Bigger Lighting is Better Lighting

You may have heard me talk about this before, but some of my clients are still hesitant to take my advice:  bigger lighting is better lighting.  I guess sometimes you have to see it to believe it.  Do you think this entry would be as glamorous and dramatic if it wasn’t for this huge lantern fixture?

Image from The Decorologist

source

 

The lighting here makes such a statement – that lantern is as big as that dresser!  Wowza.

Image from The Decorologist

MJ Donahue’s Entry via Traditional Home

 

Vaulted entries especially need oversize lighting, but it looks great everywhere.  Look how this fabulous fixture draws your eye the dining table and, even better yet, the view.

Image from The Decorologist

MJ Donahue’s Breakfast Room via Traditional Home

 

It’s easy to walk into a lighting store and choose a fixture you believe to be large enough.  Then you get it home an realize it is waayyyy too small.  Still not convinced?  Let me show you an example of a puny light fixture that looks ridiculous.  I don’t care if it is in a design magazine, it looks ridiculous!

Image from The Decorologist

Celerie Kemble via House Beautiful

 

Seriously, Celerie?  Err on the side of too large.  I promise you won’t regret it.  It creates a focal point in cavernous rooms . . .Image from The Decorologist

Tom Scheerer via House Beautiful

 

. . .  and a feeling of intimacy in small ones. 

Image from The Decorologist

Pink Bedroom by Stephen Shubel

 

 

So tell me honestly, are you convinced?

7 Comments

  1. Holiday

    Yes! Totally convinced. I just replaced my puny hall light with a large and in charge upgrade. And I’m not done yet! I want to get the look of that pink bedroom in my guestroom – the hanging drum shade. Just looking for a way to do it without breaking the bank!

    Reply
  2. Ann @ Plumsiena

    I would agree with you 90% of the time. If the light fixture is overwhelming the space and actually in the way, then no.
    That said, proper lighting is also the key to not only in the home, but also for special events. If not for the lighting, everything in the room would read flat and nondescript. It truly makes a huge difference. And it doesn’t need to only be “fixtures”- candlelight is sometimes even more important.

    Reply
  3. Lee

    LOL! That puny chandelier in the purple room is comical!! However I would have looked at the picture and not been able to put my finger on what it was that I didn’t like until you pointed that out. I love the pink bedroom with the big drum shaded light overhead. Very snuggly!

    Reply
  4. radhikanavelkar

    I have to get a light fixture for my dining room! I am torn between a drum and something with the glass and iron like in the first fixture!

    Reply
  5. Kelley

    I am convinced. Thank you for showing me the light!

    Reply
  6. Sheila Zeller

    What I like is that you’re not swayed by the magazine! You’re right, lighting is go big or go back to the store! I hope you have a fab weekend 🙂

    Reply
  7. Kelly, Restyling Home by Kelly

    Celerie really screwed up that light fixture. Big is better! Lighting, art and accesories are always better on a larger scale. Great post!

    Reply

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