Lighting Guide

Rounded dome pendant light hanging in a warm, softly lit room
Kids' Bedroom Lighting: Safe, Soft and Easy at Bedtime
Safe, layered lighting for a child's bedroom: bright for play, focused for homework and warm at bedtime, with advice by age from nursery to teenager. Read more...
Slim linear LED pendant over a long wooden dining table in an open-plan room
Open-Plan Lighting: How to Zone a Kitchen, Dining and Living Space
How to light an open-plan kitchen, dining and living space as three zones, with the right fittings in each, separate switching and one colour temperature to tie it together. Read more...
Round travertine wall light on a warm plaster wall in a living room
Lighting Trends 2026: Six Ideas Worth Living With
Travertine, ribbed glass, sculptural fabric, mushroom lamps, cordless lights and glass globe wall lights: six 2026 lighting trends that will still make sense in five years. Read more...
Black linear pendant with smoked glass shades over a kitchen dining table
Industrial Lighting in a Modern Home: How to Keep It Warm
Metal shades, glass and exposed bulbs without the cold workshop feel: industrial lighting for kitchens, dining tables, living rooms, hallways and bedrooms. Read more...
White organic pendant light over a pale stone kitchen island
Japandi Lighting: Paper, Stone, Rattan and Warm Wood
How to light a Japandi room: warm, low, diffused light in paper, travertine, rattan and wood, room by room, and the mistakes that make the style look bare. Read more...
Globe LED filament bulb with a glowing spiral filament
Filament Bulbs: Choosing the Shape, Glass and Glow
ST64, globe or candle? How to choose a decorative LED filament bulb by shape, glass and warmth, where it belongs, and how to dim it without flicker. Read more...
Black outdoor bollard light on a gravel path beside a pool
IP Ratings Explained: IP20, IP44 and IP65, and Where Each Belongs
What the two digits of an IP rating mean, which rating a bathroom, a porch or a garden wall needs, and the mistakes that let water into outdoor lights. Read more...
White rechargeable mushroom lamp glowing on a coffee table
Are Rechargeable Table Lamps Worth It ? Where They Shine, Where They Don't
Where a cordless lamp beats a plug-in one, which battery and charging figures to compare, and how to look after a rechargeable lamp so it lasts for years. Read more...
Pebble floor lamp with layered fabric shade beside a sofa
How to Choose a Floor Lamp: Height, Shade and Where It Stands
Reading lamp or room lamp? The heights in centimetres, the shade that suits each job, and exactly where to stand a floor lamp beside a sofa, a chair or a... Read more...
Slim round LED ceiling light in a warm living room
How Many Lumens Do I Need ? Room by Room, in Plain Numbers
Watts no longer tell you how bright a bulb is. How many lumens each room needs, an old-watts conversion table, and the two-minute sum to work it out for your... Read more...
Large hand-woven rattan pendant lighting a living room
Rattan and Bamboo Lights: What They Do to a Room
A woven shade does not diffuse light, it patterns it. Which weave suits which room, the bulb that ruins them, and why they never belong in a bathroom. Read more...
Brass and milky glass wall light mounted on a bedroom wall
Brass, Black or Chrome? Choosing a Lighting Finish
Finishes do not have to match. They have to repeat. The rule of three, which metals mix, and what each one looks like after two years. Read more...
Stone pendant hanging straight on a long cord beside a bed
Hanging a Light on a Sloped Ceiling: What Works, What Tilts
Cord pendants hang straight on any pitch. Rigid stems need an angled adapter. How to light a loft conversion, a vaulted room or a room in the roof. Read more...
Crystal flush ceiling light mounted against a bedroom ceiling
Flush, Semi-Flush or Pendant? Choosing by Ceiling Height
A semi-flush hangs 15 to 30cm below the ceiling. Which of the three types your ceiling can take, and why the middle one flatters a low room. Read more...
Black and gold crystal chandelier lit in a panelled living room
How to Clean a Chandelier Without Taking It Down
Dust costs a fitting up to a third of its light. How often to clean, the method for each material, and the products that quietly ruin a finish. Read more...
Table lamp lighting a room from a console, with no ceiling light
No Ceiling Light ? How to Light a Room Without Wiring
Five sources, no electrician. How to light a new-build flat or a rented room properly, including the 5-amp circuit nobody explains. Read more...
Garden post light on a lit stone path at night
Garden Lighting Ideas: Paths, Patios and Planting
Path lights every 2 to 3 metres, seating lit from the walls, planting lit from below. How to light a British garden without turning it into a car park. Read more...
