Lighting design can make or break the way your home looks and feels, so you must not compromise here. While we have written a lot about different kinds of lighting designs for your home, we thought it would be great to consolidate the information for the convenience of our readers. Read on to know everything about the types, trends, styles, as well as vastu ideas when it comes to home lighting design—along with other details!

What Should You Expect In This Article:

  • Types of lighting
  • A room-wise break-up of lighting
  • How to set the right ambience with lights
  • Smart lighting
  • Energy-savers
  • Lighting for the festive season
  • Vastu for lighting
  • The latest trends in lighting

Let’s Take You Through the Different Types of Lights First

We first need to know the different types of lighting design ideas for homes.

#1: Ambient Lighting

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Try out ambient lighting options for your home

When you want soft, even home lighting ideas, go for ambient lighting. Ambient lighting can count as natural light filtering into your home or a soft glow imparted by your indoor lights. The purpose of ambient lighting as house lighting design is to enhance the ambience of the home.

#2: Accent Lighting

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Make a grand entrance to your house by using accent lighting for the foyer

Accent lighting accentuates an area. When you want to create focused lighting to highlight a particular area or corner, you should opt for accent lighting. This is a good home lighting solution to showcase paintings and display shelves.

#3: Track Lighting

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Track lighting is a sleek and stylish lighting solution

Track lighting is a system that is attached to a continuous track device which contains electrical conductors. These house lighting ideas avoid individual wiring, connecting several lighting fixtures to one wiring system. This lighting is also used to create focal points in the house.

#4: Chandeliers

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Add character to your rooms with chandeliers

Like most things fancy and fashionable, chandeliers are originally French. These lighting fixtures offered tiered lighting to ensure that churches and palaces were brightly lit. It is, therefore, no wonder chandeliers have opulence written all over them. Contemporary versions of chandeliers retain most of the aesthetic elements of the classic ones for home lighting design.

We have curated a list of the best chandeliers. See this: When Lighting Becomes the Centrepiece

#5: Wall-Mounted Lights

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Save floor space with wall-mounted lights

Wall-mounted lights have one basic purpose—to save floor space. Counted as major space-savers for compact homes, wall-mounted lights come in many shapes and sizes. They can be used to light up a corner or illuminate the study table. Their biggest benefit, though, is that they are efficient home lighting design solutions for homes that have a space crunch.

#6: Recessed Lights

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Create even lighting with recessed lights

No conversation about home lighting design ideas is complete without recessed lighting. Recessed lighting is installed directly into the ceiling. It is somewhat of a must-have when installing a false ceiling. Recessed lighting creates even illumination in any room they are installed in.

#7: Cove Lights

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Enhance your ceilings with cove lights

This lighting is one of the basic lighting techniques. Cove lights are a type of uplight that direct light to the ceiling plane from a cove on one or more sides of a room. This type of lighting design is meant to provide overall diffuse illumination. The resulting illumination is soft and diffused, though it needn’t always be so. It works particularly well when placed above crown mouldings or hidden behind valances.

Want to know more about it? Read this: Want Your Home to Have That Soft Radiant Glow?

#8: Task Lighting

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Task lighting is great for under-cabinet illumination in the kitchen

Task lighting creates illumination for a specific spot. They are popular under-cabinet lights, especially in the kitchen. They are bright, comfortable and environment friendly. Task home lighting ideas focus on illuminating a specific task, maximising productivity.

#9: Pendant Lights

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Create focused lighting on the dining table with pendant lights

A pendant light is any light fixture that hangs down from the ceiling on a rod, chain. They are typically single fixtures but are also available as a set. . Whether you hang them in a corner, or make them the centre of attraction, hanging lights are perfect for any part of your home. You can opt for opulent, cascading pendant lighting to contemporary light fixtures, depending on how you see your home lighting design plan. They can be used as general lighting, area lighting or task lighting.

