Styling Tips with Johanna Vinblad

So how do you enhance the living room with lighting?
In the living room, I usually recommend between 6–10 light sources. Think high and low! The ceiling lamp can easily be combined with spotlighting from the ceiling, for example, with adjustable spotlights. At mid-level, between sitting and standing height, you should use ambient lighting. Place ambient lighting in windows, bookshelves, and side tables. Low floor lamps add another dimension to the room.

Besides general lighting in the ceiling and the kitchen lamp above the dining table, you also need task lighting at the kitchen counter, under wall cabinets, or on the wall to make the kitchen functional. If you don’t have wall cabinets, wall lamps or a ceiling lamp with limited spread look fantastic. A dimmer on the lamp above the dining table and at the kitchen counter makes it easy to create a cozy, dimmed atmosphere when it’s time for dinner.

Think Kelvin when choosing your light source. Kelvin specifies the color temperature of the light. If you like a warmer light, a lamp with 2500–3100 Kelvin is ideal. The lower you go on the Kelvin scale, the whiter and more fluorescent-like the light becomes. If you’re installing new recessed spotlights, I recommend choosing fixtures that become warmer when the light dims and whiter when it brightens. This way, you get strong, good lighting when needed and a warmer, more pleasant light for cozy Friday nights!

I cannot stress enough the benefits of dimmers! If hiring an electrician isn’t an option, for example, Ikea has a system with light bulbs and remote controls that allows you to adjust the brightness. It’s a really good budget option! I wish you the best of luck in your hunt for the perfect lighting.

Johanna Vinblad
Interior Designer
johanna@vinblads.se