Do you want your home to look like it was designed as one cohesive unit?
If you’re like most people, you tackle rooms as individual projects. Choosing lighting in one room, picking fixtures in another without thinking of how it all flows together.
Sometimes your house can end up looking patchwork-y.
Your rooms don’t have to be mismatched and lack a sense of cohesion.
Ready for a secret?
One of the easiest ways to create cohesion with your decor is through lighting. Lighting fixtures and chandeliers can help tie rooms together throughout your entire home.
In this article you’ll learn:
- Why Lighting Matters
- Selecting Chandeliers and Fixtures That Work Together
- Creating Cohesion Room-by-Room
- Avoiding Mismatched Lighting Décor
Why Lighting Matters
Lighting sets the tone in a room. Accentuates architectural features. Separates spaces.
But it can also help create visual flow throughout your house.
Think about how someone walks through your home…
Their eyes are naturally drawn to light. Bright spaces stand out to them. So if you have completely different lighting styles in every room it can look… chaotic.
But what if your fixtures shared common design features?
A Lutron/Harris Poll survey found that 91% of U.S. homeowners agree that quality lighting is key to their home’s design. Lighting truly is important when creating that beautiful home you desire.
You just have to pick the right chandeliers and lighting fixtures.
It doesn’t mean you must have the same light in every room. That would look pretty boring. But your fixtures should have some similarity that guides someone through your home.
Selecting Chandeliers and Fixtures That Work Together
Okay, let’s get into the nitty gritty of things.
When selecting light fixtures that will look good throughout your entire home. First, you have to know what your common threads are.
Think of common threads as those design elements you’ll repeat in various lighting fixtures.
Common threads can be:
- Metal finishes. Brushed nickel, Matte black, Antique brass, Chrome, etc.
- Style of fixture. Modern, Traditional, Farmhouse, Transitional
- Shape/Design Language. Curved vs Angular, geometric vs organic, etc.
- Materials Used. Glass, fabric shades, metal, wood, etc.
Once you pick two or three of these common threads you’ll be able to furnish your entire home while making each room have that “connected” feeling.
For instance…
You may choose a glamorous brass chandelier for your dining room. But then pick brass sconces for your hallway. The shapes of the fixtures may vary, but that golden shine will connect them.
Don’t think you have to stick to just one collection either.
In fact, I think mixing and matching various pieces typically looks better. You want to have that balanced ratio of similar and different.
Creating Cohesion Room-by-Room
You may also have different style themes in each room of your house.
That’s perfectly okay and understandable. But that doesn’t mean they can’t complement each other.
Think about flow when lighting a room. Or in this case, rooms.
Entry/Hallways
This is where you really want to make a statement in your home. Your entryway can feature that statement chandelier we talked about.
Something that embodies the design elements you want to carry through each room.
Since hallways typically have less foot traffic, you don’t need to go crazy on fixtures. Wall sconces or a simple flush mount can suffice.
Make sure their finish matches that of your entryway fixture.
Living Areas
When thinking of lighting for living rooms or family rooms. We want to create layers of lighting.
This includes table lamps, floor lamps, and overhead fixtures. Keep your metallic finishes cohesive amongst all of these.
You can do this by having a show stopping chandelier or pendant light.
Then supplement it with other light fixtures that have similar design styles.
Kitchen and Dining Room
These rooms flow together for a lot of homes now. Which is why you’ll want to coordinate the pendant lights you choose for your kitchen island with your dining room chandelier.
They don’t have to be identical, but grab one with the same finish or general design style.
Bedroom
Bedrooms can get away with being a little more “you.” However, you shouldn’t totally go off the grid with your bedroom lighting.
You still want those bedside lamps and main overhead fixtures to match the overall aesthetics of your home.
This is crucial if you have open floor plans or allow others to see into your bedrooms from hallways.
Bathroom
Lastly, bathroom lighting. It’s often not something we think of when decorating our homes. But bathroom lighting should flow with other lighting nearby.
If you have a brushed nickel sconce for your master bathroom vanity, maybe grab something in that same finish for your bedroom overhead fixture.
Small things like this will create continuity.
Common Décor Mistakes to Avoid
Picking the right fixtures is only half the battle.
Watch out for these decor pitfalls:
Using too many finishes. I recommend sticking to two, maybe three metal finishes throughout your home. Any more and it will look cluttered.
Lighting that is out of scale. Something super small in a large room will look very out of place. As well as something too big in a small room.
Proportion is everything!
Inconsistent bulb temperature. You can have all your fixtures match each other, but if you have warm light bulbs in some rooms and cool light bulbs in others it will be noticeable.
Try and stick with the same temperature throughout your home.
Matchy-matchy lighting. While lighting should have similarities throughout your home. Every light shouldn’t look like it belongs in a showroom.
Home should be lived in and that includes your lighting. According to Adobe Digital Insights, 57% percent of home décor buyers look to social media for inspiration. Use Pinterest for ideas but remember you aren’t decorating a photo shoot.
Wrapping it Up
Creating cohesion with your lighting is possible.
Once you identify what your common design elements are you can start implementing them room to room.
Variety is always fun, but too much will ruin the style you are going for. Stay consistent with those two or three common threads you chose when lighting your home.
- Pick two or three metallic finishes and try to stick with them.
- Keep your style similar with each light fixture.
- Use a variety of light types in each room.
- Think of how each room flows to one another.
Lighting helps create that visual flow when someone is moving about your home.
You don’t need to go out and buy every light at once. Pick the main areas that someone will see when they walk into your home and start there.
The more you replace old fixtures with new ones that match your common design themes. The more cohesive your home will look.
A well-decorated home that came together as one… not a bunch of rooms thrown together.