Go here to see the best of our pendants: 12 Pendant Light Options for 12 Moods

#10: Industrial Lights

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Give your home an edgy vibe with industrial lighting

Industrial design is marked by raw edges and rustic finishes. When it comes to industrial lighting ideas, they typically include naked bulbs, exposed ducts and ropes. Apart from adding a quirk factor to the interiors, these home lighting design ideas ensure that your home has an edgy vibe.

Go here to see how it adds to your interiors: We Can’t Get Enough of These Edgy Lights!

Do You Know What Kind of Bulbs Go Into Your Favourite Lights?

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Choose the right bulb for your lighting solutions

Lighting is an integral factor in designing the interiors of a home, not least because it determines the atmosphere and sets the mood. Lighting also affects the residents’ energy, sleep and productivity. Since every room in the house has different uses, it only makes sense to pick out a light bulb that serves the right purpose.

Go here to see the types of bulbs you can choose from: Did You Know What Bulb Works Best for Each Room in Your Home?

Different Rooms Require Different Kind of Lighting

This is not surprising, of course. When it comes to house lighting design, every spot serves a specific purpose. Here is a breakdown of house lighting ideas room-by-room.

#11: Foyer

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Get a grand opening with a well-lit foyer

There’s a lot more to home lighting design than functionality. In fact, designers say that the right lighting can elevate your interiors. And it starts right from the entrance of your home! Whether the entrance is wide, narrow or barely there, there are several ways to brighten your entryway in style. Spotlights in the entryway help highlight specific elements with an accent wall to create drama or they can be used as statement pieces to catch attention.

Check this out to know more: 9 Lighting Options for Your Entryway

#12: Living Room

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Add glitz and glam to your living room with the right lighting!

Living room lighting is all about adding glam and glitz with various fixtures. Timeless chandeliers never seem to go out of style, while wall sconces are perfect mood lighting. If you don’t want to waste floor space, you can always go for a table lamp instead of a floor lamp.

Want to know more? Go here: 8 Living Room Lighting Options to Set the Mood

#13: Bedroom

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Aim to use dimmable lights in the bedroom for better sleep

Bedroom lights can affect your mood and sleep patterns. However, it is now easier to get lighting that can be changed with just a flick of a switch. We always advice homeowners to get dimmable lights for this house lighting design. You can also opt for pendant lights, cove lights and various other options available in the market.

For a lowdown on bedroom lights, go here: Bedroom Lighting Options for Every Mood & Need

#14: Dining Room

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Pick a statement piece for your dining room design

Amongst all the common areas in the house, the dining area holds a special place in our hearts. It brings family and friends together for conversations over some good food. So, wouldn’t you love to shine some light on this zone and in style? From cascading pendants to subtle recessed lights, whatever your style is, we have a home lighting design solution for everyone.

Want to know which are the best lights for your dining room? Read this: Handpicked Lighting Styles for Your Dining Room

#15: Kid’s Bedroom

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Keep aesthetics and safety in mind for the kids room

Lighting is especially important in kids’ rooms where safety is paramount. Thus, the perfect home lighting design idea is one that is fun and functional. Pendant lights can be used over task areas like a study table or a high-ceilinged play area. The quintessential table lamp is yet another kids’ room lights variation that provides task lighting.

Which other lights are perfect for your kid’s room? Read this to know: Go Beyond Basics to Light Up Kids Rooms

#16: Home Temple

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Use decorative as well as illuminating lighting for the pooja room

The divine space is not to be neglected. House lighting ideas in the pooja room should serve the purpose of lighting it evenly. However, you can also opt for decorative lights. For example, use lighting fixtures behind the jaali pattern to accentuate the idol.

#17: Kitchen

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Light your kitchen properly with several fixtures

Kitchen lighting should light up every corner. For an important activity like cooking, a mix of recessed and task lighting is preferred. Task lights are ideal for under the cabinets as they are bright and create a focused lighting for the same.

#18: Bathroom

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You can also use LED mirrors in the bathroom

Bathroom lights are one of the key features of bathroom design. It is advisable to use more than one type of lighting. For example, use pendant or task lights for the bathroom mirror as you need a focused light to do your makeup or shave. You can install ambient lighting over the shower/bathtub to create a relaxing environment.

