*Collaborative post

When you’re giving your interiors a glow up, overhead lighting or table lamps, which should you prioritise? Let me walk you through the decision in this blog.

Overhead or Table Lamps: What’s More Suited To Your Rooms? 

Teetering between the choice of overhead lighting or table lamps? I feel you! With endless options out there at the tap of a button, it’s hard not to freeze up with decision fatigue. Which is where I come in: as a design enthusiast, I’m no stranger to these troubles, nor am I above decision paralysis myself. But what I do have, though, is an abundance of experience advising my friends on their home décor, lighting included.

So, in this guide, allow me to wade into the debate and share some insights I’ve picked up along the way. Overhead or table lamps, which is best? Let’s find out.

Why Lighting Matters (More Than You Think)

Often when we approach a room redesign, we’re so focused on the storage, furniture, paint colours (all important!) that we leave elements of the décor like lighting sorely underexplored.

Pick a nice lamp shade to conceal the naked bulb, plonk a floor lamp in the corner, and job’s a good’un. We’ve all done it. 

But, in my experience, if you put intentionality behind your decisions and aim for artistry, the outcome is incomparably striking. As all the big interior designers say, light has a marked impact on space perception and the ambience of a room. Go too cool and too bright, and your rooms suddenly feel stark and hospital-esque. Fail to appropriately illuminate the interior? Then, you’ve got a shadowy and unwelcoming space on your hands.

If you’re not careful, your lighting can make redundant all the effort you put into making your home a cosy, uplifting retreat. That’s a thumbs down from me.

The Case for Overhead Lighting

Overhead lights are usually the default light source for a room and come in a diversity of shapes and sizes. Recessed fixtures, flush lights and track lighting often appear in kitchens, whilst pendant lights look good pretty much anywhere that could benefit from a vertical focal point, anchoring whatever lies below. Chandeliers and disco balls are also fun options I’m seeing more and more, as eclectic tastes have kicked off the trend for maximalist interiors.

Now, whichever types you warm to, it’s worth running through the pros and cons. Spoilers: overhead lights definitely have their place in every home; it’s just your objectives for a given room that should determine how you illuminate them.

Ideal Use Cases

Overhead lighting is, by definition, a light source from above. This means that the light emitted pervades the entire space, or if you’re already clued up, makes it a form of ambient lighting.  Also known as ‘mood lighting’, this is the foundational light that uniformly brightens the room. 

As such, it’s best positioned to illuminate large or tall-ceilinged areas, kitchens, hallways, or spaces where consistent visibility is a requirement, like an office.

Pros

• Eliminate dark corners with consistent, blanketing illumination: If you’re looking to make your interiors feel inviting and open, flooding them with even lighting is your best bet; in dingier north-facing rooms this comes particularly in handy.
• It makes your interiors look more professional & polished: Something about the consistency of the light quality lends the space a sense of cohesion that looks so much more professional than a haphazard lamp or wall fixture plonked in a few spots.
• You can use dimmers to control their intensity, thereby adjusting the overall ambience of the space: Yes, by modifying the overhead lights, you can match the brightness to your requirements, and carefully lull your circadian rhythms to a natural tempo. Opting for fixtures with diffusers or shades also helps if you’re going for the softer approach.
• They come in variety: Industrial, minimalist, art deco, sculptural and thousands of shades in between, there’s a treasure trove of possibilities when it comes to style, meaning that the optimal light for your home is just waiting to be discovered!
• Overhead lights are prime real estate for focal points: Ever thought that there was something missing from your décor, and simply couldn’t put your finger on it? It might be that you’re missing a centrepiece up top, and by that, I mean a focal point to break up the monotony of the ceiling. In large spaces and corridors, especially, these helpful flourishes create rhythm and visual flow, a trajectory to direct the eye.

Cons

Nothing is perfect, and that remains true for overhead lights, but what exactly are those downsides? Let me explain…

• It creates harsh glare, which causes eye stain if you’re not careful: Especially applicable to non-dimmable fixtures, you run the risk of your interiors feeling abruptly lit and one note.
• Since the light source is fixed in one central location, it’s less flexible for building mood or dimension: What it says on the tin, really.

The Case for Table Lamps

Ah table lamps. You’ve got to love them – whether a sculptural masterpiece, stained glass novelties, or something utilitarian to sit atop your beside tables, lamps bring an abundance of design options and tons of flexibility. Ceramic, brass, rattan, plastic, glass, you name it! 

Part of the fun is that, with their small stature, they take up little space, meaning you can place them in any corner or on any surface provided there’s an electrical outlet nearby.

Ideal Use Cases

These lovely light sources are a great example of task lighting; the type of localised illumination used to provide visibility for a specific task. In the home, that could be practically anything: food preparation, cooking, reading, doing your makeup, and so on. 

You’re likely to find them perched atop a coffee table, set on either side of the bed on the nightstands, by an armchair, or within arm’s reach of a window seat. The idea is very simple: they provide focused brightness for small areas, where you need a little boost to avoid eye strain.

Pros

• Their targeted, directional light provides strong visibility for different tasks, reducing glare for activities like reading or screen use.
• They’re portable, which makes them more flexible – simply unplug the lamp and reposition it as desired.
• Lamps make wonderful decor pieces and focal points, since they introduce character, colour, pattern and texture in small doses.
• In dingy corners where the overhead light can’t reach, they work as excellent light boosters.
• You can choose from a wealth of aesthetics and style motifs, from patterned shades to the broader design of the lamp. 

Cons

• Alone lamps might not be sufficient to light up an entire room, especially those larger spaces with lots of nooks and crannies.

The Secret Third Option: Layered Lighting

Okay, here’s where the curtain drops… technically, you don’t want to be choosing between overhead or table lamps as a rule, but combining them artfully so they work with your scheme.

It’s true, overhead lights are better for general, all-purpose rooms, where only level of illumination is needed. And, yes, table lamps are meant for small areas that need a touch of task lighting. Together, though, they cover all bases.

However, the most effective – and attractive – approach is to tactfully seed the two about the room, along with accent lights to create focal points where appropriate. Here, you can side-step all the issues I discussed earlier, creating a design with dimension, intrigue, stylistic penash and flexibility.  Plus, when you pop on a film or grab your latest paperback, you can modify the vibe by dimming down the main light ahead and clicking on the small light. 

This is what the professionals call layered lighting. Because, well, you heap on the lights in layers, each tackling ambient, task and accent illumination.

How to Approach Your Light Design

The best starting point is your ambient lighting; use this as your foundation, not dissimilar to how a neutral colour throughout an interior serves as a backdrop for your furniture and home decor. 

Pick a handful of overhead fixtures – perhaps a statement ceiling-mounted fixture in the centre or a chandelier – and then build out from there with task lighting, bringing visibility to specific activity zones like an armchair, reading nook, breakfast bar or desk.  The latter could be a row of stylish hanging pendants or a strategic floor or table lamp. Then, finally, incorporate the finishing flourishes to highlight the finer details. Here, a spotlight on a piece of art, integrated cupboard lights or LED strips work the magic.

Conclusion: A Compromise for the Win!

So, overhead lights or table lamps, which is best for your home? Well, by now you know it’s a tricky question; both types of illumination serve a purpose and create a compounding effect design-wise when they’re executed together.

Combined, they make a power couple with as much staying power as any celebrities. Just make sure to incorporate your lighting sources naturally, and everything will fall into place. Talk about a glow up!