Designing Your Dream Living Room: Showing Your Space in Its Best Possible Light

So, you’ve purchased all your fantasy furniture for your Cayman living room, picked out a pitch-perfect rug, and selected the very best in elegant accessories. Congrats!

Now… what are you going to do about lighting?

Ah. Hadn’t thought about it, had you? That’s okay! Lots of homeowners forget to factor lighting into their décor. It’s all good. HÜIS is here to lend a helping hand and serve as your guiding light (if you will).

Lighting is one of those things that very few people actively think about but that everyone notices when its poorly done or, indeed, missing altogether. (It’s sort of like a movie music score; you may not realise its presence while it’s there, but you’ll definitely recognise when it’s gone.)

Lighting is elusive. It’s less concrete than a coffee table, a bar stool, or a sectional––and it’s therefore a lot more difficult to incorporate into your design.

That’s why the friendly folks at HÜIS––the brainchild of Lydia Uzzell, owner and lead interior designer of one of the most revered firms in the Cayman Islands: Lydia Uzzell Interior Design––have developed a handy, easily-digestible guide to lighting up your living room in a way that will fit your lifestyle, budget, and taste. If you’re at all confused about designing your lighting scheme, just think of this guide as your lighthouse. (How many ‘light’-related metaphors can we use in one post? You just watch us!)

Spotlight on space

As with everything related to design, you should first consider the space in question and exactly how you’ll be using it. The space should always inform the lighting choices you make, from candles, to lamps, to chandeliers.

If your living room is more of a den-like environment where the main activity is a take-out dinner and/or a Netflix binge, you’re going to want to invest in some low-level mood lighting (yup, mood lighting is a thing, and it’s totally necessary for laid-back living-scapes).

On the other hand, if your living room serves as a regular headquarters for kids’ crafting sessions or family game nights, brighter task lighting is the way to go. Whichever scheme suits best, consider layering your lighting (i.e., using several light sources), should you want to change your light saturations at any point. No need to live that #nofilter life all the time!

When layering your scheme, start by making sure your ceiling lights are dimmable. This will provide a good baseline spectrum of light to dark. Next, you can introduce wall sconces, table lamps, or even floor lamps to add softer, more ambient lighting as needed.

Sconces are quite convenient for tighter spaces that lack enough surface area for a table lamp (so, think a couple of well-placed sconces just above a sofa). They can also offer fabulous highlighting for your favourite piece of wall art. But if re-wiring to accommodate your wall sconces doesn’t appeal––or simply doesn’t fall within your budget––there are some amazing plug-in options available. Please note, however: We don’t recommend a plug-in piece for spotlighting artwork.

Layer up with sconces

Complete your look to taste

Table and floor lamps will absolutely enrich your lighting schemes, but only if you choose them very carefully. Table lamps, for example, are full of character and style, and yet they can look hideous when they’re disproportionate to the rest of your space. (A 40-inch table lamp is just too much for a teeny-tiny side table.)

Floor lamps, by contrast, are a bit harder to get wrong. Just be sure to exercise your common sense. A snug space pairs best with a simpler lamp silhouette such as a pharmacy lamp, while a cavernous empty corner is better enhanced using a larger model like a tripod. As we mentioned above, you should always let your space dictate your final decisions.

Forget the fan

Well, not literally. We know fans reign supreme in Cayman thanks to our gorgeously balmy weather.

But…

If central air is much more your speed, consider replacing your clunky ceiling fan with a tasteful chandelier. Frankly, chandeliers are infinitely prettier and a great opportunity to earn some designer extra credit.