To know the details, go here: Creative Bathroom Lighting Ideas

#19: Study Room

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Under-shelf lights help create the right focus

In the study, our primary intent is always to focus optimally and finish work efficiently. To this end, pretty & functional study room lighting is usually preferred. Pick a quiet room with plenty of natural light. Task lighting is apt here as well. You can also install recessed or track lighting to achieve a similar objective.

#20: Corners

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Light up corners with lamps, wall-mounted lights and pendants

Lights play a crucial role in setting the mood of a room. From regal chandeliers to intricately carved wall sconces, you have a diverse range of options to choose from to add a spark to your decor. So if you want a comprehensive list of home lighting design options including pendant lights, backlit panels etc, to brighten up dull corners in your home, go here: How to Light Up Corners at Home.

21: Garden/Balcony

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Set the mood in the balcony with ambient lighting

On balmy evenings, nothing feels nicer than to relax in the garden with a refreshing drink and good company. However, a poorly lit or unlit garden remains an inaccessible space at night. Remedy this by choosing from garden lights to take your garden from basic to luxe.

Go here to know the right kind of lighting for your garden: Great Ways to Light Up Your Garden

Do You Know How to Set the Right Ambience With Lighting Design?

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Play with lighting to create the right ambience

Ambient lighting can instantly lift the mood of any room. It makes the space warm and inviting. So we’ll tackle it one at a time by starting with recessed lights, a.k.a., false ceiling lights. Recessed lights emit light through the panels in a false ceiling. However, there are several ways house lighting design can be made ambient.

Want to know how to enhance the ambience with lights? Check these out: Fancy False Ceiling Lights for Your Home, 5 Lighting Options for Great Ambience

Let’s Give You a Lowdown on Smart Lights and Their Uses

Decorative & Customisable Smart Switches are Here! Switchboards have undergone quite the evolution over the years. We have seen bug,  round switches, conventional, retrofit options and now, smart home switches. Today, when  you design your home, the switchboards in your room can match up to the look, seamlessly. While the first ‘smart’ object you think of is inevitably your phone, it’s merely the beginning of a huge list. Among these are smart lights—lights that you can use and control through an app on your phone. And by controlling, we mean switching on and off, and sometimes changing the brightness. This is why we love Philips Hue smart lights.

We All Love Energy-Savers, Don’t We?

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Use LED lighting to save up on bills

LED lights are quite popular in the Indian market ever since it gained popularity for being energy-efficient. People today are looking at the larger picture and opting for LED lights instead of fluorescent bulbs. The former might cost you a tad bit more than the latter, but the durability, functionality and efficiency are unmatched.

Check this out to know more about energy efficiency: Smart LED Lights for a Smarter Home

We Also Have Festive Home Lighting Design Ideas for You

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Light it right this festive season

Lights play a vital role in how we perceive any home. And festive seasons offer us a great opportunity to enhance our decor with gorgeous traditional lighting. From the biggest rooms to the quietest corners, festive lights can breathe life into every nook and cranny of your home.

Check this out for a range of festive lights: Traditional Lights to try This Diwali

And There Are Vastu Rules for Lighting As Well

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Make your home lighting solutions vastu compliant

What’s the point of having great interiors if you cannot highlight them with great lighting? Your home is where your heart is and it deserves to light up in a way that brings ultimate joy to you. Vastu Shastra has some good tips for extracting maximum benefit from lights for your home.

Read this to know the rules: Light Up the Way to Prosperity With Vastu

We hope now you are better prepared to purchase the right lights for every space at home! For the latest trends in lighting, read these: 5 Amazing Lighting Trends That Will Suit Any Home, Lighting Options Ranked by Homeowners

Check out lighting tips for your home:

How Can Livspace Help You?

If you want beautiful interiors for your home, then look no further. Book an online consultation with Livspace today. If you have any thoughts and suggestions you’d like to share with us, we’re all ears! Drop us a line at editor@livspace.com.