lighting Archives - Page 2 of 2

How to pull off the laid back luxury dining look

White dining room with pale wood dining table and white candles

The dining room shouldn’t always just be for formal dinner parties, but also for comfortable homely weekday evening meals with your near and dear ones. Here we look at some ways to inject some glamour and still have a relaxed and homely dining space that you can enjoy as a family.

Photo featuring: Derby Reclaimed Wood Extending Dining Table

Invest in a showstopping reclaimed wood dining table

The right reclaimed wood dining table and chairs will set the tone for your dining space. The Chelwood furniture range provides bags of style, with a tabletop produced from old wood rich in natural features and character. It has a pale finish and an industrial edge with steel bars in the centre of the table base. This can be paired with the wooden sideboard from the same range.

Add a dining bench

Combine wooden benches with upholstered dining chairs. A reclaimed wood table and bench set will certainly bring a more relaxed feel to the dining room, they can also be dressed with cushions and throws for an added touch of luxury and comfort. Alternatively, you can opt for a more formal leather dining bench with back but pair it with wooden chairs to keep a casual air.

Photo featuring: Chelwood Nordic Reclaimed Wood Console Table

Add some storage space

No room will ever have a luxurious feel if it is cluttered. This additional storage can come in the shape of a dining room sideboard – a perfect place to hide away your serving dishes and other dining room bits and bobs. Style this with earthy accessories to introduce a rustic and relaxed element to your dining room. Reclaimed wood shelves are another storage option – great for occasional use decorative serving dishes that you want to keep on show.

Luxurious lighting

A sparkling chandelier or sleek pendant light can add an instant touch of luxe to the room. Hanging over a simple reclaimed wood table and bench, it will add height to the room and give it instant elegance.

Dining room with wooden table and large artwork on wall

Wonderful wall art

Beauty really is in the eye of the beholder! Add some wall art that appeals to you, whether it is a simple landscape or some funky pop art. This will add a personal touch to the room. Oversized mirrors also add a touch of glamour to a room. You can bring back the relaxed element by keeping the walls neutral, adding houseplants, natural textures and warm earthy tones.

How to warm your home with cosy autumnal lighting

Green hanging lights over wooden table with red berries

As the days grow shorter we turn to artificial light in the home during our waking hours. Who doesn’t love a cosy welcoming home? Here we’ve chosen some of our favourite lighting pieces for each room to give your home an inviting autumnal glow.

Kitchen and dining space

Luckily for us, pendant lights are hugely on trend right now! We just love them here at Modish Living, there are so many styles to choose from! We love a rustic natural look in the home, and they don’t come much more natural than sustainably sourced bamboo. Natural bamboo complements any interior style. For example, if your dining area is channeling an industrial feel you don’t have to go for metal industrial pendant lighting just because you have industrial dining furniture – a bamboo black pendant light looks completely at home here and adds a softer element to catch the eye. If you want a more neutral and blended look, try a white pendant light.

Photo featuring: Bamboo Half Moon Double Pendant Light

Living room

A pendant ceiling light does not have to be restricted to hanging over the dining table or in the void over the stairs anymore. Pendant lights look great in any room with a high ceiling and you can always add a dimmer switch for when you want to tone it down. They also look fantastic hanging over a sofa end table where they will provide plenty of light for reading, knitting, sewing etc.

Photo featuring: Karine Jute Pendant Light

Of course, living room lamps will also provide a subtle glow where you need it most, the Vance Neutral lamp will blend in perfectly with their surroundings with the base being made from natural woven sea grass and a soft glow lampshade. And let’s not forget candles – the ultimate in atmospheric lighting.

Photo featuring: Vance Neutral Lamp

Bedroom

Good lighting in the bedroom will help create a relaxing ambience – It’s very unlikely you will be able to wind down for sleep with a glaring ceiling light on and even worse, you don’t want to get all snuggled up and sleepy and have to get out of bed to switch the light off! But a big ceiling light is probably a necessity while you are getting ready for a night out. This is a room where different lights are a must. For the bedroom, the Sassa wicker bedside table lamps are our top pick, produced from natural wicker they will blend in with modern and rustic style and easily merge into your existing colour scheme. Another great look is pendant lights suspended over your bedside tables – not only does this look great but it leaves you with more room for a book, a favourite picture in a frame, reading glasses and your phone.

