Instagram iconInstagram icon
Facebook iconFacebook icon
pinterest iconpinterest icon
YouTube iconYouTube icon
Tiktok iconTiktok icon
LTK iconLTK icon

Lighting That Works Well Together In An Open Concept Home

Lighting Pairs that work in the open concept home | via Yellow Brick Home

navy rug | desk | chairs | pendant lights

Our home turns 132-years-old this year. Can you believe it? 132! When we first moved into this house, the previous owner / landlord had chopped up the layout to create two apartments (well, three, if you count the in-law suite that we’ve since turned into a proper garden apartment), which is pretty typical in Chicago. And when we became the new owners of our sweet old house, we converted the two larger apartments into a single family home. We moved walls, removed one completely and added a proper support beam to the first floor ceiling where there was none. Yeah, crazy.

For a house of this age, it’s rare to have such an open floor plan, although in true Chicago fashion, we do still have separation from the kitchen and the various little nooks that make this home so special. But regardless of where you’re standing in our home, you can almost see every single light fixture in every room on that floor. And until it came time for us to start selecting the various fixtures in our home, we hadn’t realized how important it would be that they all play nicely together!

In hindsight, it makes perfect sense, but I remember being initially paralyzed by the thought. What if we chose incorrectly?

Lighting Pairs that work in the open concept home | via Yellow Brick Home

pendant lights | sectional | navy rug | C-table

Recently, we swapped out the fan in our home studio to match the drum pendant on opposite end of the same long room. The clean look we were instantly granted made my symmetry loving heart sing, but what about those rooms where it doesn’t make sense to have the same fixture twice? What if you do want a fan on one side and a chandelier on the other? What if you need a floor lamp and a wall sconce and an overhead light?

Lighting Pairs that work in the open concept home | via Yellow Brick Home

floor lamp | brass sconce | chair | sectional | coffee table

Perhaps our biggest struggle came into play at our Tree House during our kitchen renovation. We initially chose a beautiful articulating arm brass sconce to hang above the farmhouse sink, but it looked severely out of place when paired with the schoolhouse style overhead light and our living room globe. In the end, we swapped it for a sweet vintage clamshell shade (similar), and now, all the milk glass shades look layered and purposeful. It has taken us years to learn, but we’ve finally realized, that deep down, we will always crave the more classic choice:

How to choose lighting with an open concept floor plan | via Yellow Brick Home

counter stools | fruit dish | art | hardware | clock

Michigan cabin, lake house, tree house, neutral cabin decor and airy space | via Yellow Brick Home

globe light | sectional | pouf | bear bottle opener

Choosing coordinating light fixtures in an open concept home may seem tricky, but keep in mind, it doesn’t mean that all the lights have to exactly the same! We’re big believers in mixed metals and finishes. And, friends, this might be the most important thing I will say today(!), but treat yourself and your home by installing a dimmer switch onto each and every overhead light throughout the house. (There, I said it. Dimmers for all!) These are our favorite everyday dimmers, and these are great for smart home control.

Below, we’ve rounded up various fixtures of all kinds – ceiling lights, fans, table lamps, floor lamps and sconces – and gathered them into groups by style. Any of the lights in each of the groups could all live in the same room, floor, or level of your home and coexist in happy harmony. Happy picking and choosing!

Bold + Structural

lighting that works together in an open concept home | via Yellow Brick Home

1. floor lamp | 2. gino sconce | 3. zaire chandelier | 4. fiberglass pendant | 5. julia floor lamp | 6. weave table lamp | 7. gas station pendant | 8. barton | 9. alborg pendant

Cool + Retro

lighting that works together in an open concept home | via Yellow Brick Home

10. fiberglass pendant | 11. fairmont chandelier | 12. isaac sconce| 13. brompton floor lamp | 14. dapper | 15. metal dome pendant | 16. factory light 6 | 17. radar sconce | 18. donna pendant

Bright + Breezy

lighting that works together in an open concept home | via Yellow Brick Home

19. hepburn fan | 20. dawn flushmount | 21. glass globe sconce| 22. agnes pendant | 23. cantilever floor lamp | 24. clark flush mount | 25. black metal chandelier | 26. heritage pendant | 27. classic flush drum

Wood + Weight

lighting that works together in an open concept home | via Yellow Brick Home

28. solo sconce | 29. teardrop lamp | 30. cedar & moss flushmount| 31. melange pill form sconce | 32. alysian flush mount | 33. plums wall sconce | 34. elsa chandelier | 35. tripod table lamp | 36. bare bulb pendant | 37. stand floor lamp | 38. concrete pendant | 39. cranbrook fan

Whimsy + Charm

lighting that works together in an open concept home | via Yellow Brick Home

40. santa barbara pendant | 41. dorette flush mount | 42. clark flush mount | 43. french library sconce | 44. white & wood lamp | 45. cedar & moss flush mount | 46. melrose pendant | 47. dahlia flush mount | 48. capiz honeycomb chandelier| 49. pebble lamp | 50. cacti table lamp | 51. ada II lamp

Add a comment...

