Getting living room mood lighting right can feel like a balancing act. Go too bright and the space feels stark, but leave it too dim and it quickly tips into gloomy rather than cosy. The trick is to find a lighting design that adapts to how you actually use the room.
Mood lighting is all about layers. From overhead pendants to table lamps and wall lights, each source has a role to play – and with dimmers or accent lights in the mix, you can shift the atmosphere in seconds. A soft glow beside the sofa sets the scene for winding down, while a brighter scheme lifts the mood when you’re entertaining.
To help you strike the perfect balance, we’ve asked designers and lighting experts to share how they approach mood lighting. Their advice is full of simple, achievable ideas that prove you don’t need a complete overhaul to step up your living room lighting ideas and create a space that feels just as good as it looks.
1. Stop relying on ceiling lights alone
The classic pendant is often seen as the centrepiece of a living room, but on its own, it rarely delivers any atmosphere. As Danielle Le Vaillant, head of photography & film at Cox & Cox, explains: “In most living rooms, the main pendant light is for show and is more of a statement piece than for practicality. Hence why it's becoming more popular to add wall lights for atmosphere and to highlight special aspects of the space.”
Overhead spotlights can be equally unforgiving, casting a glare that feels anything but relaxing. Thalia Shaw, founder of Sparkle Lighting, warns against relying on them: “Overhead spotlights can often feel too bright and harsh in a living room — a space that’s usually meant for unwinding. Instead, layering softer lights like table lamps and strings of decorative lights creates a warm, inviting atmosphere that’s perfect for relaxing, watching television, or curling up with a good book.”
So, while ceiling lighting in a living room can add bags of style, the real magic happens when you combine these fittings with softer, more versatile sources of light. If your living room is still ruled by a lone pendant or harsh spotlight, consider introducing rechargeable wall sconces or plug-in lamps; they're an easy way to introduce extra layers without the hassle of rewiring.
Danielle Le Vaillant is Head of Photography & Film at Cox & Cox, where she has spent over a decade helping to showcase the brand’s distinctive furniture, lighting and homeware collections.
Thalia Shaw is the founder of Sparkle Lighting, a brand specialising in decorative lighting designed to add warmth and character to the home. She is passionate about creating inviting, atmospheric spaces through thoughtful light design.
2. Layer your living room lighting
If there’s one golden rule of mood lighting, it’s this: never stop at one light source. A single pendant might do the job of brightening a room, but, as we've discovered, it won't provide much ambience. A living room feels more inviting when light comes from different directions, at different heights, and in different intensities.
Victoria Robinson, style and trend expert at Hillarys, explains: “Creating effective mood lighting in a living room is all about layering different types of light to achieve both functionality and atmosphere. I always recommend starting with a central ambient light, such as a pendant or ceiling fixture, to provide general illumination. From there adding task lighting — like table lamps beside sofas or armchairs — ensures that areas used for reading or working are well-lit. Accent lighting, such as wall sconces, picture lights, or LED strips tucked behind shelves, brings depth and character to the space, highlighting architectural features or treasured artworks.”
Try to think of your lighting scheme as a series of layers that can be adjusted throughout the day. During daylight hours, ambient and task lighting might do most of the heavy lifting, but come evening, accent lighting steps in to soften the edges and create a cosier glow.
Victoria Robinson is a style and trend expert at Hillarys, with a background in product design for curtains and blinds. She has a keen eye for how lighting works alongside soft furnishings to create atmosphere in the home.
3. Always be mindful of the temperature of your bulbs
It’s easy to focus on lamp styles and placement, but the light itself matters just as much. The colour temperature of your bulbs can dramatically alter how your living room feels from day to night, and it’s the difference between cosy and cocooning space or sterile feeling one.
Rachel Morris, smart lighting expert at 4lite, explains: “You can easily transform a room by switching between bright white light for a fresh, invigorating feel and a warm white glow for a cosy living room on a winter’s day. The trick is choosing the right temperature for the right room.”
She adds: “For living rooms, bright, cool white lights can be too stark and even chilling, while warm yellow hues offer a soft, visual warming effect. Choose a colour temperature of under 2,500 kelvins which emit yellow hues for a warmer feel.”
“Using smart bulbs in place of ordinary light bulbs can also give you access to millions of different colours and shades of light that can be used to create ‘scenes’. The beauty of this is you can change the colour of the light in a room instantly so you can change your décor along with your mood.”
These Lepro BC1 AI Smart Bulbs from Amazon UK sync with your smartphone and let you switch up the colour to match — or completely change — your mood.
Expert tip: Always check the Kelvin rating on your bulbs before you buy. A warmer white in the living room will almost always be more flattering, but having the flexibility to tweak brightness and tone with smart lighting means you can fine-tune the ambience to match the moment.
Rachel Morris is a smart lighting expert at 4lite, specialising in how technology can transform the atmosphere of a home. She advises on everything from colour temperature to creating adaptable lighting schemes.
