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Galleria Lighting customers,

We need to make you aware of changes to our operating hours and procedures as a result of Colorado’s response to COVID-19. It is important to note that Colorado considers Galleria Lighting an essential business.

It’s our responsibility to keep our customers, employees, suppliers, and the community healthy and safe. To this end, we’ve instituted the appropriate CDC recommended sanitization and social distancing practices in our stores, at delivery and pick-up locations, and in our warehouses. 

However, the situation is fluid and continues to evolve. As a result, we’ve made the difficult decision to close our Greenwood Village Showroom and Denver Showroom locations from March 24 until April 13 (more detail below). 

The Galleria Lighting Denver location (100 Rio Grande Blvd, Denver, CO 80223) remains open for curbside pick-up and deliveries, Monday through Friday, from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM.

During this time, our reduced personnel will be focused on shipping and receiving, as well as order fulfillment.  We remain open for business and can place phone orders at any time. Also, our delivery teams are still operational and delivering products every day across the Metro Area. 

If you would like to place an order or check on the status of your order, please call your sales rep, reach out to 303.592.1223, or email us at sales@gallerialighting.net. 

If you plan to take advantage of curbside pick-up at our Denver store, we ask that you take the appropriate measures to ensure your personal safety and that of our employees. Please call 303-592-1223 upon your arrival and we will bring your order right to your vehicle.

The health and safety of our community, employees, customers, and partners is our top priority. For this reason, we are adhering to the strict regulations of the State of Colorado and the CDC and will update you on details and changes as they occur. 

Please do not hesitate to reach out with questions or concerns. 

-Galleria Lighting

Living rooms are the focal point of Colorado homes. It’s where we relax after a long workday, and where families gather to watch movies and entertain friends. That’s why it’s essential to create an inviting and comfortable living room!

Not to mention that a cozy living room enhances the richness and quality of daily life, making you and your family feel happier and safer as you rest and unwind in your sanctuary. 

We encourage customers to use lighting in ways to create inspiring and comfortable homes, homes that fulfill your vision of what’s beautiful. Because, adding personality, style, and function to your living room with layers of elegant lighting enhances your experience of home and improves your quality of life. 

Here are ten ways to use lighting to make your living room more inviting and serene. 

1. Create a feeling of warmth with ambient lighting.

Ambient lighting ricochets indirect light off the ceiling, giving your living room subtle warmth that makes people feel comfortable and relaxed. 

There are different ways to create ambient light in your living room. You can install cove lighting or a cantilever detail with LED lighting inconspicuously tucked inside, or, you can place linear LED lighting atop lofty furniture pieces, like bookcases or cabinets. Many designers also install wall sconces to project upward light to achieve a comforting, warm, inviting, and serene living room.

2. Set the mood with three levels of lighting: high, medium, and low.

It’s essential to have three levels of lighting: high, particularly if your living room has unique materials like plaster or wood, or if the ceiling is vaulted; medium, which includes wall lighting; and low, including floor and table lamps. 

We like to use living room up-lights to create an overall glow that acts as mood lighting. Our team also often uses recessed lights to illuminate table surfaces, art, and fireplaces.

In the mid-level area, wall sconces add a jewelry-like effect to living rooms and are your opportunity to introduce another material, like glass, metal, or fabric. 

*Pro-tip: designers also frequently use wall-mounted lights in bronze or brass to create a glamorous sparkle.

3. Use table lamps and floor lamps for form and function.

Floor lamps and table lamps create layers of illumination around seating areas, like little islands of serene light in your living room. They add form and function to the room, and, from a design perspective, floor lamps and table lamps enhance visual character by allowing you to play with scale, contrast, materials, and color.

4. Create a central focal point with a sculptural pendant lamp or chandelier.

Attention-grabbing pendants and chandeliers are a perfect launching point for your comfortable and well-designed living room. Place either fixture style in the center of your space to establish a central focal point from which to design the rest of the room. 

Why? Because starting with statement pieces like a chandelier or pendant lamp makes it easy to select the rest of the rooms’ lighting and furnishings. Designers use a similar approach when they pick a statement rug as the foundation of the overall room design.

5. Take control with dimmers.

Dimmers are a worthwhile investment. They allow you to set the mood for entertaining and daily life, and you can adjust light levels as day turns to night. If you are using LED’s (and you should), it’s crucial to select dimmers compatible with your selected light sources (don’t worry, we can help). Most lighting manufacturers list compatible dimmers on spec sheets and websites. And with the proliferation of smart technologies, in many instances, you can control light levels with your phone.

