LED living room lights
LED LIVING ROOM LIGHTS
Good LED lights for living room use never come from a single ceiling fixture: they are built in layers, because the same room is used for reading, entertaining and watching a movie in the dark. LEDCO supplies every layer: dimmable 3 in and 4 in recessed lights, LED strips to hide behind the TV or in a cove, track spotlights for artwork and pendants for the reading corner, all in 2700K or 3000K, the warm whites that suit a living space.
The four layers of light in a living room
Before choosing a product, assign the roles. A successful set of LED lights for living room use combines four:
- General light: recessed lights in the ceiling, dimmable, to see clearly by day and turn down at night.
- Light behind the TV: an LED strip that softens the contrast between the screen and the wall.
- Accent: track spotlights or a tilting recessed light aimed at a painting, a bookcase, a fireplace.
- Ambiance: a line of indirect light in a cove, under a shelf or behind the sofa.
Each layer has its own switch or dimmer. That is what lets you go from a bright living room to a dim evening without changing a bulb.
Dimmable 3 in and 4 in LED recessed lights: the general layer
Slim LED ceiling downlights form the base. The DLX 4 in round 8 W recessed light is the common format; its DLX 3 in version makes more discreet points, round or square. The DLS 4 in 9 W adds a little power, and the DLT 4 in trimless 12 W recessed light disappears into the drywall: all you see is the light. Connected to a compatible dimmer, they go from full brightness to almost nothing.
Living room ceiling: the tilting RGBW-CCT recessed light and the linear recessed light
Two products stand out. The DLS 4 in tilting RGBW-CCT 9 W recessed light aims at a wall of paintings or a bookcase, goes from warm white to cool white and can take on a colour for a party. The 10 W-18 W linear LED recessed light draws a stroke of light across the ceiling, to underline the axis of the room or the sofa area. In a living room open to the kitchen, it pairs well with the linear integrated LED fixtures above the counter.
LED strip behind the TV: the light that rests your eyes
An LED strip fixed to the back of the television is the simplest and most effective installation in the living room. It lights the wall behind the screen and reduces the contrast between the bright picture and the dark room, which tires the eyes less during a movie. In warm white, the halo stays discreet; in RGB, the colour changes with the mood. The same strip under the TV console makes the furniture float above the floor. Our page on media wall LED lighting covers the installation.
LED track spotlights: paintings, bookcase and fireplace
For a living room with artwork, a large bookcase or a stone fireplace, LED ceiling track lighting offers the most flexibility: each spotlight aims at the object to be lit and moves when the décor changes. Track spotlights are chosen in warm white so canvases keep their colours. The track mounts on the ceiling surface, on an ordinary 120 V circuit, which makes it a good solution in a renovation.
LED profile on the ceiling or in a cove: the line of light
It is the most frequent request we get for the living room: the LED profile on the ceiling. A strip slid into an aluminum profile with a diffuser becomes a continuous line, with no visible dots, installed in a cove to light the ceiling, under a floating shelf, or recessed into the drywall for a crisp stroke. The Custom LED Builder cuts the profile and the strip to the length of your wall and adds the transformer; see also our page on LED lighting for ceiling bulkheads.
LED pendants: the reading corner and the living room table
A pendant gives a landmark to a specific zone. The black cylinder pendant light 20 W 3CCT lights a reading chair or a side table, and its white adjusts to three temperatures. Above a table placed in the living room, the 4 ft linear suspended luminaire draws an elegant line. The other models in the family are in our LED suspended luminaires.
Technical tips for LED lights for living room spaces
Stay at 2700K or 3000K. A cool white gives office light; warm white flatters wood, fabrics and faces.
Put a dimmer on every layer. The general light, the TV and the ambiance do not come on at the same intensity in the evening.
Always hide the strip's source. Behind the TV, in a profile or in a cove: you see the light on the wall, never the diodes.
Measure the cove wall to wall. A line that stops before the corner is noticed right away; custom fabrication solves that.
Plan the transformer before closing the drywall. It needs a dry, ventilated and accessible spot, close to the strip run.
A residential living room lit with these products is in our accomplishments. For a complete plan based on your room's layout, contact LEDCO.
LED lights for living room FAQ
Can you show some examples of living rooms lit with LED?
Yes. Our accomplishments gallery shows a residential living room and several cove, strip and recessed projects. It is often the best way to picture a line of indirect light before ordering it.
Which colour temperature should I choose for a living room?
Warm white, 2700K or 3000K. 2700K is more amber and suits evenings; 3000K is still warm but renders the colours of fabrics and books a little better. A CCT recessed light lets you switch from one to the other, and even go to a crisper white for reading.
The strip behind the TV, white or colour?
To rest your eyes during a movie, a discreet warm white is enough. RGB adds the option of changing the mood for a party or game night. In both cases, the strip attaches to the back of the TV and lights the wall, never the viewer.
How many recessed lights does a living room need?
It depends on the floor area, the ceiling height and the other layers planned: a living room with a cove and track spotlights needs fewer than one lit only from the ceiling. Send us your plan with the dimensions and we will propose a layout.
Can an LED cove be added to a finished ceiling?
Yes. A surface profile screws to the wall or ceiling without opening the drywall, and the strip in its diffuser gives the continuous line. You only need to plan a path for the low-voltage wire to the transformer.
