A light and spacious living room is a real decoration of a large country house. Recently, premises with a second light, characterized by a unique entourage, have been especially popular. The features of such a design idea should be considered in more detail for those who are just planning to equip a living room in the house.
Advantages and disadvantages
A living room with a second light is a room in which the windows are located on two levels: one level is above the other. For those who have not seen such an idea before, it may seem that in order to implement such an idea, the owners removed the overlap between the floors, but this is not the case.
The second light in the living room or kitchen-living room necessarily implies high ceilings.
The idea is far from new: second light was used back in the Middle Ages, when artificial lighting was difficult to obtain. Such solutions were popular in churches and cathedrals, city halls, and the houses of noble nobles. The abundance of windows not only provided decent lighting, but also decorated the facade of the building. Today, owners of large houses with high ceilings, as well as owners of penthouses and apartments on 2 levels can afford the second light. In an ordinary apartment, the implementation of such an idea, unfortunately, is almost impossible.
The second light in the living room can give a home owner a lot of advantages:
- in the daytime, such a room is flooded with sunlight;
- the abundance of light allows you to choose both light and dark colors for decoration;
- the room becomes larger and wider visually;
- good lighting will refresh the room if there is oversized furniture in it;
- the second light is suitable for many areas of interior design;
- a living room with such a project always looks luxurious, in addition, not everyone has a second light.
However, before deciding to implement such an idea, you should find out more about the shortcomings:
- decorating a living room with a second light is a rather expensive decision;
- if a person living in an apartment building wants to implement such an idea, a lot of problems will arise: you will have to purchase housing from above or below (which, of course, is not always possible), negotiate with special services, demolish the floor;
- due to the fact that there are so many windows, it will be more difficult to keep warm in winter: you will have to use a warm floor system, as well as heating appliances;
- it is necessary to properly adjust the ventilation system, otherwise the heated air will go up, and the cold air will circulate below.
Layout
The first thing to consider when planning is the need for zoning. There are always two levels, and it is important to plan in advance what will be placed on them.
In most cases, the living room, kitchen-living room, dining room are located below. The top can be occupied by a bedroom, an office for work, a play area.
The connecting element is the staircase, which must be well lit. Make sure that there is plenty of space for it, otherwise the steps may come out too steep for going up and down.
On the first level of the living room, installing a fireplace would be a good solution. It can be artificial or real. This idea will allow additional heating of the room and give it an aristocratic gloss. If the living room is combined with the kitchen, it makes sense to place a small heating stove in it. In addition, you need to pay attention to the shape of the room itself. It should be spacious and square. It is recommended to visually reduce the walls so that the room does not look "deep". For this, many use the horizontal division method, but there are many other design tricks as well.
When decorating the second light in the living room, it must be remembered that such a project not only provides additional lighting, but also decorates the building, and therefore it is reasonable to place windows on the facade of the building. If the dwelling is located in a busy area, you will need to solve the problem of covering the windows at night for the purpose of privacy. But when the house is isolated and surrounded by a fence, on the contrary, you will need to install street lighting.
Design
To create a living room interior with a second light, you can use almost any design direction. The following styles look especially interesting:
- classic;
- loft;
- provence;
- Scandinavian;
- eco;
- country;
- baroque;
- palace;
- modern.
In whatever direction the living room is designed, it is important to adhere to the following rules:
- furniture should be large;
- the center of the room cannot be empty, otherwise the impression of a "well" will be created;
- it is imperative to use carpets, since the sound in such a large room sounds especially loud;
- an abundance of shelves and decor are welcomed: they refresh and revitalize a large space.
As for the decoration of the room, you can choose any one. Living rooms with a second light allow you to use dark colors, and therefore a black ceiling can be an interesting design move. The main thing is not to decorate the entire room with extremely dark. Ceiling beams will also look spectacular in such a room, especially if it is a loft style. The interior of the living room with a second light will be very well complemented by the columns.
The use of natural materials will only emphasize the luxury of the room. Natural marble, stone, wood - all this is perfectly combined with natural sunlight. Fireplaces decorated with natural marble or stone look especially attractive. It would be wise to organize a recreation area near such heat sources.
As for the curtains, they must also match the overall interior. You can choose both blinds and light organza or massive curtains. The most beautiful are the models that are located along the entire length of the window. In addition to curtains, you can complement the design with good textiles. Bedspreads, soft pillows, blankets - all this will make the room cozy at home. A good solution would also be to use paintings, preferably bunk, as well as large live plants in tubs and flowerpots.
Lighting
A living room with a second light necessarily requires the installation of the correct lighting. First of all, you need a dimensional chandelier, and it is very important that it fits the overall design. For a classic interior, crystal models are mainly selected, loft and high-tech accepts thin chains.
Plafonds must be large.
There will be little lighting from one chandelier, and this must be taken into account. Therefore, the main chandelier is always supplemented with floor lamps or lamps. Wall sconces are best placed in groups, floor lamps are usually placed in the middle of the room. Spectacular floor lamps can be placed in a recreation area, as well as near plants. The use of LED backlighting will also be an interesting idea. It is better to place it on the stairs. In addition, with the help of illumination, you can highlight paintings, niches with figurines, plants.
Beautiful examples
Finally, we suggest that you familiarize yourself with a selection of interesting interiors of living rooms with a second light
Living room in predominantly dark colors. However, the room does not look gloomy thanks to the right lighting
Modern kitchen-living room with a striking design
A minimalistic and very interesting living room in light colors
Spacious, bright room in classic style. The interior is successfully complemented by a fireplace and columns
Bright room in the style of minimalism
Luxurious and homely cozy room with an abundance of wood and light
