacious enough, then you can use the type of lighting reflected from the ceiling.

Decorative lighting in the entrance hall

Reflected from the ceiling, general lighting in the dressing room

If you have decor elements that you want to highlight, you can use additional lighting from niches, or use spotlights. Through the skillful use of shadows, you can visually enlarge the room.

Kitchen

The kitchen is one of the most important rooms in any home. This room often becomes not only a family gathering place, but also a place for discussing news, gatherings over a cup of tea and, of course, is a purely unitary cooking room. Therefore, in the kitchen it is necessary to combine functionality, convenience and beauty.

General kitchen lighting

In the photo - general lighting for a small kitchen with division into zones

Illumination of the working and dining area in the kitchen

For the dining area, general lighting is now fashionable to do with the help of low-slung lamps. This has its own reason, because in this way the light falls only on the table.

At the same time, such luminaires do not require special brightness. Here you can focus on their appearance.

Illumination of the working area of ​​the kitchen

Please note! When installing fixtures in a wall cabinet, make sure that they are slightly recessed into the furniture. If the lamp protrudes, it will give a blinding effect. The same applies to the luminous stripes on the apron. But drowning them will not work, so you should use lamps that muffle direct light.