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A Livingetc report highlights designers’ advice to include lighting near the floor as part of a layered home lighting scheme. The designers say it can soften a room, draw attention to architectural details and provide practical illumination; the report presents expert views, not new survey data or a formal industry announcement.
Livingetc has published a report urging homeowners to give more attention to low-level lighting—fixtures positioned in the lower half of a room—as part of a layered lighting plan. Designers quoted in the report say this approach can add atmosphere, highlight materials and architectural features, and reduce reliance on overhead lights; the article is design advice, not a new study or industry policy.
The report distinguishes low-level lighting by where a fitting sits, rather than by how dim it is. Examples discussed include small lights set into floors and other fixtures placed closer to the ground. The advice is to combine these with ceiling, wall, table and floor lighting, rather than treat lower fixtures as a replacement for every other source.
Julee Ireland, founder of Home Renovation School, says designers can focus on decorative fixtures and overlook lighting “from the ground up.” She argues that lower light can bring out materials, textures and architectural details, while adding warmth and atmosphere. Vanessa Macedo, an associate designer at John Cullen Lighting, similarly says light near the floor can create depth and draw attention to features that might otherwise go unnoticed.
Macedo says lower fixtures may be particularly useful in rooms with low ceilings, where heavy reliance on downlights can make the ceiling feel crowded or oppressive. The report also describes practical uses: floor-level fittings can mark a route, highlight a wall’s texture or help illuminate a space without depending entirely on overhead lights. It does not provide product specifications, installation guidance or measured comparisons between lighting layouts.
How Lower Light Changes a Room
The design advice matters because lighting affects both how a room functions and how its proportions and finishes are perceived. A scheme built mainly around ceiling lights may provide general illumination, but the designers quoted say it can leave lower surfaces and architectural details less prominent. Adding light closer to the floor offers another way to shape the room’s depth and atmosphere.
The suggestion is not that every home needs a particular fitting or that low-level lighting guarantees a better result. Rather, it asks homeowners planning a renovation or refresh to consider where light falls, not just which statement fixture hangs overhead. That may be relevant to people dealing with low ceilings, feature walls or walkways, though the report does not quantify costs or claim that the approach suits every room.
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A Layered Scheme Beyond the Ceiling
The Livingetc report places its advice amid attention to oversized, sculptural and brightly coloured light fittings. It presents low-level lighting as a quieter part of interior design that can be overlooked when attention goes first to prominent ceiling fixtures. Its focus is on residential design and the role of different light sources within one room.
The article describes a layered scheme as combining lighting with different purposes. Background lighting helps make a room usable, while task lighting concentrates illumination where specific activities take place. Low-level sources can form another part of that mix, alongside ceiling and wall lights and table or floor lamps. The report does not set out a technical standard or prescribe a single arrangement.
“Too often, designers focus on beautiful decorative fixtures but overlook the importance of layering light from the ground up, not just from the ceiling down.”
— Julee Ireland, founder of Home Renovation School
What the Report Does Not Establish
The article offers expert opinions and design examples, but no survey showing how often low-level lighting is used, no data measuring its effects and no evidence that designers broadly agree. It also does not state how much installations cost, compare energy use, or give technical recommendations for choosing or placing fittings.
The source excerpt cuts off during Danielle Domingues’s comments, so her full account of how families use lower lighting is unavailable. It is also unclear from the supplied material when Livingetc published the report. The year-end framing refers to 2026 trends, but it does not establish a precise publication date or signal a newly announced design standard.
Applying the Advice at Home
The report points readers toward considering lower fixtures when planning a room’s lighting, especially where they want to draw attention to a wall, joinery, a walkway or another architectural detail. Its recommendation is to treat these sources as one layer in a wider scheme, alongside general and task lighting, rather than assuming they can meet every lighting need.
No formal next step, product launch or follow-up study is announced. Homeowners considering changes will need to decide what fits their room and seek suitable professional advice for any installation that requires it; the source does not provide installation or electrical-safety instructions.
Key Questions
What does low-level lighting mean?
In the report, it means light fittings positioned in the lower half of a space, closer to the floor. The term describes placement, not necessarily a low brightness level.
What are the reported benefits?
The designers quoted say lower fixtures can add depth and atmosphere, highlight textures and architectural details, and provide another source of light beyond ceiling fittings. These are professional views in the report, not quantified study results.
Can low-level lighting help in a room with a low ceiling?
Vanessa Macedo says it can help create a softer, more balanced impression when a scheme relies less heavily on downlights. The report does not claim that this result is guaranteed in every room.
Does the report recommend replacing overhead lights?
No. It presents low-level lighting as part of a layered scheme that may also include ceiling, wall, table and floor lights, with different sources serving different purposes.
Source: livingetc.com
