How to Pick the Perfect Light Fixture for Your Room

Thank you so much to Everything Primitives for sponsoring this post. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own. 

Picking the right light fixture for your room can be kind of a big deal. It can make a big impact on a space, whether negative or positive, installation can be a new thrill if you've never tried it before, and it can be a costly investment as well.

So how do you get it right and pick the right one? I'm a big fan of installing new light fixtures in rooms, regardless of whether they're "ready" for them and fully renovated or not. A new light fixture can completely change the feel of the room in a matter of minutes and give your room's sense of style a big boost. They can be moved, reused and enjoyed over and over again so they make a great style investment. Since my house is in that "not so renovated" stage right now, I've gotten pretty good at narrowing down how to pick the right light fixture so that I love it and the style lasts for years until we're done with those renovations.

Pick a Style

You know how when you're planning out a room's style, there's a certain way it's worded in your head? It's never just "I want my room to be a modern room." It's usually something like "It will be modern, but with a touch of vintage and a hint of coastal." Well, all those parts are important to the overall design, but your main light fixture is the place where you should get in your main style statement. The light fixture sets the main tone for the room.

So if it's a modern style room with blah blah blah, the light fixture should give off a strong modern statement, for example.

Sometimes, you may not be able to even word it correctly, but you'll know it when you see it.

My plans for the style of my master bedroom were something along the lines of "Farmhouse with a hint of current cottage style trends and a bit of traditional". For a light fixture, you can't get much more authentically Farmhouse than this Shopkeeper Shade Light from Everything Primitives.

I followed my light fixture picking rules and it turned out absolutely perfectly. Even if I'm not totally sure the rest of the room lives up this light yet, the right light fixture moves everything in the right direction.

Make a Statement

Before adding in your new light fixture, your room may seem pretty neutral in style. You may be worried that a bold light fixture will stick out like a sore thumb.

My main bathroom was feeling rather "blah" until I added in these shaded scones. They may seem a little unusual for a bathroom, especially these days, but they gave just the nod to the traditional feel that was popular when my house was built that I was looking for. The lady at the lighting store thought I was a little nuts, but for me, they made the room.

A light fixture is the crowning jewel of a room. Even if everything else around it seems plain by comparison, don't be afraid to go bold. Go for it! You won't regret it.

Think About Scale

Think about things like your ability to walk under a light, or to place items on a table under a light, but throw out all the other "rules" that you've heard about choosing the right sized fixture.

The size is really up to you. I just use what I call the "in your face" rule. As in, how "in your face" do I want this light to be? Do I want it to subtly influence the way people feel about the style of a room without them noticing it or do I want people to literally say "Wow! Look at that light fixture!" There's absolutely a place for both in every house. :)

Up Lights vs. Down lights and the number of bulbs

The direction that the light shines out of a light fixture can really change the way a room feels. If you currently have a chandelier, for example, that shines downward on a table, switching to a lantern style light that bounces light off of the ceiling can really change everything. It can give you a feeling of a fresh new perspective, and it can also make you notice imperfections in your room that you never noticed were there before. :) So just something to think about.

In general, lights that shine upward give a room a brighter, higher energy feel and lights that shine downward create an instant intimate and cozy mood.

Obviously, the number of bulbs in a fixture will greatly impact its brightness as well. Three bulbs in a chandelier in a small hallway will feel extra bright, while the same light fixture in a large kitchen will create a medium light brightness and you may require extra lighting in the room for work spaces. In a bedroom or living room where a cozy feel is the way to go and extra lamps are available around the room, a single bulb pendant light can be just perfect.

Consider Your Source and Quality

In the world of lighting, there are definitely places for both standard quality light fixtures that you may find in a big box store, and higher quality investment type light fixtures that you will get from a specialty retailer.

It can be fun to play around with bargain priced lights in some areas of your home, but consider spending a little more time and enjoying the process a little more when choosing something like an over-the-bed light that you'll be waking up to and staring at every single day.

There's something to be said for the experience of shopping with a specialty retailer. The instructions and extra materials for my light from Everything Primitives came wrapped up in a brown paper bag with a matching tag and for me, that just added to the fun. Pulling out this amazing rusted-finish chain that went perfectly with the fabrics that I've chosen was a little more exciting that way. :)

 Needless to say, I love light fixtures and I've put a lot of thought into them. I'll probably still pick mine up from the big box stores every now and then, but I haven't regretted spending a little more to get the great quality finishes and bold styles on lights from specialty retailers likes the ones I've shown you today.

So go ahead! Make a statement and set your room's style with a new light!

P.S. If you happen to catch yourself oggling all the stunning light fixtures and other fine country style wares at Everything Primitives, like I always do, we have a coupon code for you! Use the code creekline to get 5% off of any order, with no minimum purchase necessary.