Great Ideas For Indirect Lighting

Kayla Gulec Kayla Gulec
homify Living room
Loading admin actions …

Lighting is one of the most important aspects of a room and there are so many different ways to achieve maximal lighting in your home. But the maximum amount of light you can get is not always what you want or need. For instance, you do not want enormous windows letting in a lot of natural light in the media room where relaxation and movie watching occurs, just like you would not want a powerful overhead light. 

That's why indirect lighting has so many advantages. It provides soft light and is a mood enhancer, but is often the underdog when it comes to lighting options as many people do not realize its perks.

In this Ideabook, we will show you six unique ways to install indirect lighting in and around your home to set the best mood possible for you, your family, and your guests. 

Wall lights

Wall lights are the most popular source of indirect lighting. They mount easily, provide enough light to illuminate the room if you want to use them that way, and come in just about any shape, colour, or style you could want to suit your personal interior design scheme. These types of lights can also be mounted directly on the wall, like we see in this image here, or they can come attached to a stand that brings them out from the wall. If you opt for a light with a base stand, you might want to consider a rotating base; that way you can move the direction of the light any way you want, whenever you want.

Wall lights usually work out best when spaced rather far apart or around the perimeter of the room. That way, their soft glow is able to radiate evenly throughout the room. If they are placed too close together, (and this is also depending on how you want to illuminate your space) they end up only lighting a portion of the room and at a brightness you may not want.

Sub-ceiling lights

Sub-ceiling lights are another great indirect light source. As we can see from this image, not only do they add a soft and serene glow to the space, but they also look super cool and modern. Fluorescent sub-ceiling lights are perfect for larger, open, and square spaces. 

But these lights are not the only type of sub-ceiling light you can have in your home – you can also purchase circular, ovate, or rectangular lights. The circular and ovate shapes tend to be fixed onto the ceiling itself, while the rectangular variety tends to come in inserts that go right into the ceiling, so it looks as if a rectangular piece of light is coming down and illuminating the room.

Shelf lighting

Indirect lighting does not always have to come in the most standard forms. You can achieve great indirect lighting by strategically placing lights in small nooks and crevices throughout your home. 

If you have a nice bookshelf in a reading room or study, place a few lights either underneath the shelf, like we see here, or simply place a low wattage lamp on it. The lights here not only create a soft glow and a good mood for reading, but they also illuminate and call attention to your fabulous book collection or other knick-knacks you have on display and create an interesting contrast of dark and light.

Behind plexiglass

As we have mentioned, you do not always have to stick to the ordinary when it comes to lighting your home. The more inventive or abstract you are with your lighting options, the more impressed your friends and neighbours will be when they visit. One unique way to achieve indirect lighting is by fashioning your lights behind plexiglass. 

Plexiglass is a solid, transparent plastic that is incredibly durable and that softens the power of the wattage coming from behind it. You can buy plexiglass covers in transparent clear, etched (as we can see in this image), or in just about any colour you can think of, making this option incredibly versatile so that it can match with any interior design scheme, from modern to rustic. 

Not only that, but you do not necessarily have to have these plexiglass containers fashioned to your wall. You can buy a colourful plexiglass box and fix a small light in there to make a cute table lamp. Coloured plexiglass casings offer great mood light options, too, as the light emanating from the container mimics the colour of the plexiglass casing. You could purchase a few and change the colour of your lighting depending on your mood.

Floor or stair lighting

Lighting that is incorporated into the floor or set along the stairs are fantastic sources of indirect lighting. On the floor, they provide delicate lighting that gently illuminates the perimeter with a soft glow. Floor lighting gives a home a luxurious feel. They let you know where the corners of your room are and they even light up the floor enough so that you can see where your area rug is so you don't trip on it. 

Lights that are fashioned on the steps of a staircase are particularly useful at night when you do not want to turn on the overhead lights. They illuminate each step and will make you feel like the king or queen of the household as you walk down.

In the garden

The garden is an often neglected area for lighting. People tend to think that because you are outside where the sun is your light source that you do not need any additional lighting. Now that may be true for some people who do not use their gardens for entertaining or as anything else besides a pretty landscape, but for those of us who spend a lot of time outdoors, lights in the garden become a wonderful treat for you and your guests. 

Also, having lights in the garden means you do not have to go inside when it gets dark out, because you can just switch on a light or two, perhaps light a small fire, and then you and your guests are ready to enjoy the evening in Mother Nature herself!

For more lovely lighting tips, check out these home lighting designs you'll love!

Did you like this list of indirect lighting options? Do you have any ideas of your own? Let us know in the comments section below!

Need help with your home project?
Get in touch!

Highlights from our magazine