20 Living Room Lighting Design Ideas

Starved for bright ideas when it comes to illuminating your space? Let these fixtures spark your creativity and cast your living room in a new light.

Keep in mind: Price and stock could change after publish date, and we may make money from these affiliate links.

July 27, 2020

Related To:

Shop This Look

Photo By: Ann Lowengart

Photo By: Spacecrafting Photography

Photo By: Eric Rorer

Photo By: Kathleen Forbush

Photo By: Bruce Damonte

Photo By: Choeff Levy Fischman

Photo By: Suzanne Childress

Photo By: Rustic White Photography

Photo By: Eron Rauch

Photo By: Brandi Boblett

Photo By: Suzanne Childress

Photo By: Williams Trew, a member of Luxury Portfolio International

Photo By: Barry Fitzgerald

Photo By: Suzanne Scott

Photo By: Trevor Tondro

Photo By: Stephanie Diani

Photo By: Emily Minton Redfield

Photo By: Alison Jennison

Doubled Vision

A handsome mirror above the mantel in this traditional living room maximizes the impact of this four-bulb pendant. The pendant’s right angles echo the cased ceiling, and its copper tone references the warm glaze on the plates displayed in the built-in shelves.

Modern Elegance

The star of this living room's show is the gold and black chandelier that adds a sense of timeless elegance to the room. This light fixture also draws the eye up to showcase the beamed, vaulted ceiling above.

From: Martha O'Hara Interiors

Less Is More

This midcentury space benefits from a smattering of recessed lights that eliminate the clutter. This lighting selection also allows the paneled wood ceiling to shine without distracting from its natural beauty.

From: Laura Martin Bovard

Silvery Starburst

This fixture complements both the coffee table’s chromed legs and the metallic wallpaper backing the built-in shelves beside the fireplace. Recessed lights provide a bit of an ambient base, and a curvaceous blue table lamp serves as a striking accent.

Covert Canisters

The beamed cove ceiling in this California living room is a focal point in its own right. Accordingly, subtle fixtures are painted to disappear against it before the sun goes down and positioned to highlight its dramatic architecture at night. A vintage table lamp on a low-slung credenza complements the space’s midcentury accents.

Twice as Nice

The dramatic vaulting along the perimeter of this living room is enhanced with by the pair of equally dramatic floor lamps flanking one of its three sofas. The symmetry is satisfying.

From: Choeff Levy Fischman

Geometric Echo

The intricate drum shade on this living room’s pendant repeats the shape of the woven coffee table beneath it. (Bonus points: its oxidized metal also complements both the stain on the wicker and the room’s built-in shelving and trim.)

From: Suzanne Childress

Lovely Luminary

This silver Luxo floor lamp is the perfect complement to the icy tones seen in this living room. Providing illumination and stylish design, this light fixture proves to be a perfect choice.

From: Brian Patrick Flynn

Eclectic Mix

This colorful California room’s lighting scheme has a bit of everything. Above, canisters accent the handsome stone fireplace surround, a pair of blush-toned table lamps stand on twin acrylic console tables and retro globes descend from the ceiling above a scroll coffee table.

From: Caitlin Murray

One and Done

When can a single fixture do the work of lighting a space on its own? When its rounded shape contrasts with the room’s canted ceiling (check), its rich sheen echoes a side table (check) and its massive scale demands your full attention (check).

From: Leanne Ford

Sphere With Influence

High ceilings in lofts call for pendants that won’t get lost in all that vertical space. In this room, a large scale globe does the trick beautifully. The translucent panels diffuse the light from multiple bulbs making the seating area beneath it feel comfortably illuminated, rather than harshly spot-lit.

From: Minhnuyet Hardy

Alluring Arch

This classic arched floor lamp with a gold finish and glass shade provides a bit of glitz and — more importantly — a strong arc to complement all of the round shapes seen throughout the room.

From: Suzanne Childress

Functional Sculpture

The chrysanthemum-shaped pendant at the center of this modern living room is every bit as artistic as the vivid paintings that adorn its walls. Since recessed lights provide the majority of the ambient light, this chandelier can serve as an ornament that just happens to accent the coffee table and the armchairs surrounding it.

From: Williams Trew and Luxury Portfolio International®

Natural Light

A woven pendant is an intuitive addition in a space where organic materials like rattan, raw wood, sisal and marble reign supreme. (It’s also a potentially budget-friendly move. Vessels of all kinds can be converted to shades with a simple pendant light kit.)

From: Leanne Ford

Present Tints

The oceanic hues among the hand-blown globes in this chandelier complement this transitional living room’s pale blue walls and patterned area rug with panache. Clear glass is more versatile, but tones like these are much more fun.

From: Bender & Associates

Design Classics

A pair of GUBI Gräshoppa floor lamps flank the sofa in this swank white-on-white living room. These iconic lamp designs provide illumination and add beautiful design to this home's modern living room.

From: Laura Martin Bovard

Maximum Saturation

With a neutral shade, the diminutive floor lamp in this kaleidoscopic living room would be something of an afterthought. Crowned in fuchsia as it is here, it’s as dynamic as the paintings on the wall behind it.

High Contrast

Serge Mouille’s spidery three-arm ceiling lamp functions like a mobile against the white ceiling of this art-filled space. Its crisp black finish counterbalances the strong golden tones of the room’s flooring and accessories.

Silver & Golden

The gold leafy chandelier in the living room presents as a piece of art itself. Standing out against the navy blue drapes are two silver floor lamps that shine in more ways than one.

From: Duet Design Group

Totally Tubular

An airy geometric arrangement of brass surrounds the simple bulb pendant crowning this minimalist Brooklyn space. Pieces like this one provide a pop of irregular geometry without (literally or figuratively) overshadowing the rooms they illuminate.

From: Alison Jennison

Magnificent Monochrome

A pair of ceramic table lamps casts warm light on the white walls wall behind them. Tone-on-tone choices, like this one, add subtle texture to monochromatic living rooms.