The best living room lighting doesn’t have to come from a store. As it turns out, TikTok creators have plenty of bright ideas for simultaneously illuminating and decorating your space—LED cloud walls are just the beginning. Just ask Demi Lovato. Her modern farmhouse boasts an interactive cloud lamp by event designer and scenic artist Rania Peet. “Pick lights and fixtures that act as a design element,” says Abhishek Dekate, a Toronto-based content creator, stylist, and photographer who shares #HyggeHome inspiration from his ultrastylish loft. “Lighting plays a key role in creating an overall ambiance and atmosphere in your space, so why not have fun with it?” he adds.
For a spot that could use a bit of extra love, Dekate recommends unexpected lighting to tell a story and give guests something to talk about. Here, three lighting ideas you can DIY in no time.
1. Glow up your seating
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For Dekate, the living room is the focal point of his home—where he relaxes after a long day and, more importantly, entertains family and friends. He explains, “It was essential for me to create an inviting and comfortable space. The best way for me to achieve this, other than decor, was to play with mood and ambient lighting in unusual places.” But rather than focusing on overhead lighting, Dekate got creative. “After spending countless hours on Pinterest and looking at inspiration images of people installing colorful mood lighting in their spaces, I figured why not give my sofa a glow-up.”
To add lighting to furniture, you’ll need:
Attach a bracket for the LED light strip to double-sided tape and apply it around the bottom of the sofa. Beginning in the middle, clip the LED light strip around the sofa. Once clipped and secured, plug both lights into the driver and power supply cord. The remote control can dim or turn the lights on or off. “The dimmable glow from under the sofa creates a feeling of warmth and coziness,” says Dekate.
2. Lighting as a piece of art
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Light is a key element to any artwork. But it can also be the art itself. As Impressionist painter Edouard Manet once said, “The principal person in a picture is light.” Los Angeles–based lifestyle content creator Kellie Brown, known as @andigetdressed, gravitates toward vintage, artistic lighting that makes an impact. “Most of the lights and lamps in my home double as art,” Brown says. Take her Italian Murano egg lamp, just one of the many vintage lamps and light fixtures that infuse her space with bold character.
