Light Ambience/decorating ideas, please

[fraidycat]

Today the Christmas tree came down. And with it, the soft, cozy lighting that makes the living room feel more inviting and warm (not literally) for a month or so each year.

I'd like to replicate that feel the rest of the year, but I totally suck at home decor and lighting. And truthfully, this is my first real attempt at it since we are, for the first time in almost 20 years of marriage, finally in a long-term home that we bought a few months ago.

Does the Hive have any awesome tips, tricks, or advice? Maybe, Pinterest or blog links that you've stumbled across?

 

[Carrie12345]

What’s your existing lighting like?  Supposedly, dimmer switches are real easy to install. I have it in mind for future possibilities, but the lighting in my current house already stinks so there’s no point in turning it down, lol.

[Pawz4me]

I'm generally hopeless at this stuff, but I read an article a month or so ago about lighting to make a room cozy. One thing I remember is that it said your lighting should be at varying heights--no matching lamps on matching end tables. I looked around our living room and realized I'd accidentally achieved that. I have a trio of battery operated candles on the mantle, a floor lamp, a salt lamp on a bookcase unit, and a small lamp on another table. They're all at least slightly different heights from each other.

[DawnM]

I was thinking the same thing.   I do have a ficus I added fairy lights to and it is a mock type Christmas tree when the Christmas tree is down.

but I also did this to one of my windows.   I found the sheers at the thrift store for $3 for all the panels and I sewed them together.   I bought fairy lights from amazon, I think they were $12.   they can twinkle, flash, or stay on steady.   

 

[wintermom]

Candles are amazing in the winter for light ambience. Tea lights are really safe, and IKEA and craft stores usually have lots of different holders.

You can also get indoor table top fire pits and lights that are pretty neat.

Edited January 11, 2021 by wintermom

[alisoncooks]

Our living room has a rather harsh overhead light, but we rarely use it (only for art projects or playing board games).  Instead, we have several smallish lamps in the room. Two are connected to a light switch, so they come on as room lights. Another one is mostly used when someone sits in the adjacent chair. I think it makes the room cozy and warm. 

[fraidycat]

Thank you all!

Currently we do have fluorescent lights on a dimmer switch that run the length of one wall, behind a wooden valance, above the living room window. All of that will probably be removed when we renovate and although the light level can be controlled, it's not really cozy feeling in my opinion.

Beyond that, the only other light source is the ceiling light that sort of straddles the living room and front entry way. It is not centered in one or the other, but between the two. Again, it's not overly brightening to the room, but also not inviting and cozy.

Real fire sources such as candles and fire pits would be beautiful. But, we have 3 curious cats, so I wouldn't feel comfortable with them.

I'll look at fairy lights for plants and varying levels and styles of lamps and battery operated candles.

I really appreciate the input.

[KatieJ]

Maybe look for a softer, less harsh bulb for the fluorescent fixture.

I believe my husband has said  dimmers are NOT good for those kind of fixtures...he’s a plant engineer...

Edited January 11, 2021 by KatieinMich

[PeterPan]

Do you have lamps on timers? One key is to have layers of light. So you can your overall lighting, but then put something on the counter, something on a side table, even something in an outlet near the floor. We have toe kick lights under our cabinets that are just simple rope lighting you can buy at Home Depot. It comes in colors, so watch the color temp. You can also install this rope lighting on top of your cabinets. 

I have some lighting I had to put away. When I got married 20+ years ago, they were doing these art glass reproduction type fixtures that came in shapes. LOVE them. But ds is rough, so they're put away. But I have a turtle in that that can sit on the floor and give light.

We do a lot with nightlights with sensors. It gives a layer of light, not too much. Try Home Depot.

I have multiple lamps with timers or easy switches. That way I don't have to go over and turn them on to get that ambiance. Lamps don't hae to cost a light and spreading them around and different heights can draw you in and warm the space. Do you have a lamp in your bedroom?

Also, the flip side is to draw the curtains at night or consider how your outdoor lighting (or lack of lighting) affects how your interior feels. I know people who live in the city who draw their curtains nightly as habit. I live in the country, so I don't. However we have outdoor lighting that comes on with timers. You can have them permanently installed by an electrician, or you can again just do them inexpensive with a trip to Home Depot. A small dab of outdoor lighting might give some glow *into* your house so you don't feel like the outside is coming in.

The days have gotten REALLY LONG so the dark starts SO EARLY right now, oh my. Also make extra effort to turn your overhead lights on, crank it up, and keep things happy a bit longer. Then, about 7 or 8pm I start to wind it down, turning down overhead lights and switching to cans, the lamps that turn on with timers, etc. Think about these layers and how you want it to feel at each time of day. I wouldn't want my house to be lit the same way at 5pm as it is at 9pm, kwim?

How is your vitamin D? That's another thing to watch.

[lmrich]

You might try some lamps instead/addition to the overhead lighting. I think it is much softer. 

Battery operated candles are so very nice if you can not have the real kind. 

If you have a fireplace and a mantle, decorate it to be warm and cozy and use the fairy lights or Christmas lights to help it. 

