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Making the most of your living room lighting

Functional and cosy lighting in your living room is achieved with the right combination of lighting types. Discover the different types of lighting here. Use dimmers for the right ambience, highlight favourite artworks or wall decorations, and consider smart lighting for added convenience. With our tips, you can create a radiant living room with the perfect lighting that makes you feel at home.

Here's how to create a lighting plan.

A cosy living room with a rustic interior and various types of lighting.
A cosy living room with a rustic interior and various types of lighting.

General living room lighting

The lamp that illuminates everything: general lighting. This type of lighting illuminates a large part of the room at once with even light. This gives you a good overview of the room immediately. It softens the contrasts and shadows between lit and unlit areas. You can think of living room ceiling lighting, such as pendant lights, ceiling lights, and chandeliers

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A banana fibre ALSEDA stool in the living room
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Functional lighting in the living room

Functional lighting in the living room, also known as task lighting, is the living room lamp with a mission. Task lighting shines a concentrated, direct light on a specific area to help you focus on particular tasks such as studying, working, reading, or cooking. Examples of functional living room lighting include a floor lamp, wall lamp, desk lamp, or spotlight.

To stay focused for long periods without getting tired, you need a less bright lamp in addition to task lighting. This reduces contrast and helps your eyes relax. Think of good general lighting from a pendant lamp or ambient lighting nearby.

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Two students are sitting on the couch in the living room, playing cards under the light of a black TERTIAL desk lamp.
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Decorative living room lighting

The lamp that makes you feel good. Mood lighting softens the contrasts between general and task light to create a cosy, intimate atmosphere. Examples are lamps with a glass or paper shade, picture lighting and decorative lighting strings. A dimmer makes it easy to set a mood.

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A red BLÅSVERK table lamp on a sideboard in the living room.
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Combine different types of lighting for a beautiful, well-lit room

The secret to good lighting? Combining all three types of lighting – task, mood and general – in a room. When different types of lighting are used together, they create a well-blended overall light that results in a functional and comfortable atmosphere at home.

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A cosy living room with red walls and various types of lighting.
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No wall sockets nearby? Choose a cordless lamp

No wall sockets nearby? Or do you want to decorate in the centre of the living room? Cordless, battery-operated lamps are wonderful for adding light, minus electricity or cables.

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Two SONHULT nest tables stand in front of a SKÖNABÄCK 2-seat sofa-bed. A NÖDMAST LED portable lamp stands on one of them.
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Smart lighting: turn all your lights on and off with one click

Connect lamps wirelessly through smart lighting and you can turn them all on in one click – for an instantly beautiful, well-lit room the moment you enter it. Easy! It’s also great for mood lighting, so you can adjust the intensity of the light.

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Lights turn on and off in a dining room where a family is doing different activities throughout the day.
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A white SYMFONISK WiFi bookshelf speaker, a white DIRIGERA hub for smart products, a white remote control and a cable.

Wireless control of light and sound

Setting the atmosphere with the right light and the right sound couldn’t be easier than with everything connected to the DIRIGERA smart home hub. Simply open the app on your phone to take control.

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