6. Get strategic with lamp and fixture placement.

You don’t want to blast the top of someone’s head with light, or worse, blind comfortably seated visitors with an errant bulb. Light the coffee table instead of sofas and chairs, and place sconces in areas outside of natural traffic patterns. For example, flanking the fireplace mantel or on walls where people have plenty of room to move around them. 

Also, lighting should trace the perimeter of your living room. Use sconces or a continuous light strip at the ceiling’s edge to trace and anchor the room with inviting illumination.

7. Your living room lighting mantra is texture, scale, color, and shape.

Like all things interior design-related, when it comes to living room lighting, you’ll want to play around with texture, color, scale, and shape. 

As we mentioned in point four, a large and dramatic pendant lamp or chandelier is the jumping-off point for the rest of the room’s lamps and fixtures. Use a large and dramatic fixture as the foundation for the remaining layers (more on layered lighting below), and play with various sizes, contrasting materials like metal, fabric, wood, and glass, and don’t overlook the importance of color. 

8. It’s all about layers.

Layers of light are crucial for creating an inviting, comfortable, and functional living room, and there’s no single lamp or fixture that’s going to give you everything that’s needed to get the job done. The proper layers of ambient, accent, and task lighting brings your room to life.

Layered lighting is the key to making your living room more inviting. But getting it right isn’t as easy as placing a lamp in each corner of the room. We could write a book covering the details of layered lighting, but you’d be better of dropping by and working with our expert lighting consultants.

9. Use light to accentuate architectural features and art

Framed photos, art, and interesting architectural details add visual character to your living room and make the space uniquely yours. You should accentuate them!

There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to lighting architectural features and art, but there are a few things to consider. Do you want to illuminate the art or feature directly, or have pieces live in a well-lit room? Whatever route you choose, it’s best to avoid natural light. Direct sunlight exposes paintings and photographs to UV and infrared light and causes them to fade. Position pieces away from sources of bright natural light to avoid damage.

10. More lighting isn’t’ always better.

Over-lighting is one of the most common lighting mistakes customers make in their living rooms. People gravitate toward bright spaces like moths to a flame, but in living rooms, where you want family and guests to feel comfortable and at ease, too much light is a mood killer. Be intentional in lighting your living room, and rely on a central chandelier or pendant, a few sconces, and table and floor lamps to illuminate the room.

*Pro-tip: a pendant or chandelier in the middle of a room makes a big impression; start with a remarkable fixture to design the living room around.

Colorado homeowners spend hours agonizing over the perfect seating, and days pondering the ideal shade of paint, but often overlook proper lighting. And in a room where you relax, watch television, entertain guests, and read, light serves a crucial purpose in both the style and function of the space. 

Whether you realize it or not, lighting is the subtle element that changes your experience of home. The ten tips in this blog will set you on the path to creating a comfortable, beautiful, and serene living room.

Colorado’s rental market is hot. The rest of the nation finally figured out that Colorado is an excellent place to live, and thousands of people rushed into our state, filling every available apartment and rental home. Fortunately, a decade-long price escalation in Colorado’s rental market leveled off toward the end of 2019. And while today’s rents aren’t exactly cheap, because of expanded apartment construction in city-close areas that were once un-trendy, there are more options and better deals. 

“There are some new light-rail stations that make a case for super-easy access to downtown Denver – things that are little cheaper than what you would find in LoDo but are still in up-and-coming areas.” – David Pierce, CoStar Group 

Colorado’s explosion of rental properties (and people) brings renter-specific challenges.

The lighting struggle is real for Colorado renters. 

Homeowners can take advantage of every trick in the book when it comes to lighting their homes, but renters run into unique challenges. Rental properties aren’t known for statement lighting, and rental agreements don’t often allow renters to make light fixture changes or put large holes in the walls. This means that renters nearly always get apartments with uninspired and less-than-flattering light, with shadows that make even the well-rested look desperate for a nap. 

Renters don’t have to settle for uninspired lighting. You can improve your rental home lighting with our Colorado renter’s guide to illumination.

1. Make the Most of table lamps and floor lamps.

Floor and table lamps are the easiest way to transform your space without worrying about losing a security deposit. And since style, color, and shade options are virtually endless, table lamps and floor lamps let you flex your design muscles. 

Use a mixture of lamps in contrasting shapes, styles, colors, and materials to add visual appeal and functionality to your space. For example, place a floor lamp on one side of your sofa, and a table lamp on the opposite side (atop an end table), to amplify the functionality, comfort, and visual appeal of your room. For even more impact, we like putting lamps in unexpected places, like a kitchen or bathroom. Don’t be afraid to experiment. 

