Let There Be Lights

Living Room Tip Sheet

• In the living room, the primary light source is often the floor lamp, which not only supplies good general light but can make a major design splash. Choose a floor lamp that's 64 to 66 inches tall; many are adjustable and range in height from 57 to 72 inches.
• Add a mix of table lamps, wall sconces and task lights, depending on how you use areas of the room. "The more you vary the lighting, the better," designer Eve Robinson says.
• "You can expand a room by placing lighting around its edges," says designer Alexa Hampton, who recesses lighting behind curtains or places bookcase lights on walls.

1. A tulip shade extends from a cast-iron stem ($49.99, Ikea).
2. Candelabra bulbs glow in a metal mesh lamp designed by José Esteves ($2,190, Intérieurs).
3. These globes redefine the term "floor lamp" ($285 to $435, Artemide).
4. Tommi Parzinger's gold-leafed lamp is radiant ($5,040, Baker, Knapp & Tubbs).
5. A subtle black shade tops a twig column ($3,364, Vaughan).
6. Achille Castiglioni keeps it simple with a single cylinder of light ($1,305, Flos).
7. We updated a turned-wood base with a shade covered in graphic Carleton V wallpaper ($190, Pottery Barn).
8. The light from this metal tripod invites you to curl up with a book ($139, West Elm).