Finding the perfect lighting for our home has been an ongoing journey. Five years into living here, we’re still adding and replacing lights as both the house — and our needs — continue to evolve. When we first moved in, the focus was very much on functional lighting. Over time, and after really living in the space, we began to introduce more beautiful, considered pieces — including a few investment lights that we genuinely love.
At the moment, our lighting is a mix of higher and lower investment pieces, alongside a growing wish list of designs we’d love to add gradually over time. Because of the orientation of our house, natural light pours into the front rooms in the morning before moving to the back of the house in the afternoon. Our lighting choices have very much been shaped by this rhythm — working with the natural light and how we actually use each space throughout the day.
We’ve layered light throughout the house to create warmth and balance during the longer, darker winter months. In this post, I’ll walk you through the lighting choices in my own home — why each one works, and what we still hope to change. Larger lighting pieces can be a significant investment, so we’ve learned the value of taking our time and living in a space before making those bigger decisions.
Kitchen Lighting: Creating a Calm, Functional Scandinavian Space
Our ground floor is largely open plan, with a sunroom extension that was added sometime in the early 2000s, before we purchased the house. While the kitchen benefits from a large window above the sink and the sunroom itself is filled with natural light, the dining area sits right at the centre of the house and has no direct source of daylight. As a result, this part of the space naturally feels darker.
We did briefly consider leaning into this and creating a snug, moodier dining area, even playing with the idea of introducing a dark green wall colour to bring in a more natural element. Ultimately though, it didn’t feel quite right. Instead, we chose to keep the same paint colour throughout the kitchen and dining space and introduce colour through lighting. We did this with the Muuto Ambit Rail pendant above the dining table, which we purchased from David Village Lighting. We love the simplicity and clean lines of this piece — it provides the perfect amount of focused task lighting above our small dining table without feeling heavy or dominant in the space. We opted for warm, dimmable bulbs, which bring a soft, welcoming glow to this darker area of the house.
As we often find ourselves lingering here — pouring over a newspaper or finishing up some work at the dining table — we also added a simple Kinnahult floor lamp in ash white from Ikea, paired with a textured off-white shade. This adds both mood lighting and an extra layer of practical light to this corner.
In the main kitchen area, ceiling spotlights were already installed above the island and worktops, but they didn’t provide quite enough light over the island itself. To address this, we added these lantern pendant lights from New Works, which we purchased from Lampmasters.ie. They have all the lightness and minimalism of traditional rice paper lanterns, but are made from sturdy, ribbed opal glass. I love the soft, diffused glow these floating globes give — they gently illuminate the island while adding a subtle romantic, Japandi-inspired element to the kitchen.
Bedroom Lighting Ideas: Soft Light for Rest and Relaxation
In the bedroom, lighting was always about creating a sense of calm and softness while also ensuring that you’re covering task lighting such as a bedside reading lamp or a task light for getting dressed. This is a room we want to retreat to in the evenings, so layered, low-level light felt essential. We chose the umage eos large pendant light sourced from Lampmasters.ie, as the main ceiling light, which casts a warm, diffused glow and avoids the harshness that can come from more solid shades. The light is made from ethically sourced goose feathers and gives a soft dreamy, ethereal vibe to the space that makes it perfect for relaxing. It gives just enough ambient light when needed, but feels gentle and almost cloud-like once the sun goes down.
Either side of the bed, we opted for simple, adjustable bedside lamps – the DL12 table lamps from Dyberg Larsen which we found on Lampmasters.ie to provide focused task lighting for reading without disturbing the rest of the room. These small pools of light help to keep the overall atmosphere relaxed, especially when paired with warm bulbs. Together, the combination of soft overhead light and practical bedside lighting creates a bedroom that feels restful, uncluttered and easy to unwind in — a space that works just as well for quiet mornings as it does for slow, cosy evenings.
In the guest bedroom, the lighting is kept deliberately soft and welcoming, with a focus on creating a calm, restful atmosphere rather than strong task lighting. The main ceiling light is the Umage Eos feather pendant in the medium size, which casts a beautifully warm, diffused glow across the room. Its light, cloud-like form feels gentle and comforting, and works especially well in the evenings, when the bedroom lighting is more about winding down than brightness.
To one side of the room, we added the eclipse floor lamp from Pooky Lighting, paired with a cherry blossom linen lampshade sourced from Etsy. This introduces a softer, more decorative layer of light and adds a subtle pattern and warmth to the space, which has subtle Japanese inspired art from my time living in Japan ! On the bedside tables, two very small, minimal white lamps provide practical low-level lighting for reading, while keeping the overall look uncluttered. Together, these layers create a relaxed, inviting guest bedroom that feels cosy and thoughtfully put together, without relying on a single dominant light source.
A problem still to be solved in the master bedroom is a small dressing table area beside the window. On darker Winter mornings this space is crying out for a little more task light, particularly for doing make-up. While I want a good task light here, I also want something this is timeless and beautifully designed and fits the room so two table lamps on my current wishlist are the Louis Pouslen panthella lamp and the &Tradition flower pot table lamp, both of which I think would give a soft even light and would be beautiful and practical in the bedroom.
Living Room Reading Nooks: Soft, Layered Lighting for Evenings
Our living room lighting is still very much a work in progress. We’re currently living with a hideous pendant light inherited from the previous owners — very much on purpose — as we take our time to find the perfect piece for one of our most lived in rooms of the house. Instead, we’ve concentrated on creating softer, more intimate pockets of light, particularly around the reading nooks, where we spend our evenings and precious time off on the weekends.
In this corner, a floor lamp from Dyberg Larsen provides focused task lighting for reading, while keeping the overall feel light and understated. Alongside it, the Himmee Toad table lamp all the way from Finland adds a warm, sculptural glow at a lower level — its soft form and diffused light bring a sense of calm and playfulness to the space. This is one of my favourite lights in our home, it’s calm but sculptural and it gives me a literal warm glow whenever I turn it on. I’ve had the star lamp from Belleek pottery for many years and its a lovely mood light that sits on our fireplace and adds a nod to Irish craft. In the evenings we light candles in lanterns on the fireplace and mantlepiece for comfort and atmosphere ! Together, these lamps create a cosy, welcoming reading nook that feels lived-in and relaxed, proving that you don’t need a finished ceiling light to make a space feel warm and complete.
Why it works : by focusing on low-level, layered lighting, the room feels inviting and functional in the evenings, while allowing time to make the right long-term lighting choice for the space as a whole.
Our sunroom is a bright, airy space where we’ve added a tall wood burning stove for Winter comfort and as a focal point. We’ve kept the lighting simple in this room with ceiling spotlights and layered with the same simple Ikea standing lamp in the corner of our reading nook – that combines task lighting for reading with soft mood lighting. We have fallen in love with the classic Le Klint scissors lamp which is on our wishlist as a reading light above lounge chair ! The light oak and white lampshade should work beautifully in this neutral room.
Final thoughts
Lighting is something that evolves slowly, alongside the way we live in our homes. What has worked best for us is taking our time — observing how each space is used throughout the day and across the seasons, and layering light in a way that feels both practical and calming. Not every room is finished, and that feels completely fine. Living with a space before committing to bigger lighting decisions has allowed us to choose pieces we genuinely love, rather than rushing into something that simply fills a gap.
If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that thoughtful lighting can transform how a home feels, especially during the darker months. By focusing on warm bulbs, soft materials and multiple low-level light sources, it’s possible to create spaces that feel inviting, restful and personal — even if they’re still a work in progress.
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