2. Variety is the spice of life (and lighting).

The best living spaces feature a variety of light sources dispersed in a triangular pattern throughout the room and at different heights. We suggest that you use an array of table lamps, floor lamps, and ceiling fixtures to make your room feel more comfortable, eye-catching, and functional. And again, don’t be afraid to experiment! Beautifully designed spaces often use lighting in unexpected ways or exciting shapes and contrasting materials/finishes, to give a room that extra bit of elegance and flair. 

3. Adjust track lighting.

Renters often move into a new home or apartment and leave their track lighting positioned as-is. But the easiest thing you can do to improve rental home lighting is to adjust the tracks when you move in. Aim track heads to wash walls with light or illuminate work surfaces like kitchen counters, and don’t blind your family or guests with spots awkwardly directed at seating arrangements.

4. Use adapters.

You can convert unattractive track lighting and flush-mount fixtures into hanging pendants that match your style by using adapters. Most of the standard track lighting brands sell easy-to-use pendant adapters for this purpose. Keep in mind, you might have to wire a plug to the end of your pendant’s cord, and in some instances, swag the pendant a few inches (or more) from the track and drop the cable from a plant hook (it’s easier than it sounds). Pendants draw people’s eyes away from the track and to the fixtures themselves, and the best part? When you move out, you can take your pendants with you.

5. Sconces are still an option.

Your lease probably doesn’t allow you to hardwire a wall sconce. But, assuming that you can put a few holes in the wall (that you’ll patch later), wall sconces with a standard cord and plug that need no rewiring or drilling, are still an option. If you want to hide the cable, you can use wire mold painted to match your walls, or opt for an industrial look and leave the cord visible. Either way, you’ve taken your lighting from ho-hum to cool.

6. Don’t forget about form and function.

Function is crucial when selecting lights for your rental home or apartment, but don’t forget to tie everything together for a seamless look. Your lighting is no different than any other piece of furniture, and you can use different finishes and materials, like glass, wood, metal, or concrete, to tie your fixtures into the overall aesthetic of your rental property.

7. Use the right bulbs.

Once you have your rental home or apartment lighting fixtures sorted out, you need to make sure you’ve got the correct light bulbs. Opt for LED lights, and select bulbs with a color temperature of 2700k, to give your home a flattering warm glow (flattering to both your home and your guests).

With each year, home automation systems grow more innovative and affordable. But too many homeowners don’t know that today’s smart home devices can add comfort, convenience, and security to their lifestyles and homes. 

Smart home technology not only saves time and energy (both your physical strength and the power of your home), but home automation tools keep you and your loved ones safe and secure. 

Turning on all your outdoor lights in the evening isn’t what smart home lighting is about. Intelligent home lighting means using the latest in lighting-specific home automation tools to efficiently illuminate and protect your home and your most valuable asset – your family.  

Intelligent and automated lighting is the smart move for convenience and security.

Keep reading to learn five ways smart home lighting improves your home security and comfort.

Personal Safety

Smart home lighting prevents theft and also offers significant personal safety benefits. For example, your outdoor lights can automatically illuminate when you arrive home from work, helping you become more aware of your surroundings. And you won’t have to worry about tripping hazards on your path from the car to your door, or running over your kid’s bike left in the driveway.

Porch Pirates Beware

Smart home lighting prevents theft. Your home lighting control system lets you set rules to determine how your lighting functions. You can set a rule to ensure that the porch light not only stays on throughout the evening but that it also brightens as a person nears your front door. Responsive lighting deters trespassers from attempting a break-in or stealing an Amazon package from your front porch.

Convenience

Advancements in lighting technology make your life at home more comfortable. You can use your smartphone to control your smart lighting system while you’re away from home or resting on the sofa. Don’t feel like getting off the couch to adjust the lights before you Netflix and chill? No worries. With smart home lighting, you can set the mood without moving a muscle (aside from your fingers).

Interior Lighting

When it comes to home security, interior lighting is just as important as exterior lighting. When you’re traveling, automated smart home lighting lets you set your home’s lights to activate at specific times throughout the day to make it appear as though someone is always at home. It would be best if you didn’t have to worry about returning to a burglarized home after vacation. The only thing you should concern yourself with on vacation is what to eat. 

Also, smart home lighting allows you to control your home’s illumination from a mobile device. If you forgot to set your lighting schedule before leaving for vacation, there’s no need to worry.