[history-fan]

Plow and hearth have pretty birch trees with lighting- I’ve been looking at them too since we’ve taken down the Christmas tree

[Familia]

I have something similar to Dawn’s set up.  
I had decorated our normally unused curtain rod with a long swag curtain enveloping a strand of fairy lights from Amazon. It was framing the Christmas tree last year, and, like you, I like Christmas lighting so much & how it warms up a lock room that I decided to keep it year round. 

[Ditto]

In our home we never use overhead lighting.  Ever.  I have lots of lamps, both floor and table.  We only use those.  I also don't buy LED bulbs because they are just too harsh.  I buy the old light bulbs in 40 watt.  Nothing over 40 watt.  It provides soft lighting and makes the rooms very warm and cozy.

[Ditto]

1 hour ago, Familia said:

I have something similar to Dawn’s set up.  
I had decorated our normally unused curtain rod with a long swag curtain enveloping a strand of fairy lights from Amazon. It was framing the Christmas tree last year, and, like you, I like Christmas lighting so much & how it warms up a lock room that I decided to keep it year round. 

This is just beautiful. 

[fraidycat]

5 hours ago, KatieinMich said:

Maybe look for a softer, less harsh bulb for the fluorescent fixture.

I believe my husband has said  dimmers are NOT good for those kind of fixtures...he’s a plant engineer...

Yeah, I've never seen a dimmer on fluorescent fixtures before, and they will be coming down when we do some updating because I don't love them.

[Familia]

4 hours ago, Ditto said:

In our home we never use overhead lighting.  Ever.  I have lots of lamps, both floor and table.  We only use those.  I also don't buy LED bulbs because they are just too harsh.  I buy the old light bulbs in 40 watt.  Nothing over 40 watt.  It provides soft lighting and makes the rooms very warm and cozy.

I was going to say the same thing...namely, “...never use overhead lighting.”  I have been to friends homes, where they wonder at the lack of ambiance in their own rooms, yet they do not realize that the overhead lighting they are using are the main killer to ambiance!

[PeterPan]

3 hours ago, fraidycat said:

Yeah, I've never seen a dimmer on fluorescent fixtures before, and they will be coming down when we do some updating because I don't love them.

https://www.amazon.com/Pack-F8T5-WW-Fluorescent-3000K/dp/B00TJ6XO4A/ref=sr_1_2?crid=2P4UHN077F928&dchild=1&keywords=warm+flourescent+tubes&qid=1610419249&sprefix=warm+floru%2Caps%2C189&sr=8-2  You might be able to find the bulbs in a warmer color spectrum. Also, depending on the fixture, you can put filters over them. It's pretty common in offices that cater to spectrum, because people with ASD can be very sensitive to color, light, etc. https://www.amazon.com/s?k=flourescent+fixture+filters&ref=nb_sb_noss

As you're looking at these newer types of bulbs, they may say "daylight" which will be more blue. That light can be very alerting and is good when you want to be awake and work. So looking for bulbs that are listed as "warm" can be more toward a yellow cast instead of blue, and they can be more relaxing. 

[Familia]

DO NOT FEAR the LED!

Ok, I want to educate you all on color temperature of bulbs, too.  I feel so strongly about this.  DH, knowing that I am a fan of 40 or 60 warm light incandescent bulbs has been trying for years to change out lightbulbs in our home to more efficient models.  First the compact fluorescent or CFL bulbs were a joke and cost a fortune to die a quick death!  Now, it is LED.  But, wait!  @Ditto, they no longer have to be harsh.  They are doing AMAZING things with lightbulbs these days!  It is all about color temperature (on the Kelvin scale).  DH thinks 3000K will satisfy me.  NO...I am a 2700K kinda gal.  I can spot a 3K and return it in a jiffy.  Here are a few links that helped me learn about color temperature of bulbs (our new island fixture will have the candelabra bulbs from Home Depot, linked below...the rest of the room will be ‘land a plane’ lighting that DH prefers)

A little education re: LED lights...scroll down to see where my screen shot came from showing a chart of the color temperature range.  https://www.homedepot.com/c/ab/types-of-led-lights/9ba683603be9fa5395fab9011a91d53

Nightlight bulbs to fill all my little nightlights in the bathrooms.  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B079M3BK5Y/ref=tsm_1_tp_tc

This is the bulb I purchased to give an amber glow to our kitchen fixture: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Philips-40-Watt-Equivalent-BA11-Dimmable-Vintage-Edison-LED-Candle-Light-Bulb-Candelabra-Base-Amber-Warm-White-2000K-556845/310855721

Edited January 12, 2021 by Familia

[PeterPan]

10 minutes ago, Familia said:

This is the bulb I purchased to give an amber glow to our kitchen fixture: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Philips-40-Watt-Equivalent-BA11-Dimmable-Vintage-Edison-LED-Candle-Light-Bulb-Candelabra-Base-Amber-Warm-White-2000K-556845/310855721

Ooo, very nice!! I confess I've been avoiding using the fixture in my master because it takes this type of bulb. I was afraid once it's used up (in incandescents) I wouldn't have a nice version in the new kind. Well now I know I will!