Modern living: light for clear rooms and warm materials

What is a modern interior style?

A modern interior style is a contemporary way of living with clean lines, calm surfaces and a few well-chosen pieces. It does not mean classic 20th-century modernism, but the way people furnish their homes today: open, bright and reduced, but not cold. The style is currently shaped by warm neutral tones and natural materials such as wood, natural stone, wool and bouclé. The room looks tidy without being sterile – warmth comes from materials and light rather than decoration.

How do you recognise a modern living room?

A modern living room is recognisable by clear shapes, few colours and calm, high-quality materials.

• Materials: oak and walnut, travertine and other natural stones, wool, bouclé, linen, glass, matt metal.
• Colours: warm white, greige, taupe, sand and camel, with dark accents in black or anthracite.
• Shapes: low modular sofas, round tables, sculptural armchairs and vases.
• Architecture: large windows, open floor plans, herringbone parquet, floorboards or polished concrete.
• Details: a few objects instead of lots of decoration, large-format art, coffee table books, large rugs.

The right light for a modern living room

Modern lighting is calm, glare-free and planned in zones. Because the rooms are reduced, every lamp stands out: it has to suit the room in shape and material and look good when switched off.

Choose warm white light

For living spaces, bulbs with 2,200 to 2,700 kelvin are ideal. Especially in bright rooms with lots of white and grey, warm light keeps colours from looking cold and flat in the evening. At the desk, the light can be brighter, but the colour temperature stays warm. Dimmable bulbs let you switch between task light and evening mood.

Clear shape, warm material

Modern lamps follow simple basic shapes: column, cylinder, half shell, tube. To keep them from looking technical, warmth comes from the material. In Leuchtnatur's veneer floor lamps, wafer-thin wood veneer is lit from inside so the grain glows – the shape stays strict, the light turns warm. Shades of loden, a dense woollen fabric, suit bouclé and wool and add a textile note. Black or stainless steel bases pick up dark accents and matt metal.

Layered light, not just recessed spots

Many modern homes have recessed spots as general lighting. They are fine for tidying up, but not for atmosphere. Plan three to four additional lamps at different heights: a floor lamp next to the sofa, a pendant above the dining table, a wall or table lamp by the bed and a lamp at the desk. In the evening the spots stay off, and the room is structured by islands of light.

Modern living room by room

Living room

Next to a low sofa you need a lamp that adds height without taking up space. Gracia is 156 cm tall and very slim at 9 cm in diameter. In European walnut with a black base, the dark grain glows warmly while the column itself takes up hardly any room – matching travertine, wool and large windows. For more presence, choose a column with a larger diameter such as Lucerna at 18 cm.

Dining room

Above a round dining table, a round, cylindrical lamp looks calmest. Discus, 55 cm in diameter and around 20 cm tall, comes with a shade of wood veneer, alpine hay, leaves or loden; in anthracite loden it suits dark oak and camel bouclé chairs. As a rule of thumb, the shade measures about a third to half of the table diameter, and the lower edge hangs 60 to 70 cm above the table top. For low ceilings, Discus is also available as a ceiling lamp.

Bedroom

Next to an upholstered bed with a tall headboard, a wall lamp saves space on a slim bedside table. Cortex has a half shade of natural material or wood veneer; in ‘Nero’ the veneer shows a black-and-white marbled pattern that suits grey, white and taupe. It casts soft light onto the wall and gives enough light for reading. Mount it beside the headboard at reading height; with a double bed, two lamps on the left and right create the symmetry that makes modern bedrooms look calm.

Home office

At the desk you need a lamp that puts light on the work surface and looks calm while doing so. The Arboreus table lamp is 50 cm tall, stands on a stainless steel or black base and has a slim shade of natural material or wood veneer. In olive ash burl with a black base, it shows a lively grain that sets an accent on a walnut desk. It is switched with a hand switch.

Common modern lighting mistakes

• Only recessed spots: even light from above makes reduced rooms flat. Without floor, table or wall lamps, the room lacks depth.
• Cold white light: above 3,000 kelvin, white, grey and concrete look cold and uninviting in the evening.
• Too many lamp styles: five different shapes and metals disturb a calm room. Better to use two or three materials that repeat.
• Wrong proportions: a small pendant above a large table looks lost; a floor lamp that is too wide crowds a low sofa.
• The lamp as an afterthought: in reduced rooms, the lamp is a visible piece of furniture. Plan it together with the sofa, table and floor.

Modern lamps by Leuchtnatur

Leuchtnatur is a manufactory in Übersee on Lake Chiemsee that combines clear shapes with wood veneer, alpine hay, leaves and loden. Particularly suited to modern rooms are the veneer floor lamps Gracia, Lucerna and Arbor in oak, European walnut or olive ash burl, the Arundo pendant with a tube of brass, copper or blackened steel, and the Cubus wall lamp in black or white, which casts light upwards and downwards. The veneer comes from FSC-certified wood, and Leuchtnatur offers a 5-year guarantee. Find more in floor lamps, pendant lamps, ceiling lamps, table lamps, wall lamps and wood veneer lamps.