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How to Light a Rented Apartment: Lighting Ideas for Renters

Having lived in rented spaces, we know how frustrating it is to have a single overhead bulb as the only light source in a room. Making your house feel like a home can be a little tricky if, for any reason, you can’t hard-wire and change pre-existing lighting fixtures.

Read our guide to lighting solutions for rented accommodation, and make your home your own with renter friendly pendants and wall lights!

 

Ceiling lights in rented apartments

Good news – you can change that unattractive light on your ceiling! Here’s how:

• Replace the lampshade. This is one of the easiest ways to update your ceiling light.

• Change the bulb for a decorative, vintage inspired LED, if you like industrial style exposed light bulbs.

What if I don’t have any ceiling light in the room or simply want to have more?

Use renter friendly pendant lights! That’s when plug-in pendants come to the rescue. All you need to do is ask your landlord if you can attach a small hook to your ceiling. Then, choose a pendant that you like, plug it in the power socket and hang it on a hook in your preferred location. This can be over a dining table, or next to a sofa or bed.

Multifunctional lighting, no installation required

We just love the SOL Touch Pendants – simple, plug-in touch pendant lights with a 3-step dimmer available in two colours. If placed by a sofa, an armchair, or by a bedside table, you can use them at the highest level for reading. At the medium level they work fantastic as an everyday ambient lighting, and at the lowest level they resemble candle light and bring a soft, warm glow to your home.

Wall lights in rented apartments

Wall lights, or sconces as they’re sometimes called, are a must-have for every stylish apartment.

Many people tend to take out wall lights after buying a home and at the beginning of redecorating. They think wall lights are ugly as the only people who have wall lights are their grandparents – and their lights are usually really old fashioned.

Well, we have some news for you – wall lights are one of this year’s hottest interior trends. Not only do they light the room well, increase cosiness, and create a beautiful glow on the wall – they also look stylish when they’re turned off.

Do I even need wall lights?

Here are some reasons why you should consider adding wall lights to your home decor this year:

• Your room is dark – you need light coming from the walls in order to create a well lit room

• Your room is small and you want to add more light without taking up too much space

• You have a gallery wall – your art collection deserves to be in a spotlight

• You want to add more cosy atmosphere in the evenings

• You want to add a functional piece of art to your decor scheme

Plug-in wall lights you’ll love

Another reason why wall lights are overlooked by renters is because of the complicated installation process. Luckily, there is a solution for this – plug-in wall lights! Yes, just like plug-in pendants, these lighting fixtures can be attached to a wall with a small hook or a bracket.

Here’s our selection of stylish plug-in wall lights that you can use to make your room on trend and well lit:

Aruba Rattan Wall Light

This lamp is made from natural rattan and has an integrated LED stripe on the inside of the frame as well as a 2 metre long cable with a switch. Rattan frame allows you to achieve a cosy, warm, sunset-like glow. As a plug-in wall light, you can place it in any area of your home where hard-wiring is not an option.

One of our bestsellers, it looks beautiful in a bedroom, hallway or living room. It’s a functional artwork and the perfect piece for filling that lonely space on the wall.

 

Ceramic Shell Wall Light

This ceramic shell wall light offers a playful look and adds a chic touch to any room. The softly scalloped plate is made entirely of stoneware and finished in terra or pastel yellow. Hang multiple Ceramic Shell Wall Lights in your hallway – it’s a great piece to place on your hallway gallery wall and it creates a magical glow on the walls.

Multifunctional and decorative, it can also be used as a small table lamp. This plug-in shell wall light includes hooks, an EU plug with a UK adapter, a normal switch, and a neutral white cotton cord.

Alumina Lamp

If you value simple design, functionality and superior quality, then this lamp is the perfect choice. Designed for life on the go, the Alumina Lamp is a modern, multi-functional light that can be used as a table lamp or wall sconce, delivering perfect dimming and a choice between cool and warm light.

Working as a 2-in-1 solution, it doesn’t require hard-wiring or drastic decoration changes. Available in five trendy colours, this plug-in light is ideal for the renters, offering the ability to transform small or awkward spaces with a beautiful lighting object.