Photo featuring: Sassa Wicker Table Lamp

Hallway

The hallway is a place where you don’t generally need to have lighting for specific tasks – but it is so much nicer to walk into a warm and welcoming home when you get in from the wet and cold. Ceiling lights are a must for practical reasons, but you can add a warm and welcoming glow with a table lamp on a wooden console table or achieve an atmospheric glow from some fairy lights like our wire weave fairy lights.

Photo featuring: Wire Weave Fairy Light

Top lighting planning tips:

For perfect placement, the bottom of the chandelier or pendant should be around 75 cm above your dining table.
Always go over the top – you can always turn something off if it is too bright or add a dimmer switch – but adding extra lighting retrospectively is not so easy.
Make sure you have plenty of light to do what you love doing when in your favourite chair on those dark autumnal evenings.
Most rooms will need a ceiling light but think about where else you might need extra lights for reading etc. Take the opportunity to light up dark corners or highlight your favourite features in a room.

How to set the mood in your dining room

Two candles on a rustic wood table with a wool blanket

The dining room table is used for many things, not just eating and entertaining, it is often used as a home office, for homeschooling, homework, as well as crafts and hobbies. So when it comes to lighting it is a good idea to consider what it might be used for and when. During the winter months, it will most likely be dark when you eat your evening meal so lighting is an important element to consider.

Over dining table lighting

The dining table is the most important component of your dining space meaning a ceiling pendant over the table is always a good start. A bamboo pendant light hanging over a reclaimed wood dining table is a match made in heaven, the beautiful natural wood grain and natural bamboo work well together; hang one over an industrial dining table and it will soften the heavy industrial style. You can get double or even triple pendant ceiling lights to make something as simple as a light fitting, a whole extra feature in your room.

Photo: Bamboo Manta Tapered Pendant Light

Layered lighting

Take time to play with lighting in your dining room by layering the lights. Suspend a modern pendant light over the table, add some glass table lamps on a sideboard or console table, use fairy lights or candles to add subtle accent lighting around in the room. Use lighting to accentuate a favourite feature in your room such as an open fireplace or a wall picture.

Candles

Candles are a timeless classic when it comes to mood lighting. You can use a couple to create a romantic and intimate mood and can use more to give the feel of a grand banquet. Scented candles are great after you have enjoyed your dinner, choose a relaxing aromatherapy candle to wind down at the end of the evening.

Table lamps on sideboards

If you have a sideboard in your dining room you can place a glass table lamp on it. You may not always want bright overhead lighting for a more laid back and romantic feel. After you have finished your meal you can switch to more subtle indirect lighting for after-dinner drinks with your dinner party guests.

Fairy lights

Fairy lights are very popular and are perfect if you prefer not to light candles in your home. We love these wire weave fairy lights, you can leave them as a decorative feature on a sideboard and when the dinner pots are cleared away pop them on the dinner table as a centrepiece which gives a soft and cosy glow.

Photo credit: @justalittlebuild

Mirrors

Mirrors are always a good choice for helping with lighting issues. A cleverly placed wall mirror will work with well-placed lighting to give a feeling of more space, brighten a dark corner, break up a wall with no window as well as reflect light around the room.

Create A Good First Impression – Hallway Focus

Wooden letters spelling home with a red heart for letter o

Spring has arrived! A sign of new life, it is also the time of year that most people who have decided to sell put their property on the market. But before you welcome potential buyers over the threshold, you need to make sure your property is ready – and that means every part of it, including the welcome buyers are given when they enter the hallway. So why is the hallway so important?

When people view a property, they come with a set of criteria, but they also need to fall in love with it. It needs to have ‘the feeling’ they are after and that’s why first impressions matter.

Styling your hallway is key and that means…

Decluttering – thin out the coats, the bags, the boots, the shoes and wrangle the scarves and gloves into a hallway storage bench so that the hallway is tidy. This also helps make it more appealing by giving a sense of space.

