Picking the perfect light fixture

A light fixture can either make or break your space! But trying to pick the perfect light fixture can also be very overwhelming. Let me tell you a couple tricks to make sure your light fixture not only fits the space but also creates a moment upon walking in.

1- Style

Let’s get the hardest out of the way first and that’s trying to figure out your style! While some might already know exactly what they love, some might feel a little bit confused. My first suggestion is to look around online or in person at your local lighting showroom and see what feels right to you. Focus on what shapes you are drawn to and what textures excite you. Maybe something iron, gold plated, wooden or woven catches your eyes. When you find what style you’re leaning towards you’ll then want to narrow it down to a collection. Most Lighting collections will offer a pendant, chandelier and flush mount. This is great because if you’re needing to expand your lighting to multiple rooms you can dip into that same collection to create a cohesive look.

2- Sizing & Scale

We want to make sure what you’re buying is the right size for your space and feels very proportional. For example if you have a mudroom, a simple flush mount will work. A chandelier however would look and feel right in larger space such as an entry way. Pendants work great for over the kitchen island. If you have a space that’s 12ft by 12ft a fixture that is roughly 18-24” wide would be a great size for the scale of the room.

3- Texture & Shape

This one kind of goes hand in hand with styling. If you think about it, the ceiling, for the most part, is a very cold feature so bringing up warmth to the ceiling line can really create a moment for the space. As they say, the ceiling should always be treated as a 5th wall! I personally love a woven texture or some sort of neutral wood tones to create this effect. This style really creates a moment upon looking up. If a Modern style is more your thing, bringing in shapes and clean lines is what you will want to elevate your space. Let’s talk about shapes while we are here. If you have a lot of curves in your furniture then you may want to pick a light fixture with roundness to pair with! Or on the flip side, sometimes going opposite can help bring visual attention to the space. If your furniture has a lot of hard lines, maybe think about featuring some curves in your lighting to help break up the sharpness.

4- Dimmable bulbs

Light fixtures not only can create a mood when turned off but also when turned on at night. To make your fixtures dimmable you will want to change your wall switch to a dimmer switch as well as making sure your bulbs that you purchase are labeled dimmable. In almost every single room we have dimmable switches and I just love having the option to bring calmness into the space or brightness when needed! And truthfully the only time we use the brightest setting is when hosting a party or when I need to clean and make sure I don’t miss a spot!! But more likely than not, I’m enjoying our fixtures at about 50% brightness.

Places to Shop:

If you have a local Lighting showroom I would recommend browsing there to see the fixtures and sizings in person. If you don’t have that option Lowes and Amazon are always a great place to shop for options at an affordable price. When it comes to a high quality, one of kind piece, I personally love the the options that Progress Lighting offers. The attention to detail and quality finishes used is a step above the rest.