This is why I chose not to follow this key lighting trend

The era of great enlightenment is officially over. It’s not that chandeliers and large central pendants aren’t beautiful, or spectacular, or that they can’t add a fabulous finishing touch to a room, but when was the last time you lit one, except maybe when you were looking for something. ? And then you turned it off as soon as you found this thing? Using big lights for lighting ideas, you see, is now decorative rather than functional.

Of course, I installed big lights in every room of my house, very striking pieces like the large round chandelier, hanging for my living room lighting ideas (as seen at the top of this page.) I don’t don’t regret it for a moment. instant – it’s a piece of art that I adore and never fails to make you gasp when someone new enters the room. But realistically, I rarely turn it on, favoring instead the glow of the sconces around the edge of the room and the serene, orb-like glow of the table lamp seen over the fireplace.

And now I wonder if I were to advise someone who is new to a renovation and looking for ways to cut costs, would I suggest not including any big lights at all?

Why designers don’t use big lights in their projects

dark blue living room with orange sofa and wall light

(Image credit: Uliana Grishinaa. Design by Studio Enass)

“I love the vibe of wall sconces,” says Molly Kidd, creative director and lead designer of Oregon-based studio Light and Dwell. She recently completed a project in the woods outside Portland, a house with the feel of an English cottage, with almost no light. “The ceilings were very low, only 8 feet high, so it was important that the wall sconces were the main feature,” she says.

And that vibe she’s referring to is one that’s attracting designers right now. That feeling of being gently enveloped by the light, rather than totally surprised by it (a feeling you can sometimes get from an overzealous ceiling light).

It’s an approach taken by designer Enass Mahmoud of Studio Enass for this apartment above. “Wall sconces, paired with Farrow and Ball’s Hague Blue on the walls, will bounce light sparklingly around the room, elevating it,” says Enass. She added floor and table lamps for good measure, but veered away from a ceiling light. “Small moments, lit individually, are a great way to add character to a space,” she says. “And they reflect like sparkles on the colors of the cocooning walls. I’m really loving Little Greene’s Red Arras and Farrow and Ball’s Deep Reddish Brown at the moment. Both are reddish brown and work wonderfully with brass, gold and antique fixtures.

living room with fireplace, wall light and mirror

(Image credit: Arteriors London)

Meanwhile, even famous lighting designers find big lights to be a hindrance – pun intended. “I’m not completely against statement pieces,” says Michael Anastassiades, internationally known for designing lighting for decades. “But the problem is that after the first enthusiasm and the first impact, the wow factor disappears and they start to feel less exciting.”

“I don’t find it comfortable to over-light a space,” says Los Angeles-based interior designer Jake Arnold. “Too much overhead lighting, other than in the kitchen, just doesn’t work for me. In fact, I would go so far as to say that you shouldn’t have an overhead light. Having a new ceiling is not very luxurious.

How to light houses without much light

A living room with peach walls with a green armchair and coordinated lamps and wall sconces

(Image credit: OKA)

Another world-renowned lighting designer who turned against big light is Tom Dixon. “Of course, I’m not going to say that people don’t need one of my pendants for their ceiling,” he says. “But I don’t recommend a flood of lighting from above, which can be really unflattering. Spotlights, in particular, have this effect. Instead, wash rooms in light – place sticky LED strips under counters and behind sofas, spread out lights, and think of different lights as adding texture rather than just lighting.

Michael agrees that layering is key. “The idea that we have a central light in the middle of the room and expect everything to be lit by it, well, that’s impossible,” he says. “All the poetry has disappeared. Instead, it’s nice to be able to spread the light at different heights in the room and be able to combine different glows depending on what you’re trying to do. A mix of floor lamps, table lamps and wall sconces is the smartest – and most flexible – approach.

He also warns against the spotlight. “I’ve never been a big fan of the idea of turning on a spotlight to highlight a piece of art or an object you’ve purchased,” he says. “There is a beauty in allowing the light around an object to change rather than being completely constant. A house is not a museum. A spotlight forces you to focus on where it’s pointed and never lets you experience a work of art when dusk approaches, for example, or from the perspective of candlelight. And these lower lighting levels can cause such magic!’

pink living room with large black and white artwork on a side panel, metal wall light above a record player

(Image credit: Graham & Green)

Final Thoughts

This leads me to understand why designers no longer favor great light. As Michael says, there’s a magic in pools of softer lighting, and I so enjoy the feeling of reading under a floor lamp placed right behind my accent chair, angled away from my book. It’s safe, gentle and calming in a way a large center light never could.

But that doesn’t mean I no longer believe in the ceiling light. In fact, what I would suggest instead is to always invest in a statement piece, an embellishment similar to adding jewelry to an outfit, but instead hang it in the corner of a room, so that it doesn’t take over the room. the whole space, and maybe just illuminates your reading chair.

An empty ceiling, completely devoid of lighting, would look very strange, and there are times – of course – when you need to turn on the ceiling light bulbs. But instead focus on casual lighting and the art of the mini pool of light, a key lighting trend that’s here to stay.

We explore more elements of the great light debate in our dedicated article.