The Best TV Room Lighting: Everything You Need To Know
March 12, 2024
March 12, 2024
However, in this industry, what we regularly witness is that many home theater owners fail to install proper lighting for watching TV. To ensure the vibe of your home theater is on point, you cannot overlook your tv room lighting fixtures; they’re equally as important as the entertainment system.
The right lighting for television and film can align with the aesthetic of your room, limit distractions and level up the viewing experience. Below, we’ll cover the best tv and living room lighting that can do exactly that.
There are several light options available for TV rooms, each with its own unique characteristics and benefits. Ambient lighting, for example, provides a soft glow that can make a relaxing atmosphere, while task lighting is designed to illuminate specific areas, such as a reading chair or a gaming console.
Table lamps and floor lamps are popular choices for this, as they can be placed strategically to provide focused light sources. Wall sconces and recessed lighting are also popular options, as they can add a touch of elegance to a room.
When choosing lighting fixtures, it’s essential to consider the size and layout of the room, as well as the type of activities that will be taking place. By understanding the different lighting options available, you can create a well-lit TV room that meets your needs and enhances your viewing experience.
If you’re like most of us, you probably like to watch some blockbusters or series in a dark room for the full immersive effect. While this can be fun and gripping in the short term, it can have implications on your health in the long run.
TVs are bright, causing your pupils to automatically adjust to the light that enters your eyes. When this happens, your eyes strain, and you may experience fatigue and headaches.
You can, of course, turn on other lights in your room to alleviate eye strain. However, the reflection from other fixtures or overhead lighting will likely bounce onto the TV, causing glare and affecting the color and contrast.
One way to stop this from happening is installing Bias lighting in your media room. It’s an ambient form of lighting that can be installed behind your TV or on the wall itself, being an easier adjustment for your eyes.
We recommend: Haylen is an LED fixture that acts as a bias light for your home entertainment system. It can be easily installed horizontally above your TV, softly diffusing light downwards. You can also install two of these wall lights vertically on either side of your home entertainment system, taking away little attention.
The best part? The Haylen comes in various lengths from 12"/30cm-94"/240cm, being a great side light for your home theater.
Nowadays, many homeowners and theater owners are using LED lights for rooms that have TVs or projectors. LEDs are more energy efficient and last longer than conventional lights like halogen or tungsten.
These lights can quickly reach 100% brightness, whereas traditional lights can take up to three minutes. Plus, a wide range of color temperatures and intensity can be changed to match certain scenes, shooting conditions and visual effects.
The Haylen RGB is a perfect example of this, with seven different options to change to single and multi-colours. For instance, if you're watching a thriller, you can change the lights to yellow or green to heighten the intensity, or if you're watching a romantic comedy, the purple setting can induce a light-hearted energy.
In addition to the bias lighting we mentioned earlier, a few types of lighting are ideal for TV watching in a dark room. Here are our top picks:
Wall sconces are minimalistic fixtures attached to your wall, providing soft and indirect lighting. They also provide subtle illumination in your theater, allowing people to walk easily without falling over cables or furniture. They can also be used to highlight architectural details, adding to the overall effect of your media room or living room lighting's aesthetic.
We recommend: A wall sconce that we’re confident will fit any home, the Cadel. A sleek surface-mounted black aluminum light can be positioned at any angle on the wall of your choice. Its black color makes it easy to compliment any interior and furniture. If you wish, you can even install multiple lights to make subtle lighting zones throughout your theater.
In case you haven't guessed already, minimal fixtures are the best lighting to have in your TV room. Task lighting is complimentary lighting that is best installed alongside existing ambient lighting. It helps provide subtle illumination for certain tasks like finding a TV remote, illuminating coffee tables to find drinks or snacks, and even accentuating certain furniture (if you wish).
We recommend: The Angelica table lamp will work well between seats or even placed on a side table. The luxury bronze and copper brushed gold finish easily pairs with any decor and adds a premium viewing experience.
Do you recall earlier when we said bias lighting can help reduce eye strain? Well, so can dimmable fixtures. Dimmable fixtures give you more control over changing the light intensity to compliment the film or series you watch.
After all, different scenes can post different contrasts and intensities. Dimmable lighting also gives you full control over the ambience, adding coziness to your room.
We recommend: While many of our fixtures at MOD Lighting are dimmable, we highly recommend installing wall sconces like the Aurelius Sconce on your wall. Its edgy, bold, black, icicle-like design can be placed on a wall, subtly highlighting seating or tables below.
Layer lighting is a technique that involves using multiple light sources to create a layered effect. This can include a combination of ambient. task, accent lighting, which can be used to highlight specific features or create a focal points in the room.
By layering different light sources, you can make a dynamic and interesting lighting scheme that adds depth and visual interest to the room. For example, you could use recessed lighting to provide ambient lighting, table lamps to provide task lighting, and sconces to provide accent lighting. This can help to create a cozy and inviting atmosphere, while also providing ample lighting for different activities.
Whether you’re watching TV, reading, or playing games, layer lighting can help to enhance the overall viewing experience and create a comfortable and relaxing environment in your media room. Any of these options could also be smart lights, giving you the ability to fully customize the color and brightness, and even sync them to the movies, TV, music, and games you're enjoying.
When choosing lighting fixtures for watching TV and movies, it's always wise to factor in a combination of lighting. Install bias lighting to reduce the risk of eye strain and headaches, dimmable lighting to control the ambience and task lighting to decrease the chances of accidents.
Alongside all of this, always consider the overall theme of your room to ensure the design of the fixtures fits with the interior and ambience. Whenever possible, control unwanted light sources, i.e. sunlight from windows with drapes or curtains, to avoid spillage.
If you're seeking for further fixture inspiration to compliment your TV room or home theater, try shopping by style. With designs ranging from Scandinavian, minimalistic, metropolitan, post-modern and oriental, we have you covered!
For the layered setup above, start with our living room lighting and add living room wall lights for the low glow behind the screen.