Frequently Asked Questions

Your Living Room

So much goes on in a living room, from relaxing, entertaining and socialising, reading, watching television that it is a good idea to plan your lighting on a piece of graph paper to plan to scale where you want to place key pieces of furniture.

Then work out and mark where you really need your lighting installed. It’s frustrating to realise afterwards that you needed a light in one corner when you either left or installed a socket in the opposite one. It’s at the outset, for example, that you can plan to set a socket into the floor so that you can place a floor lamp in the middle of the room without having to have a trail of flex across it.

Aim to use a variety of light sources to create pools or different levels of light around the room. You will need a source of lighting for ambient light (which is overall light) for general use. This may come from a central pendant but you will need to add to this with
uplighters, floor, table or wall lights to give you flexibility with your lighting and allow you to create the levels of light and atmosphere you want. There is nothing more soulless than a living room lit by a single pendant light.

You may need a task light such as a floor or desk lamp for reading or sewing by. Swing arm lamps such as floor, wall or table lamps are useful for this, or an uplighter lamp with a reading (see our Floor lamp section).

Have these fitted by your electrician to separate wiring circuits and use them with dimmer switches for maximum flexibility. Remember, though, that you must use low voltage dimmer switches on any low voltage fittings; you cannot fit a mains voltage dimmer so check before you buy. top

Chandeliers seem to be very fashionable at the moment; aren’t they a bit ‘over the top’?

Just one chandelier can give an element of glamour and a sense of occasion to a room, such as a living room, hall or bedroom. Some styles are quite simple in style. We have a wide variety.

Remember though that chandeliers were originally used with candles and in reality did not produce all that much light. The light generated was maximised by the gold or silver finishes of the chandeliers themselves and, in the 17th and 18th centuries, by mirrors and metallic thread in the clothes of the grandees of the time.

So, in fact, if you use a lowish wattage eg 20 watts on your chandeliers, the effect will be more subtle. You can power down to as low as 7 watt bulbs. Then use 21st century technology by directing a spotlight on the chandelier itself to highlight the shapes of the arms and to reflect light off its drops.

When installing a chandelier check that you will be able to fix its fittings into a ceiling joist that is strong enough to bear its weight.

Chandeliers look good in all styles of home: you don’t have to have a period home or period furniture at all. Modern interiors can look stunning with the use of just one chandelier and act as a counterpoint to minimalist furniture, balancing and enhancing the look at the same time. top