Create Layers of Light

Light layers should be placed to bounce illumination throughout a room and eliminate shadows from corners. In this living room, a burnished metal chandelier supplies overall light and visual interest. Twin sconces supply soft accent lighting and define the area around the fireplace and mirror. A scrolling floor lamp offers task lighting for the seating area.

Chandeliers

The most classic of all living room lighting fixtures is the chandelier. Generally positioned in the center of the room directly over the main seating area, these elaborate lighting fixtures are at once the room's main source of illumination and works of art. Their sculptural shapes fill the void between the ceiling and the living space, and their twinkling, often candle-shape bulbs provide a multipoint illumination that softens shadows and makes the room's highlights sparkle.

Sconces

Sconces are lighting fixtures that attach to the wall rather than the ceiling. They might be equipped with shades or with glass diffusers to soften their light, as they're often installed at or near eye level.

In living rooms, sconces are often installed in pairs, typically over the mantelpiece or on both sides of the fireplace. There they help define the room's focal point, and provide accent lighting that complements firelight when a low light level is appropriate, such as hosting after-dinner gatherings.

Decorative Sconces

Not all light fixtures are designed primarily for illumination. These chandelier-style sconces, for example, are accent lighting primarily designed to add shape, texture, and contrast to walls. Most sconces are symmetrically placed, flanking a focal point such as a fireplace or large mirror.

Recessed Lighting

For lots of light from an unobtrusive source -- such as the illumination needed in this living room -- it's hard to beat recessed lighting. With illumination provided by halogen, incandescent, or compact florescent bulbs, recessed can lights allow you to position a focused, downward-facing beam exactly where you need it. You can also overlap beams for overall lighting from a virtually invisible source. Dimmers and separate switches for various light banks allow you to change the character and emphasis of a room's illumination.

Floor Lamps

Floor lamps come in many styles; are portable, allowing for flexibility in use; and cast light up, down, and out simultaneously, producing an even light that minimizes harsh shadows. Floor lamps create interest at eye level, and their availability in many materials and designs means they fit any style of decor.

Fan Lights

Not to be confused with "fanlights" -- fan-shape windows, typically located above the entry doors on many Federal-style houses -- fan lights refer to lighting fixtures attached to ceiling fans.

These latter-day fan lights come in many varieties. They include multiple lamps on three or more arms extending from the bottom of the fan, or even contemporary-style mini spotlights that can be selectively aimed similar to track lighting.

Tip: Special bulbs rated for fan light use are recommended, as these are resistant to the vibration caused by the fan -- something that can cause regular bulbs to fail prematurely.

Living Room Skylights

Skylights are a dramatic way to bring daylight into a living room, and they are especially effective at adding sunshine to areas that window light can't reach. Because they face upward, skylights bring in a great deal of light for their size.

Consider a tubular skylight to bring light into a room in an area without much ceiling space. These fixtures pipe daylight in from a collector on the roof to a diffuser in the room's ceiling, without the expense of building a finished skylight well.