bright lighting options for dim living room

[Anonymous]

What type of light to purchase for living room that is dim? I can place on upper shelf or ceiling.

I need something to really brighten up the space because we don't get natural sunlight in the formal living room space.

What type of fixture is best for this?

[Anonymous]

I'm not a fan of overhead lighting - it's harsh and makes everyone and everything look bad. Try floor or table lamps or wall sconces.

[Anonymous]

100W bulbs on multiple table lamps, a three-headed standing lamp, sconces on either side of fireplace or spotlight ceiling lights directed at the fireplace
there's also the option of uplighting behind a couch
https://mariakillam.com/5-lamps-everyone-should-have-in-their-home/

[Anonymous]

I strongly recommend a floor or table lamp with a white or off-white drum shade, so you get diffuse light coming out the sides as well as light out the top for general illumination and out the bottom for reading. A shade that's any darker than off-white will significantly darken the total effect.

Look for a lamp that takes two bulbs, or if it's a table lamp, look for one that takes a 3-way bulb or a 100W bulb.

If you are sticking with LED bulbs, you have more flexibility on wattage, but go for the brightest bulbs you can find—100W-equivalent—and consider the warmth of their color. I like 3000k for general illumination and 2700k for moodier lighting that's more like an incandescent. No cooler than 3000k or it will start to look institutional.

[Anonymous]

Canned lighting? So many living rooms have it that I sort of thought it was the gold standard.

[Anonymous]

NP. We have drum shades (as PP suggested), slightly off white, with a bright 3-way LED bulb inside. The 3-way lets us adjust the number of lumens as needed. Drum shades make the light diffuse, but let some light bounce off the ceiling.

We use GE Reveal bulbs. These have a color temperature around 2500K - 3000K, BUT the GE Reveal bulbs have a different color spectrum which lets white items look white. Ordinary bulbs at the same color temperature will make white items look more of a yellowish color.

[Anonymous]

Day light bulbs are super bright so that's an option in whatever fixture you select.