4. Use dimmers to their full effect
If there’s one small upgrade that will seriously step up your lighting design ideas, it’s a dimmer switch. Being able to raise or lower the light at the turn of a dial gives you instant control over the room’s mood.
Victoria Robinson at Hilarys explains: “Dimmers are an essential tool for mood lighting. By installing dimmer switches on your main fixtures, you can adjust the brightness to suit the time of day or the activity, seamlessly shifting from a bright, energising space during the day to a softer, more intimate setting in the evening.”
Dimmers also help you make the most of the lighting you already have. That favourite pendant or wall light that feels too harsh at full wattage suddenly becomes a softer, more flattering glow when dialled down. If you’re not ready to rewire, look out for plug-in dimmer modules or smart bulbs that can be adjusted via app, as both are easy ways to add flexibility without major effort.
This pack of six E27 dimmable LED bulbs offers smooth 10–100% brightness control, warm white 806lm light and 60W equivalence while using just 8.5W. Long-lasting and energy-saving, they’re ideal for creating a cosy atmosphere in any room.
5. Carve out cosy pockets of light within the living room
One of the simplest tricks for adding atmosphere is to think in terms of lighting 'zones' rather than lighting the whole room evenly. Small, focused pools of light can turn an otherwise forgotten corner into a favourite reading nook or give a bare wall a softer, more welcoming feel.
As Danielle Le Vaillant, from Cox & Cox, points out, the secret lies in treating corners with care: “Consider placing wall lights and table lamps in darker corners to create cosy pockets of light for reading. In an ideal world, you want to provide each occupant of the room with a place to sit, with their own option for lighting, without creating a jumble of overpowering lights.”
It’s an idea echoed by Ally Dowsing-Reynolds, co-founder at Dowsing & Reynolds, who suggests turning awkward spaces into features rather than afterthoughts: “You can define a cosy nook in your living room by clustering pendant lights over an armchair or coffee table to add both visual interest and warmth to the space.”
The effect is twofold: you gain practical light exactly where it’s needed, while also creating intimate little moments within the wider design scheme. These pockets of light give the room a layered, lived-in quality that feels far more inviting than blanket overhead light.
Ally Dowsing-Reynolds is co-founder of interiors brand Dowsing & Reynolds. With over 20 years’ experience, she specialises in creating lighting schemes that bring warmth, atmosphere and character to everyday spaces.
6. Embrace fire or flame (safely, of course)
Few things create atmosphere quite like the flicker of a flame. But while a log burning stove or open fire is the ultimate mood-setter, you don’t need a chimney breast to bring the same effect into your living room.
Molly Albin, lighting stylist at Festive Lights, suggests using faux flames to achieve the same ambience: “Alternating the different levels of lighting is a great way to inject a relaxed atmosphere without bringing in too many additional elements. Flickering LED candles is a great way of doing this – different sizes, colours and styles help elevate your home, while the soft flickering flame creates a soft, ambient light. Any lighting that flickers can create this effect too – twig lights, cluster lights, string lights, many with options to change the brightness as well as the function.”
Of course, if you're lucky enough to have a real fireplace or even a freestanding log burner, lean into it. These features are some of the most powerful ways to set the mood after dark.
7. Highlight shelving and cornices for an ambient glow
You don’t have to rely on traditional light fittings to add to the mood of your living room. Subtle shelf lighting or a concealed strip tucked along a cornice can create a soft halo of light that feels equal parts cosy and elevated.
LED strips are perfect for this. Choose a warm white rather than cool, and the effect is less ‘office’ and more ‘hotel lounge’. Run them along the underside of shelves to give books and decorative objects a gentle spotlight or hide them at the top of a wall to create a floating glow around the ceiling.
8. Think about finishes
The finishes you choose will have a big impact on the kind of light your room gives off. For instance, amber glass shades, warm metallics like brass or bronze, or lantern-style fixtures all cast a softer, more golden glow that instantly dials up the cosy factor.
A smoked glass shade, for example, diffuses light into a gentle haze, while a polished metal finish bounces brightness back into the room. Try experimenting with different materials and to see how light can shift the mood depending on the time of day.
Shop moody light finishes
Available in two sizes, this lantern features a contemporary round silhouette and a rich amber tint that casts a soft, golden light.
Available in three colours, it works with any fitting and pairs perfectly with a cable kit for a complete look.
This amber glass shade beautifully softens and warms the light in your living room.
Lighting is only half the story – your paint choices can make a huge difference to the mood of the room too. The best colour for a living room really depends on the atmosphere you want to create. Deep, jewelled tones such as emerald green, sapphire blue or burgundy work beautifully with mood lighting, intensifying the glow and adding richness to the space.
By contrast, lighter neutrals reflect more light, helping a room feel brighter and more expansive. If you’re thinking of painting a room in a bolder shade, pair it with warm-toned lighting for a cocooning, intimate effect.
