I feel like I have seen every light fixture there is online. So much time browsing lights. But finally selected and ordered the lights for our Remodel, I think I am going to have a lot of free time on my hands now that is done! Ended up ordering over 50 lights! Entry, bedrooms, bathrooms, exterior, kitchen, hallways, etc.

One thing that really helped me decide on lights was putting them in the room…. not REALLY “in the room”, but via computer magic.

I shared a video on Instagram how to try something on for size HERE. I will walk you through it on this post, keep reading! One of the biggest things to keep in mind is the light size and scale for the room. Below are my tips…

How to Choose Light Fixtures- Right Size and Where to Hang-

1. Deciding Light Fixture Width– Size can be personal preference, some like oversized and some like more minimal. I have heard this tip and it does work well- add the length and width of the room (in feet) then convert to inches. For example my daughters room is 13′ x 14′, so that means I need a chandelier that is 27″ wide, which is about what I ordered. Keep in mind over a dining table and kitchen island you want at least 6″ from edge.
2. Deciding Light Fixture Height- The higher the ceiling, the taller the chandelier. The rule of thumb is to figure 3 inches of chandelier height for each foot of ceiling height. For example an 8-foot ceiling requires a chandelier that is about 20-24 inches in height. Make sure everyone can walk comfortably under the light, at least 7′ from bottom of light fixture to floor.
3. Deciding where to hang over table- Light fixtures should be hung 30-34 inches from top of table or island to base of light, (based off about 8′ ceilings). For taller ceilings you could go up to 40 inches (I like how lights can make a large room feel cozy if you keep light low).

Favorite Lights-

Trying Lights in the Room with Computer Magic-

We can only do one light over our island. So this was helpful to visualize what one larger light with multiple bulbs coming from the side would look like.

It is really easy to try something in the room, like a did above, you can even do it from a phone. I have a video HERE that you can pause and slow down to see how I do it.

• Open the app Canva (free version)
• Select a blank canvas (I just pick instagram story because size is good- you can find these under templates then social media)
• Exit out of the ready-made templates to just a blank canvas
• Then upload your images from your media library
• If you are layering images like I did above you will want to remove the background. You can remove a background for FREE via remove.bg
• You can layer images via “positions”. You can see where I made the background our kitchen then I layered a light fixture and island by moving from backward or forward.

In our family room we are doing to large round lights, in a lighter color to brighten up the wood. I just needed to decide on the wall sconce, but after I put them in the room, I could easily eliminate other options and decide on this sconce.

For our entry light I was having a hard time deciding on a light, there were so many lights I liked and yet none of them were immediately a yes, until I found that large star light. I wanted to make sure the entry light was a WOW, fun light that set the tone for our entire home. (ps- see the different entry ideas here).

Excited to share all the lights installed….hopefully sooner than later!

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How to create a whole home lighting plan:

1. Start by making a list of the fixtures you need.

Take a walk through your home and figure out where you need new light fixtures and what kind you need like flush mounts, sconces, chandeliers, pendants, etc. Don’t forget about bathrooms, kitchens, and hallways!

You’ll find that some spaces can only accommodate one kind of fixture and others are more flexible. For example, if you have 8’ ceilings, you may only be able to use flush mounts - or maybe a semi-flush mount - for overhead lighting in a lot of your rooms, so that means you can narrow your search and exclude fixtures like low-hanging pendants or chandeliers (except for over a dining table of course!).

During this step, you’ll also want to figure out if you need any electrical work done - do you need to move a junction box or add any new ones? If you do, I’d suggest finding your fixture first so that you can get the placement right. This is especially true for things like island pendants and wall sconces. For most “regular” overhead fixtures, this matters less. You’ll likely just center them in the space.

2. Determine the general style/design direction of your fixtures.

Use your decorating style as a guide for choosing your light fixtures. Don’t know your style? Pinterest is a great place to start! I also wrote up a post recently on using Instagram to define your style, so you can head over and give that a read if IG is your jam.

Once you’ve got that figured out, the easiest thing to do is to stick to light fixtures that fit nicely into those style categories and keep the theme going throughout your home. There are certainly ways to make a more eclectic mix work beautifully, but I think for most people, keeping it simple is a key to success!

3. Pick your metal finish.

I love mixing metals, but if you don’t feel confident doing that or prefer to stick to a single finish, just choose one and carry that throughout your home! You’ll see that I did that in my example whole house lighting plan starters, and you really can’t go wrong with that.

Metal finishes can be a little tricker to match than you might think, so I’ve got a couple of “watch outs” for you as you choose one:

• Make sure the sheen is the same. If you choose nickel for example, I’d go with all polished or all brushed. If you mix them, even though they’re technically the same color, it won’t look right - just trust me on that!

• Blacks aren’t always black. Many, many fixtures that look black in photos are actually an oil-rubbed bronze. And to make it more confusing, some fixtures that are labeled as oil-rubbed bronze or antique bronze actually look like matte black. Ugh! Just be sure to pay close attention and look at closeups of the fixtures to see what the true finish is. Reviews can help too.

• Polished nickel and chrome are different (don’t mix them!). It may seem like a silver metal is a silver metal, but that’s not the case! Polished nickel has a warm undertone and chrome has a cool undertone. You see chrome a lot in kitchen and bath fixtures - less so in lighting. Nickel is a lot more common. I have a bias for polished nickel over brushed generally these days because sometimes brushed nickel can look cheap if it’s not done well. That’s just a personal preference though!

4. Choose fixtures with similar “lines” and “feels.”

I’ll admit, this part is more of an art, so it’s not as straightforward to understand! Generally, if you can echo design elements from one fixture to another, that’s going to help a ton with a cohesive look.

For example, if your dining room chandelier is minimalist with a curvy shape like the one I have in my matte black lighting plan below, you might choose island pendants that are also minimalist and have a bit of a curve to them. The simple pendants I included in that same plan are just that. See how the top part has a curve to it? That’s what I mean by having similar lines and feels. If you have any questions about that, I’d be happy answer them!

All right, so with all of that in mind, here are my three starter guides for light fixtures! I’ve got flush mounts, semi-flush mounts, chandeliers, pendants, single wall sconces, and vanity lights. What I love about these is that they all work well together, and you can mix and match them throughout your home! I hope they’re helpful as you’re shopping for your own home.

Whole Home Lighting Plan: Brass