Illuminated wall art for the living room

In most living rooms, light comes from above: a ceiling light that lights everything the same way, and a few lamps in the corners. What is often missing is a light at eye level, set on a wall, that gives the room depth without glare. That is the place for illuminated wall art.

Switched off, it remains an image: a sober, framed gradient that holds its own among the furniture. Switched on, it becomes the main light of the living room at nightfall. Three choices decide the result: the shade, the format and the wall.

Choosing the shade

The shade of the piece colours the light it gives off, on its face as on the wall around it. Start from the materials and colours already in the living room.

• N°01 Levant: amber, copper and deep brown. It suits dark panelling, walnut, leather and warm walls.
• N°02 Crépuscule: peach, soft pink and red-orange. For light walls, linen, sand tones and stone.
• N°03 Heure dorée: gold, orange, brown and midnight blue. For a more contrasted living room, with deep blue or dark green.
• N°04 Zénith: cream, champagne and grey-green. For pale interiors, off-white, light wood.

The frame follows the same logic: matte black for graphic interiors, wood effect for warm rooms, gold for mouldings and classic interiors.

Choosing the format

The 80 format dresses the main wall of the living room: above a two- or three-seater sofa, a low sideboard or a fireplace. Alone and centred, it is enough to fill that wall, because in the evening its light spreads well beyond its frame.

The 55 format suits a narrower wall: between two windows, above a console, beside a bookcase. Two 55 formats side by side make a composition about 120 cm wide.

To decide, cut a square of paper to the right size and pin it to the wall for a few days: you will quickly see which one holds its place. Both formats are shown to scale in our guide Sizes and hanging.

Choosing the wall

The wall above the sofa is the obvious one: centre the piece on the sofa, and leave 20 to 30 cm between the top of the backrest and the bottom of the frame. The other rules of proportion are in our article What to put above a sofa?

Think too of the wall you see as you enter the living room: illuminated wall art greets the eye from the doorway. Avoid, on the other hand, the television wall: the two lights compete for attention.

Before drilling, find the nearest socket: the cable is 1.8 m long. A socket placed behind the frame by an electrician makes it invisible.

In the evening, switch off the ceiling light: the piece and one lamp are enough.

In the evening, with the lamps

Illuminated wall art gives the living room its ambient light. Accompany it with one or two lower, warmer lamps: a table lamp on a console, such as Horizon, or a floor lamp near an armchair, such as Solstice. Two or three sources at different heights compose an evening better than a powerful ceiling light.

Then set the intensity: with the dimmer under the frame in the essential version, or with the remote, the app and voice assistants in the connected version. More pointers in Composing with evening light.

Each piece comes in 55 and 80 cm, in the essential or connected version, from €490.