Your email is never published or shared. Required fields are marked *

  • Amanda2.25.19 - 10:32 AM

    This is a great roundup post. I’d love to see one that is more for the classic choices like schoolhouse fixtures.ReplyCancel

    • Kim2.25.19 - 10:37 AM

      Thanks, Amanda! I think schoolhouse fixtures could sync up to anything in the ‘retro’ category, easily.ReplyCancel

  • Stephanie2.25.19 - 1:22 PM

    Great post! Would love to see more roundup posts like these when you can fit them in.ReplyCancel

    • Scott2.25.19 - 1:50 PM

      Thanks Stephanie! We received a lot of requests for this post and we love roundups! Anything in particular that you’d like to see?ReplyCancel

  • Claire2.25.19 - 3:26 PM

    Yes! I just said to my husband last night that I wished every light in our house had a dimmer switch. We’ve slowly been adding them as we replace bedroom ceiling fans/lights. We have been wanting to replace pretty much all the light fixtures in our house but we’ve been putting it off for the exact reason of paralysis over choosing ones that coordinate! You can see all the lights in our fairly open concept ranch house.ReplyCancel

  • Sarah2.25.19 - 6:02 PM

    I’d love tips on how to make sure a grouping works so I can figure out how to design my own for our house. (though these are great!)ReplyCancel

    • Kim2.26.19 - 3:47 PM

      We organized by category, so anything within that category would all work well together!ReplyCancel

  • Karen2.25.19 - 6:28 PM

    Great post! But #31 is not correctly linked.ReplyCancel

  • Natalie2.26.19 - 3:39 AM

    Love how you combined color schemes and complimentary styles. Very classy!ReplyCancel

  • Meredith2.28.19 - 4:25 PM

    Your dogs sitting in front of the space heater cracks me up. So spoiled!ReplyCancel

  • holly3.1.19 - 8:19 AM

    Dimmers! Do you guys hire that out when you make the switch or is there a post somewhere about it?ReplyCancel

    • Kim3.1.19 - 8:47 AM

      Hi Holly! There are instructions in dimmer packs, but when in doubt, hire an electrician.ReplyCancel

  • Natasha7.11.19 - 9:20 AM

    Hi there! New reader here so apologies if you’ve addressed this before, but what about those in rental spaces with no overhead lighting? I live in an apartment where the living, dinning, and foyer rooms are all together, and visible from the front door. How do I cohesively layer the space? Love the blog!!ReplyCancel

    • Kim7.11.19 - 10:57 AM

      Great question! Think about layering floor lamps, table lamps and wall sconces! There are great plug-in wall sconce options that can do so much for a space.ReplyCancel

  • hk8.25.19 - 12:34 AM

    how tall are you ceilings in this area.  i love your pendant lights but am worried that perhaps my ceilings are not high enough to accommodate the pendant and might be better suited for the flush mount styleReplyCancel

    • Kim8.26.19 - 7:14 AM

      Our ceilings are almost 10’. This same light comes in a flush mount style that might be better suited for lower ceilings!ReplyCancel

Let's be Pen Pals

Our Pen Pals have direct access to first looks, a peek behind-the-scenes, and exclusive interviews showcasing members of the #YBHDIY community. We can’t wait to connect with you!

Kim and Scott

We’re Kim + Scott, Chicago based content creators behind the Home + Lifestyle brand Yellow Brick Home.

Join us as we renovate and nurture vintage homes across Chicago + SW Michigan!

Instagram iconInstagram icon
Facebook iconFacebook icon
pinterest iconpinterest icon
YouTube iconYouTube icon
Tiktok iconTiktok icon
LTK iconLTK icon

LEt's be Pen Pals

Subscribe for first looks, behind-the-scenes, and exclusive community content

/* footer flodesk form */

This site uses affiliate links. We will always disclose sponsored posts in the text and by using the ‘sponsored' tag.

© 2024 Yellow Brick Home. | All Rights Reserved. | PRIVACY POLICY