The Ultimate Guide to Lighting Your Home

Table lamps sit beautifully on side tables or hallway dressers and are perfect for focusing light in a particular area. If you have a reading nook, a work space or simply a corner of your room that needs a little brightening up, we would recommend featuring one.

Top tip: When positioning a table lamp, the bottom of the shade should be slightly below your line of sight. Shorter, squatter designs pull a scheme in, making a space feel cosier; taller designs add height and elegance.

Wall lights are considered the most classic form of lighting. They require no floor or table space and are best suited to simple uncluttered schemes. They look wonderful in pairs placed either side of a fireplace, work of art, or along a hallway.

Top tip: Position your wall lights higher up on the wall to make the room feel larger, or lower down to create an intimate atmosphere. Dimmer bulbs are also popular as thet add an extra level of control in lighting your home.

Pendants are best utilised where you want light focused from above. They are commonly found above dining tables or kitchen islands as well as in entrance halls. Along with being practical, there are some truly striking pendant designs which double up as beautiful works of art.

Top tip: Hang a selection of pendants together at different heights to create an attractive installation.

Floor lamps are ideal if you’re lacking table-top space. They typically provide more light than a table lamp, but can be a lot bulkier, so choose a tall and slender base if this is a concern. Alternatively, a mixture of floor and table lamps arranged at different heights creates balance and harmony.

Top tip: Place your floor lamp in the corner of your room to reflect light back into the centre.

The type of lampshade to go for will depend on the lamp base and interior style...

As a general rule, if you have a rounded base, then a round shade such as a drum or empire in a similar or complementary shade will look most at home. If you want an eye-catching piece, consider a round shade on an angular base or vice versa.

You should also think about the surrounding décor and how the shade will fit in with or stand out from this. A shade with straight sides can look striking against an abstract wallpaper design, while one with tapered sides can provide welcome relief in an otherwise geometrically styled space. 

For table lamps, select a shade at least three quarters the height of the base to achieve a balanced look. If it’s a particularly squat base, you can pair it with a wider shade, whereas a slender base will often call for a narrower shade.

Floor lamps can usually accommodate shades with a minimum diameter of 45cm, depending on the size of the base. Skinny floor lamps can appear ‘top heavy’ with wide shades, while tripod styles often need one to balance their wider base.

We know that it can be tricky to achieve that ‘interior designer look’ so we’ve pulled together our insider tips for finding that stylish cushion arrangement to perfectly suit your home.

From long established designs dating back to Victorian times to modern hanging lanterns, we have chosen the top luxury ceiling lights that will look spectacular in your home.