An eclectic, collected over time style is popular, but can be tricky to pull off when making most of your purchases at once. You instantly want the look of having a space that has evolved, but how do you do that with lighting that has to be purchased all at the same time?!? That’s the topic we’ll cover today. My favorite trick is mixing finishes when purchasing lighting. Just because one lamp is brass, does not mean that they all have to be that way… even in the same room. You can mix metal finishes with wood and with lamps that have a painted base. And you can also mix different metal finishes within that space. I love doing that!

Photo by Sarah Heppell

When I designed the living room for Project Classic Living, you can see the the wood spool floor lamp by the fireplace, in the same room with the antique brass floor lamp near the windows. Mixing wood and metal in a room brings an eclectic, collected over time feel to the space. These two lamps also have different styles and shade types. That’s important to think about, as well. The metal apothecary style lamp works in a small area where task reading is done. And the oversized drum shade on the wood lamp base brings a softness to the room with its fabric shade and is great for overall lighting.

Photo by Sarah Heppell

In this same room, I went with a pair of lamps for this console, to bring symmetry to the space, which was not done with the other two floor lamps. I like to mix symmetrical and asymmetrical in one room, for that contrast and balance. These fabric shades work well against the wood table, while the base has a brass detail that ties in with the apothecary floor lamp. I also love the look of having floor lamps in the same room with table lamps. For me, it’s never all floor or all table.

Photo by Sarah Heppell

In the foyer of the same home, I have mixed wall sconces with table lighting. The sconces were already there when the project began and adding the blue and white ceramic table lamp brought color and additional lighting to the table surface.

Photo by Sarah Heppell

In the dining room of the same home, I loved adding a pair of lamps to the buffet. It creates a great mix with the overhead chandelier. In this space, there was a lot of wood with the floors and furniture. So, I went with a brass chandelier with soft linen shades and then paired that with painted gourd lamp bases with a similar soft shade. All of the lighting in this room really pops against the other features, which was our goal.

So for a quick recap of fun tips for your home’s lighting, here is the breakdown…

-Mix your finishes and shade styles {task lighting vs. overall room lighting}

-Mix symmetrical with asymmetrical and floor lamps with table lamps

-Mix sconces with table lamps {great for a foyer}

-Mix overhead chandeliers with table lamps in a dining space

I hope these lighting tips helped! If you have any to add, please leave them in the comments! Happy Friday!!