 

TOP 3 Rented Apartment Lighting Hacks

1) Replace bulbs in existing lighting fixtures

If you have a lamp that you like, but it still doesn’t feel warm and cosy – replace the light bulbs for warm LEDs. A simple trick of replacing broken or poor quality incandescent bulbs can make all the difference. It’s kinder to the environment and can reduce your energy bills by 90% a year.

When buying a bulb, check the ‘colour temperature’ and choose one between 2000K and 2800K. Lower colour temperature will recreate the inviting orange glow of candle light and make your evenings at home feel warm and cosy. Higher temperature (but not more than 3000K) will bring enough light to work areas without making it looking harsh and cold. Shop light bulbs.

2) Introduce multiple sources of light in the room

Start with table lamps and floor lamps, then add plug-in wall lights and pendants. Adding layers of lighting from the sides not only creates a cosy atmosphere, but also brings depth and dimension to a room, making it feel bigger. Make sure to introduce a light source to each dark corner in your room.

3) Create different moods in one room

How to use different lights for different moods in the same room? Create zones with lighting. Working, eating, reading, relaxing – you can demarcate these areas with different types of light.

Kitchen-diner area

Light up your dining table with pendant lights hung at a low height. It’s the best way to create a dining zone in your open-plan living space. You can hang one pendant if you have a smaller table, but we recommend at least two pendants for long rectangle tables to ensure everyone can see their food!

Home office area

If you’re working from home (and let’s be honest – in reality most of us work from our living rooms or bedrooms), you need a good task light without compromising on style and aesthetics.

Luckily, we are experts in multifunctional lighting. Choose a desk lamp that’s functional and stylish – like our bestselling Angle Lamp. You can read more about home office lighting tips here.

Relaxed sitting area

After a long day, it’s finally time to relax – that’s when you want to turn on mood lighting. Low, soft, and warm, ambient light helps us to relax and feel better. Think about how you feel when you take a candle-lit bath. To recreate this feeling in your living area, replace bulbs in your lamps for warm LEDs with a colour temperature between 2000K and 2500K.

Aside from adding a number of table lamps to the area, you can introduce a floor lamp by the armchair to create a cosy reading corner. Make sure to add a plug-in wall light by the sofa for added ambience, especially if you’re short on space.

Adding soft lighting at a lower height instantly makes the room feel warm and cosy. Just because you currently rent an accommodation, doesn’t mean you can’t make it feel like home.

Sometimes a simple trick of changing the bulbs, replacing a lamp shade, or adding decorative wall lights and pendants makes all the difference in how we feel about our home.

You deserve a happy home that works for you, not against you.

Shop Lighting for Renters

Aruba Rattan Wall Light
Aruba Rattan Wall Light
£65
Edith Pendant Light
Edith Pendant Light
£85
Ceramic Shell Wall Light
Ceramic Shell Wall Light
£36
Alumina Lamp
Alumina Lamp
£144.50
SOL Plug-in Touch Light
SOL Plug-in Touch Light
£32
SOL Touch Lamp
SOL Touch Lamp
£25
Angle Desk Lamp
Angle Desk Lamp
£225
Tropez Table Lamp
Tropez Table Lamp
£55

Poetic and playful yet sophisticated, this handmade French 6-light chandelier is an ideal choice for a dining table light or living room light. Inspired by nature, the Folia Bronze Chandelier represents six tree branches in solid bronze, and it suits both contemporary and relaxed country settings.

🔎 Folia Bronze Chandelier - shop at rubywatts.co.uk ✨
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Make a statement with simplicity.

The Link Floor Lamp is an elegant and minimalist addition to your living room or bedroom. It provides a warm ambient light for those empty corners in your home.

The lamp is handmade from brass and has a hexagonal base which ensures its sturdiness and stability. Entirely handcrafted by skilled artisans in France, it is an elegant and sophisticated floor lamp made with excellent attention to detail.

🔎 Link Floor Lamp - shop at rubywatts.co.uk ✨
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Inspired by the classic design of traditional European suspension fixtures, Verone is an artisan pendant light suspended from a 1 metre decorative bronze chain, and is therefore an ideal choice for high ceilings and hallways.

Classic and elegant, this handmade French pendant light comes with a conical white silk taffeta shade, also available in a variety of other shade colours by special request.

Elegant, stylish, charming and playful – this look suits both contemporary and relaxed country settings.

🔎 Verone Bronze Pendant Light - shop at rubywatts.co.uk ✨
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