How to light your lounge/snug.
A step by step guide from our award winning lighting designer
Fraser Besant.
Step 1.
So a lounge like any room will need a primary source of light. There are a few ways to approach this. If you want a clean modern feel then inset downlights would work well here. I would recommend you use a baffled anti-glare downlight. The LED sits up inside the downlight and creates a narrow beam of light. When positioning your downlights you first want to create a floorplan and work out where the furniture is going. Below is an example of a lounge design I worked on recently so you can see how to best position your spots.
I would aways recommend you use a warm white 2700-3000k LED lamp in a lounge. This is a more inviting and relaxing source of light. I would also pay the extra and go for dimmable lamps. That way you can control the amount of light intensity and enjoy the lighting for different uses.
If inset downlights are not for you and you want to add some charector and make more of a statement with the lighting then a centraly located ceiling pendant is the way forward. There are 1000s of fabric, glass and decoartive pendants available. I love the swag pendants. So a central 3-7 way multi outlet ceiling rose. You then drape the cables across the room using hooks and exposed filament lamps. The benefit here is you can easily adapt the lighting around the furniture. You can suspend the lamps exactly where you want them. We offer 20+ colours of fabric cable, a huge range of lampholders and roses and a massive choice of designer filament lamps.
LED tape and where to use it.
We supply LED tape to nearly everyone who is working on their home. It is easy to install, energy efficient and lasts 10+ years. If you have cabinets or shelving being built in your lounge and plan to display pictures or ornaments then LED tape is an ideal way to highlight this. You can route a thin grove into the shelf and fit a discreet LED profile and tape. Switch this separately to the main pendant or spotlights. We offer our LED tape in 2700k warm white as you will want to match the colour of the main source of light. It can also be fully dimmable. So again you can adjust the light levels.
If you have any feature ceiling windows then again LED tape can be used to accent these. While a large statement window on the ceiling is appealing as you get all that natural light during the day, at night it becomes a big black rectangle on the ceiling. You have also taken away valuable ceiling space onto which you may want a source of light. Frame the window up with profile and point an LED tape up at the glass. This will reflect the light back into the room, you have in essence created a skylight at night.
Side lamps and floor lights.
Something I use on nearly every lounge lighting design is 5amp lighting sockets. These are round pin sockets designed to power your lamps only. They can be switched or dimmed from the wall control meaning you don't need to walk over to each lamp and turn it on/off. 
So what you do is cut the normal 13a UK plug off your lamps and quickly wire on this special round pin plug. This conforms to all the regs and is a nice touch in a lounge or snug. On my designs I try to position the 5amp sockets around the sofas as this is where you will likely want the lamp. If unsure just allow for one in each corner of the room. That way if you move furniture around you can change the lighting to suit the new room layout.
Wall lights.
I love feature and minimalist wall lights and have them in my lounge at home. They push the lighting around the perimeter of the room and I use my wall lights and floor lamp more than I ever use my central pendant. We offer a stylish ceramic range of wall lights which project a jet of light up and down the wall. These can be painted to blend into the wall. You also don't see the light bulb, so you get no glare from the light. When they are off you simply don't notice them.
Below is an example of a lounge lighting design I worked on recently so you can see how and where to position your wall lights.
If your sofa is not possitioned against a wall you may want to consider fitting a simple floor socket. This will allow you to plug in phone, chargers and lamps. If not you will have to use a nearby socket on the wall and this will likely mean you have a trip hazzard as the cable will run across the floor.
In my next email I will be covering home automation and how to control all of your lighting. To discuss anything with me further please call or email me 01179425355 or follow me on social media, I always post my design work and live projects.
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@Fraserbesantlighting
