Choosing the right boho-style lighting fixtures is one of the most important decisions you’ll make when decorating your home, office, or restaurant. Aside from making sure you have sufficient lighting, you also need to choose the right style for your bohemian-themed decor.
Pendant light designs range from minimalist and eco chic, to rustic and industrial – whichever one you choose will have an impact on the overall look and feel of the space.
Main types of boho indoor lighting
Before shopping for boho-style pendant lights, it’s important to understand the different kinds of lighting and the purpose they serve in every space:
- Task lighting is designed for activities like nighttime reading and computer work. It lights up the space directly to suit whatever purpose it’s used for. Task lighting is ideal for offices, study areas, and restaurant kitchens.
- Ambient lighting refers to the primary source of light in the room, typically in the form of recessed or overhead lighting. This is ideal for utilitarian rooms like bathrooms, kitchens, and offices.
- Accent lighting is decorative lighting that enhances the room’s architectural elements. It also serves as a focal point for the room and draws people’s vision to a specific area. Examples include chandeliers, fireplaces, skylights, or sculptural lamps that double as art displays.
Different types of boho-style overhead lighting
- Chandeliers are large, elaborate fixtures that hang from the ceiling, usually over a balustrade, foyer, or main hallway. Smaller chandeliers are often positioned above dining tables, coffee tables, or soaking tubs. If you want to add a sense of drama, grandiosity, or luxury to any room, chandeliers are a good place to start.
- Flush mounts are ideal for spaces with low ceilings and smaller rooms where a large chandelier or multiple pendant lights can easily overpower the space.
- Pendants lights are smaller and often less elaborate than chandeliers with a just one light bulb, and are usually hung in groups of three or four. Pendant lights are commonly installed over kitchen islands, breakfast bars, and dining tables.
Decorating tips for bohemian lighting
With so many lighting options across different price points in the market, it’s easier to decorate a residential or commercial space with accent or ambient lighting. Bohemian lighting fixtures add flair and vibrancy while still maintaining a relaxed and casual look.
Bohemian decor is defined by an eclectic but casual style with unique colours, finishes, and other design details.
- Evaluate the overall design, layout, and function of the space before shopping for lighting fixtures. When decorating a space with an open concept layout, all lighting fixtures, including kitchen pendants and the dining room chandelier are in the same viewing plane. You’ll want to choose fixtures that work well together or at least balance each other out.
- Pick lighting fixtures with similar lines and designs. Just because you have to choose fixtures that work well together doesn’t mean that they have to be exact matches. Bohemian design is all about eclecticism and bringing together disparate pieces, so don’t hesitate to mix and match fixtures with similar lines and designs. For instance, if the chandelier in your dining area has curved lines, choose island pendants that also have a bit of a curve to the design, but in a different colour or material. This helps you create a more cohesive look without being too repetitive.
- Choose a focal point. Bohemian lighting serves as an amazing focal point in any room. Choose one area that you want to highlight (e.g. dining table, staircase, bathtub, etc.) and add an accent lighting fixture like a glass chandelier or a cluster of woven pendant lights. Keep everything else minimal to keep the decor from being too overwhelming.
- Prioritise the lighting needs of the space to maximise your decorating efforts and prevent costly mistakes. If you need bohemian lighting that serves a dual purpose as task and ambient lighting for an office or cafe, a fixture with integrated dimming features. Lighting fixtures that support brighter colour temperatures are ideal for spaces that require plenty of light, such as a reading nook or work area.
- Choose the right fixture size and length for the space. Depending on the size of the room and the placement of the lighting fixture, the hanging length or height of your chandeliers or pendant lights should also be an important consideration. There needs to be enough clearance between the bottom of the lighting fixture and the highest point of existing furniture. Take care not to hang your lighting fixtures too low so that they don’t hit the heads of guests using the space.
Franklin Hobart has an array of boho-style pendant lights for your decorating needs. Browse our store today for lighting fixtures and more.