Design 101: How To Mix Light Fixtures In Your Home

I, personally, believe that lighting is one of those things that can make or break a space. It’s the quickest and easiest way to set the mood of a room, and layering a space with lamps, candles, wall sconces, and overhead lights is something I pay particular attention to. When it comes to mixing lighting fixtures in a space, however, it can sometimes feel a little tricky. I mean, you don’t want your lamp and your chandelier to match, but they do need to speak to each other so that they feel cohesive, so where do you start?

When we renovated our kitchen, we also made a few small but impactful updates to our dining room, too. New hardwood floors, a fresh coat of paint, and some wall panelling are all well and good. But the most notable difference of them all is our updated lighting. We recently picked up this beautiful chandelier, from Jamie Young, as well as this stunning striped table lamp, and I just loved how they worked together. The two pieces speak to each other in form (similar shade styles, curved elements set alongside linear ones…), but don’t feel matchy-matchy in the least. It encouraged me to dissect how I tend to approach mixing lighting fixtures and thought it’d be helpful to share my very best tip for how to mix and match light fixtures in your own home.

{The Bernard Lamp}

I will admit, there are no hard and fast rules here – ultimately you are the only one who needs to think your lighting fixture combinations work well together. It’s your space after all! But one thing that I find helpful is to pick lighting fixtures that feel like sisters, not twins. That’s to say that they should have a coordinating element of SOME variety to tie them together. But they absolutely do not need to be the same piece or even from the same family. In fact, I encourage playing around with form, scale, contrast and all of the good things that come along with adding interest and, ultimately, creating art.

{The Lawton Chandelier}

The key to mixing lighting fixtures is to find one element that ties them together. Perhaps they’re entirely different shapes and styles, but of the same material. Maybe one is stone and one is metal, but they have similar lamp shades. Or they’re of the same genre (super modern! very traditional!) but in a variety of finishes or materials. Here are a few great examples of lighting fixtures that work beautifully together and why, so you can get a visual sense of what I’m talking about:

The Tavern Pendant & The Lawton Wall Sconce

Why they work:

They both feel transitional and would work well in a traditional home or modern one alike. Though the materials vary, the black, white and gold colour palette works beautifully, too.

The Willow Chandelier & The Leith Table Lamp

Why they work:

They both have chrome accents (in the chain & harp). As well as beautiful textural elements that tie them together.

The Blooming Chandelier & The Lagoon Table Lamp

Why they work:

Even though they’re made of entirely different materials (ceramic & iron), they both feel traditional in shape, with a slightly more modern hand.

The Perignon Chandelier & The Vilhem Task Lamp

Why they work:

Apart from the fact that they’re both made of a brushed gold, they also both have clean lines paired with a little texture.

The Constantine Flushmount & The Antiquity Table Lamp

Why they work:

Though one is ceramic and one is metal, they are similar in tone and colour. The wildly different shapes ensures they don’t feel matchy-matchy, however the linear banded element they each possess adds another level of cohesion.

There you have it. My best advice for mixing lighting fixtures: you’re looking for sisters, not twins! Hopefully this little tip will give you a boost of confidence when it comes to picking lighting for your own home.

Thank you to Jamie Young for sponsoring this post. And a big thank you to you for supporting my sponsorships. It really means the world.