Wall light beside a staircase in a dark blue stairwell
Stairwell Lighting: How to Fill a Double-Height Space
How long a drop, how wide a fitting, and the 2.1 metre rule that keeps it legal. Lighting a stairwell from both floors at once. Read more...
Travertine stone wall light mounted at eye level in a bedroom
How High Should Wall Lights Be ? Every Room, in Centimetres
150 to 165cm in a living room, 100 to 110cm beside a bed, 170cm outside a front door. One table for every wall light in the house. Read more...
LED desk lamp lit on a side table beside an armchair
Home Office Lighting: Desk Heights, Screens and Video Calls
Which side the desk lamp goes, how high, and why lighting a screen is not the same as lighting a page. Numbers for a British home office. Read more...
Pendant light above a kitchen island beside a tall window
How to Light a Kitchen: The Three Layers, and Where Each Goes
Spotlights in front of the cupboards, not behind you. Task light under the units, decorative light over the island. A kitchen scheme in measurements. Read more...
Wall light mounted above a bed as bedside lighting
How to Light a Bedroom: Bedside Heights That Work
Lamp, sconce or pendant beside the bed, and the height for each. Plus why the ceiling light should never sit over the pillows. Read more...
Dimmable LED floor lamp lit beside a console table
Why Do My LED Lights Flicker ? A Fault-Finding Guide
Nine times out of ten it is the dimmer, not the bulb. Work through the causes in order, from the free fixes to the ones that need an electrician. Read more...
Vintage Edison LED filament bulb glowing on a wooden base
Light Bulb Fittings Explained: E27, E14, GU10, G9 and B22
Screw or bayonet, 27mm or 14mm, pins or push-fit. How to identify the bulb your fitting takes in under a minute, with a UK size table. Read more...
Table lamp with a fabric shade lit beside an armchair and bookshelves
What Size Lampshade Do I Need ? The Proportions That Work
Shade diameter about the height of the base, shade height a third of the lamp. The proportions that stop a lamp looking top-heavy. Read more...
Minimalist glass flush ceiling light in a hallway with a low ceiling
Hallway Lighting for Low Ceilings: What Actually Fits
Measure your ceiling, subtract 210cm, and you know your maximum drop. Flush fittings, sconce heights and spacing for narrow British hallways. Read more...
Layered fabric floor lamp lighting the corner of a living room
How to Light a Living Room: The Three-Layer Method
One ceiling light will never be enough. Five sources, three layers, and the heights that make a British living room feel finished after dark. Read more...
Antique French chandelier hanging above a dining table
What Size Pendant Light for a Dining Table ? The Rule in Centimetres
Half to two thirds of the table's narrow side, and never within 30cm of the edge. Pendant and chandelier sizes for every UK dining table. Read more...
Woven rattan pendant light hanging above a kitchen island
How Many Pendants Over a Kitchen Island ? The Numbers That Work
Two pendants or three, how far apart, how high, and how wide. The measurements that decide whether a kitchen island looks designed or improvised. Read more...
Stone pendant light hanging beside a bathroom mirror above a stone basin
Bathroom Lighting Zones, Explained Without the Jargon
Zone 0, 1, 2 and outside the zones, in centimetres. What IP rating you need where, and which bathroom positions take an ordinary fitting. Read more...
Amber glass mushroom table lamp glowing warm white in a dark room
2700K or 4000K ? Choosing Colour Temperature, Room by Room
2700K for every room you relax in, 4000K only where you work. The UK guide to warm white, cool white and the numbers on the box. Read more...
Outdoor wall lantern lighting a house entrance and garden path at dusk
Where to Put an Outdoor Wall Light (and How High)
Mount the centre of the lantern at 170cm, on the lock side of the door. The UK guide to outdoor wall light height, spacing, IP ratings and bulbs. Read more...
Table lamp with a patterned shade lit on a wooden base
What Size Table Lamp Do I Need ? Heights That Actually Work
Bedside, console, desk or living room: the heights and shade proportions that make a table lamp look right, in centimetres, with the one rule everybody gets wrong. Read more...
Wabi-sabi pendant light hanging above a dining table in a warmly lit room
How High Should a Pendant Light Hang ? A Room-by-Room Guide
Dining table, kitchen island, hallway, bedside and stairwell: the heights that electricians and interior designers actually use, in centimetres. Read more...