When it comes to picking lighting for any space in your house, it can sometimes feel a bit overwhelming. There are so many styles and shapes and materials…and each room has different lighting needs. Should matching lighting sets be used? Should light fixtures coordinate throughout the house? How do you mix and match lighting in your home effectively, and make it feel coordinated and like your own? The good news is, it’s easier than you think! Here are the three tips you’ll need to find the perfect lighting for your space…no matching lighting sets needed!
1. Stick with similar materials/finishes – If you are a lighting newbie you may not feel like straying too far from your comfort zone. The safest bet when choosing lighting is to stick to similar finishes and materials. That doesn’t mean that you have to buy a matching lighting set. Gold, black, ceramic, wood, you name it. Match the finishes and you can stop worrying about everything else. This works really well in open floor plan designs where you can see from room to room and all of the fixtures and lamps are on display at once. You want to be able to mix things up and make each individual space feel like something special, yet they are all visible from one spot. They will look like they were meant to be paired together.
As an example in our living room, I have a lot of natural textures and brass accents, so I made sure that the three lamps I wanted to use in this space, had similar finishes to what could be found in the rest of the room.
2. Keep to similar shapes – Repetition is key to making lamps that didn’t come in matching lighting sets together, look like they were made to work together. This can be achieved by making sure that your shade styles and shapes match. The bases of the lamps may be a bit different, but by keeping the shades a similar shape and fabric, they still feel harmonious.
Each of the lamps that I picked for the living room have a cylindrical element to them. The floor lamp’s shade is similar in shape to the bases of both of the table lamps. This helps them feel unified and like they work together, yet they are three very different and distinct lamps on their own.
3. Match styles – If you are feeling a little bit more adventurous, you can play with color, texture shape and finishes in a room as long as you stick to the same style. You don’t want to mix French Country and Mid Century Modern while also trying to work with different colors and materials. Keep the style the same, and your suddenly those few mismatched pieces with different finishes and textures will be exciting.
The three lamps in the living room all share similar shapes and have finishes that compliment others already found in the living room, which means I am able to have three very different lamps, all different colors, all in close proximity…but they work well together.
They key to making mixing and matching lamps work…don’t try to do too much in one room. Choosing one of these three tips as your guide will help you to give your space a cohesive look whether you are working with one room or an entire, open concept home. There are no hard and fast rules when it comes to lamps and lighting. There are suggestions, but in the end, it all comes down to your own personal tastes.
Lighting is often referred to as the jewelry of a room. It’s the final piece of the design that really makes things shine…both literally and figuratively. 😉 If you can steer clear of matching lighting sets, you will give your home much more of a designer look. I hope these easy tips have you feeling confident to choose mix and match lighting for your own home.
Here are some of my favorite lighting fixtures on the market right now:
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Happy Designing!
Tammy
Wao!! Great products. Love all these.