Make hallway storage a priority – no matter who buys your property, the hallway is a functional and practical space, something that you need to show. Emphasise its dimensions and functions with storage. There are many different hallway storage ideas, such as a hallway bench to a reclaimed wood hallway cabinet or narrow console table.

Hooks – if there is one storage item that can solve a range of problems in the hallway it is the humble hook. From coat hooks to a wooden shoe rack, the simplest solutions are often the best. BUT, just keep one or two coats per person in the hallway other it can look like a growing mountain of coats and jackets!

Lighting – a warm, soft glow from a table lamp on the hallway table, window ledge or console table is a must. Remember, to create the right impression you want to appeal to all the senses. Lighting helps the space to feel welcoming, as well as being a practical addition.

Gentle scent – a welcoming scent is important too. You can opt for a fresh flower display, ideal for perching on the hallway small console table or you could also light a scented candle (opt for a gentle floral scent). Similarly, diffusers also work well in the hall as their gentle perfume is wafted around as people move through the space. Remember to regularly turn the reeds, so they don’t lose their fragrance.

Mirrors – don’t underestimate the power of the mirror in the hallway. Perfect for reflecting light about, its reflective surface also makes the space feel bigger. But it also has another important role too and that is, ‘anchoring’ hallway furniture in the space available. For example, behind a piece of reclaimed wood furniture in the hallway, such as the console table, a large mirror hung a few inches above its top gives a sense of grandeur to the room but also gives the item a definite place in the order of the room. Try it – you’ll be amazed at the difference it makes.

Alongside practical flooring – a hard floor with a hallway rug for texture and colour is great in this space – if the hallway ticks all the right boxes, the viewing will go from strength to strength.

The Latest Lighting Trends Lighting up our World

Cluster of bare bulbs hanging from ceiling

Lighting in the home is both a practical element as well as a tool for creating ambience to a space. From the hallway and the living room to the bedroom and beyond, choosing stylish lighting will be top of your list. But what are the current trends? From glass table lamps to natural materials, we take you through the top trends for 2020.

Natural materials are still hot

Last season, we saw the re-emergence of natural materials such as bamboo and wicker. Although many still think of these materials as a throwback to the 70s and only for outdoor furniture, they have proved their worth in terms of stylish pendant lights in recent times. In the coming year, with the emphasis remaining on making better decisions in terms of materials and their impact on the environment, bamboo and wicker will remain stylish options.

Recycled and reclaimed materials

Recycled and reclaimed materials will also remain top of the list when it comes to stylish lighting solutions in the home. Think recycled glass table lamps or wood chip pendant ceiling lights to complement your reclaimed wood furniture.

More refined industrial lighting

The industrial style is never far from the headlines, but as with all interior themes, there are always slight tweaks and changes to bring it up to date. This is true of the industrial style lighting coming our way this season. With a more refined edge, industrial pendant lighting still has its place in the kitchen and dining area. Opt for dining room lighting with a slightly retro feel about it.

Edison style bulbs

If you want to give your lighting a lift but without changing the fitting, you’ll be pleased to know there is a solution and it comes in the shape of Edison-style light bulbs. Mimicking the original light bulb, which was big, round and had a large filament on show, these bulbs make a great addition for kitchen pendant lighting as well as pendant ceiling lights in the hallway and table lamps too.

Mid-century modern lighting

The mid-century style is set to make a comeback in terms of lighting styles. However, this doesn’t mean hunting for a decadent chandelier. Instead, you are looking for pendant lighting that has glamour and the wow factors. Opt for pendant lighting that uses plenty of glass with a minimal fitting. Also, consider those pendant light fittings that are plentiful. In other words, clustered pendant lighting will work in any room.

Smart technology

If you haven’t joined the smart home technology revolution, then now is the time. There is some suggestion that smart lighting can save you money as you can switch off lights in the kitchen, hallway, bedrooms without leaving the comfort of the sofa ….

Better still, you don’t have to ditch your current light fittings. Simply get yourself hooked up with special bulbs and plugs, and your Google or Alexa home bug will guide you through the setup process.

Go with your own style

When all is said and done, lighting trends are only as current and popular if people like them and opt for them in their home. Make a statement – your statement – with lighting solutions that you love.