Enhanced Intruder Protection

Responsive lighting keeps homeowners aware of potential intruders and is an effective deterrent. Most light and smart home systems include features that allow you to control the level of illumination. And, as we mentioned in point number two of this blog, home lighting automation gives homeowners control over brightness. As an intruder nears your front door, the light grows brighter, and since intruders work under cover of darkness, sufficient illumination makes your home an unattractive target. 

Smart home lighting makes managing your home’s light fixtures a snap. It also keeps you and your family safe. And opting for automated outdoor lighting adds to the curb appeal of your home and provides even more protection against unwelcomed intruders. And that’s a win for you and us.

Experienced designers know that lighting is an essential ingredient for a well-appointed room and not the afterthought many people consider it. And homeowners tempted to spend their time agonizing over floorplans and furnishings, need to remember that lighting transforms a space – not just by brightening up dark corners but also by setting the mood. 

Light is powerful. The right light lifts spirits, inspires tranquility, and influences productivity. In our homes, the light brightens simple moments like our morning routines or the time we spend with family and friends

In contrast to many other lighting fixtures, wall sconces are appropriate in nearly every room in your home. From the patio to the bedroom, the entryway to the laundry room, wall-mounted workhorses elevate the style and beauty of a space. 

The consensus among designers (our team included) is that you need multiple light sources in a room. Layered illumination is essential: each room needs a mixture of lighting, including accent, task, and overhead lights. 

In the living room, start by hanging a decorative ceiling fixture like a pendant or chandelier near the room’s center. From there, look to the outer edges for downlighting to gently wash walls, art, and window treatments with warm and functional illumination. You can achieve this through valance lighting, soffits, or even floor lamps that bounce light off the ceiling. 

And, depending on your room’s layout, accent light can be used to accentuate artwork, with table lamps placed beside seating for an additional layer of light. The goal is to create a contrast between light at the room’s center and the perimeter and brighten the dark spaces in between. The subtle interplay between dark and light creates appeal in your living spaces.

Don’t hold back in the kitchen. 

Forget ambiance; in the kitchen, it’s all about bright light. 

Install recessed lights or high-hats along the edge of your kitchen ceiling to flood the space with light. And hang pendants over the island for comfortable illumination that doesn’t take up counter space. You’ll see guests without looking around a hanging fixture as long as you don’t position them too low. 

Don’t forget under-cabinet lighting. Run LED light strips beneath your upper cabinets to create an evenly lighted counter space for cooking and food preparation.

Think about the orientation of your room. 

North-facing rooms without direct sunlight require more thought. Spread horizontal light throughout the space by installing recessed fixtures at the perimeter of a north-facing living room with a decorative pendant at the room’s center. From there, use table lamps to illuminate dark corners and wall sconces to highlight the art or architectural features. 

Use a similar strategy in dark bedrooms, combining a central hanging pendant or chandelier with subtle up-lights in the room’s corners, bedside lamps for reading, and wall sconces where it makes sense for extra style and illumination.

Get rid of lousy bathroom lighting. 

Too many bathrooms use recessed fixtures over the sink that cast unflattering shadows. Instead, choose wall-mounted sconces to cast even illumination across your face in the mirror. 

And create a sense of spa-like luxury and intimacy with a sculptural pendant lamp over the tub. Also, consider using LED strip lighting beneath floating shelves to cast a warm glow over your bathroom floor.

Brighten up the corners. 

It’s easy to use an oversized floor lamp to brighten up an empty and dark corner. The trick, however, is finding a lamp in a finish and material that complements the surrounding space, turning your lonely corner into a polished and intentional part of the overall room design.

Go light on the overheads. 

Excessive overhead lighting generates spots and undesirable shadows – use this style of lighting sparingly. Instead, hang a large chandelier or pendant in common areas, and in the kitchen use globe fixtures for even lighting that leaves countertops open. Try floor lamps and wall sconces in living rooms, and hang a sculptural centerpiece above the table to create functionality and depth in a dining room.

Use ambiance to your advantage. 

A simple way to adjust the light in a room throughout the day is by using a dimmer on each fixture as opposed to replacing wall switches with a dimmer to change every light at once. And in the bedroom, use a bedside light with both a dimmer and movable shade for extra flexibility.

Choose your bulbs wisely. 

For inviting and warm light, choose your bulbs carefully. Stick with a range of 2,700 to 3,000 kelvin, usually advertised as “warm white.” As you approach the upper reaches of the color-temperature range, more blue is introduced, giving your home the harsh look of a warehouse. Use bulbs advertised as “daylight” in utilitarian spaces like your garage. 

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