How to Make a Large Sitting Room Look Cosy with Modern Lighting

A spacious interior is all well and good, but it is sometimes hard to make it appear cosy and welcoming. Clever positioning of furniture and the addition of attractive home accessories – such as throws, rugs, and artwork – can help to warm up a room, but modern lighting can also make a huge difference to the atmosphere, decor and appeal of an interior. Discover our top tips on how to make a large room look smaller with lighting and furniture.

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Ten Lighting Tricks to Make a Room Look Smaller

1. Layer your lighting – Whether you have a small or large room, it is always important to layer your traditional or modern lighting, so you can create different moods at the flick of a switch. Fortunately, you will have more space to do this with a larger room, so consider all forms of lighting such as ceiling lighting, wall lighting, side lamps and floor lamps to create a comfortable atmosphere. Pinpoint the main activity areas of the room first, as this should be the area that is lit the most, then focus on the various points of interest and background light.
2. Size matters – Make sure the lighting you choose is correct proportionally to the size of the room. The larger the room, the bigger the ceiling light or chandelier you can go for, and the same applies to furnishings.
3. Balance lighting – Matching side lamps on a console table will help fill a large living room and provide balance and harmony to your interior. One example of decorating a living room in this way is to put a sofa in the middle of the room, and to place a long console table behind it. (It doesn’t have to stretch the full length of the sofa). By adding a pair of matching table lamps, this will give the room a more intimate atmosphere as the lights will emit a soft, warm glow.
4. Use floor lamps – Another trick for a large living room is to have one or two decorative or sizeable floor standing lamps Your choice of lamp can either be traditional, with a neutral colour shade to blend with your existing decor (so you barely notice it is there), or you can chose a sculptural lamp that will create more of a focal point.
5. Invest in a table or reading lamp – If you have a corner that needs to be filled, one option is to transform this space into a reading area. Furnish it with a book case, a comfy arm chair, and a side table with a table or reading lamp, such as a banker’s lamp, on top. Or, if there is not enough room for a side table, you can place a side lamp on one of the shelves.
6. Add feature lights – If you have furnished your living room but you are still left with a substantial amount of wall space, you may want to place two occasional chairs against the wall for a cosy feel. You can use these extra chairs when guests come round. Place a console table between them and add one or two beautiful feature lights, such as Jenny Worrell table lamps, and place artwork above to fill the wall space.
7. Create areas of interest – With this in mind, try to avoid blank walls or large areas of space that are left unfurnished. Instead, create points of interest with lighting and furniture such as lighting up alcoves and placing lights on the either side of the fireplace to balance out the space and draw the eye to different areas of the home.
8. Don’t forget about wall lighting – Wall lighting and picture lighting sheds an instant soft glow and creates a wonderful, intimate atmosphere. It also fills up wall space and makes a living room feel snug and inviting.
9. Cluster lighting – Another way to change the feel of a room is to arrange lights and candles in clusters. Candles in the fireplace or side lamps in different sizes arranged in one area will shed a pool of light that adds just the right atmosphere for a romantic evening in.
10. Add a dramatic ceiling light – Modern lighting isn’t all about side lamps and floor lamps, you can also invest in some spectacular ceiling lights. If you have the space for it, buy two matching chandeliers and use a dimmer switch so you can change the atmosphere as and when you need to.

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