The living room is the place for hanging out, relaxing and cozying up with a book or a movie – lots of activity occurs here. That means you need a variety of lighting.If your living room has areas with no light or you have light that casts shadows, you need more ambient and accent lighting. Recessed lighting and flush-mount or semi-flush-mount lights are good options for ambient lighting.Track lighting provides accent lighting, focusing one of those lights on an object (art, a plant, a striking chair). If you like the look of wall sconces but don’t want to deal with hard wiring a light fixture, a pair of wall lamps works, too.

Other ambient lighting options are ceiling fans, chandeliers, pendant lights with a drum shade and touchier floor lamps. Use a combination of table lamps and floor lamps, some with a downward glow and some that shine upward. 

Good to Know
Place overhead lighting on a dimmer switch so you have more flexibility. No one wants bright lights in their face when watching a movie.