It might be gloomy outside, but it doesn't need to feel gloomy inside your home. The lights in your home are for so much more than turning on when it gets dark outside; the right bulb, shade and placement can all work together to make your home feel warmer and cosier.
Lighting is crucial to the ambience of a room, especially in these dark winter months when we're so reliant on artificial lighting in our homes. However, I'll put my hand up and admit that while I'll spend days agonising over the best place to buy lighting for my living room, I will spare barely a second thought to what bulb I choose.
It's this oversight that has sabotaged my cosy living room ideas. I might have all the staples of the perfect comfortable room, but without the right glow, on dreary days it feels cold and uninviting. To fix this, I've spoken to a range of lighting experts and buyers from Pooky, ValueLights, Industville and Arteriors about the five lighting tricks that will instantly make your home feel warmer, and the one they all mentioned costs less than £5 to put into action.
1. Switch to warm light bulbs
Every lighting expert I spoke to mentioned the power of switching to warm white light bulbs to make a room feel warmer. You can transform the feel of the lighting in your whole home for under £5 by switching out cool white bulbs to warm white light bulbs for £1.49 at B&Q.
'Warm-toned bulbs bring a calming, amber hue that emulates the comfort of natural daylight, helping your home feel cosy when it's grey outside. I suggest introducing warm-toned LED bulbs in living rooms and bedrooms where you want to create a soft, relaxing glow,' recommends Julia Barnes, buying direct at ValueLights.
'For a warm cosy feel during the winter months, I always recommend choosing a warm white bulb with a colour temperature between 2,700 and 3,000 kelvin,' adds Jo Plant, chief creative officer at Pooky. 'This softer, yellow-white light closely mimics the glow of candelight or a fire, which naturally makes us feel more relaxed and comfortable when the days are darker and shorter.'
2. Update the 'big light' with an amber bulb
While most experts recommend against relying on one overhead light, they saythe 'big light' can be adapted to cast a warmer light in winter. 'To do this, consider the colour and texture of the bulb or fixture itself - amber glass bulbs and tinted glass like mocha-smoked proved a warmer glow than clear glass,' explains Mara Rypacek Miller, founder of Industville.
Amber bulbs cast a warmer glow than a traditional warm white light bulb. In fact, this pair of large amber-hued warm light globe bulbs, £10 at Amazon, also claims to be blue light-blocking to help you sleep. Alternatively, you could opt for a frosted glass warm white bulb like this Philips frosted classic bulb, £5.59 from John Lewis, to help soften and diffuse the light from an overhead source.
3. Choose fabric shades
In the same way, you can soften your lighting with a coloured or frosted bulb, opting for a linen or silk lamp shade will help diffuse the light for a warm and cosy glow. This tip can be used on ceiling lights, wall lights, floor lights and table lamps.
'Opt for shades made from fabric, glass or other diffusing materials that soften and spread light evenly across the room,' recommends Julia from ValueLights.
Helen Pett, brand ambassador at Arteriors, also recommends considering the metal finishes. 'The choice of fixtures and materials also works to achieve a warm scheme overall,' she says. 'Table lamps in woven fabrics or frosted shades diffuse light softly, while finishes like antique brass or vintage bronze introduce a richness that complements the glow.'
Take advantage of the recent lighting trend for linen lampshades, but don't forget about paper shades if you're on more of a budget. A scandi-style paper lamp shade is a classic way to soften the light in a room, and you can pick them up for half the price of a fabric lampshade, like this £25 paper ceiling shade at John Lewis.
4. Layer in lighting at different heights
Layering lighting is one of those other tips that always comes up when speaking to lighting pros about curating a warm and cosy scheme. It is as simple as making sure you have several light sources at different heights around a room, each creating these cosy pockets of light. It is essentially an excuse to invest in that pretty table lamp you've had your eye on.
'The key to making a room feel warm is layering your lighting rather than relying on a single source,' explains Jo from Pooky.
'A combination of ambient lighting, such as ceiling lights, along with wall lights, table lamps and floor lamps, allows you to create depth and softness within a space. Lower-level lighting instantly feels more intimate and inviting than light coming from directly overhead.'
5. Keep lighting consistent
Buying a pack of bulbs in the same warm colour temperature to create a consistent glow in a room might sound like a no-brainer. However, I know I'm guilty of having a mismatch of different bulbs in a selection of lamps in one room.
You will instantly create a more inviting atmosphere by taking the time to swap all the bulbs to a matching colour temperature. It is also a good idea to match the materials of the lighting sources you've used.
'To maintain a sense of consistency across the different sources, keep the bulb temperature the same, using warm white bulbs (2,700K to 3,000K), and establish a unifying design element across products, such as matching holder material or metal finish,' adds Mara from Industville.
Jo from Pooky agrees, 'try to keep the colour temperature consistent across a room to create a harmonious, welcoming atmosphere.'
Get the look
A paper shade is a super easy way to make your overhead lighting feel warmer by softly diffusing it.
This table lamp has a linen finish and lights both the base and the shade for a gorgeous glow.
Boucle is also a perfect material for softly diffusing light, and this floor lamp is ideal for layering it in a space.
These five tricks are simple but will make a world of difference when creating a warm, welcoming and cosy space.
