19 Tips for Farmhouse Lighting in Every Room

Trend to Try: Overscale Lighting

Big is beautiful! Embrace the trend of large-scale lighting fixtures with inspiration from these looks.

Beauty and the Barn

When rustic charm is your design goal, try a farmhouse lighting fixture with galvanized steel shades and metal lamp guards reminiscent of those used in 1930s-era barns. In this dining room, the pristine white walls, ceiling, and beams balance the primitive feel of the fixture.

Three Is Better than One

Mix up metals on farmhouse lighting rather than matching them to make your vintage-, farmhouse-, or cottage-style kitchen look like it has evolved over time. In this kitchen, brass farmhouse light fixtures above the island work with polished-nickel cabinet pulls and handsome black iron bases on island stools. A charming metal-screen pantry door and generous swaths of beaded board boost the old-house feel.

• Our Best Kitchen Lighting Tips

Unexpected Pairings

Like a venerable stovepipe hat, this unusual four-arm farmhouse light fixture gives prominence to the centerpiece butcher-block-topped island. A pleasing juxtaposition of bold wrought iron and graceful clear glass chimney shades fosters a sense of comfortable elegance.

Daring Do

Black shades make these farmhouse fixtures a bold component in the kitchen's monochromatic palette. Their old-warehouse styling gives them an industrial quality that balances the vintage farmhouse look of the cabinetry and beaded board. The oversize scale of the farmhouse pendants makes an especially dramatic statement and ensures plenty of illumination for the task at hand.

Attention Control

You can make farmhouse lighting a focal point or allow it to serve as an airy bonus. In this kitchen, black metal ensures that a trio of adjustable-arm farmhouse lights makes a bold statement against pristine white shiplap. Above the island, however, a clear glass globe provides understated vintage styling while optimizing overall illumination.

Zippy Accent

Who says you can't have a little fun with farmhouse lighting? This galvanized shade takes on zippy personality with the simple addition of a red enameled lamp guard, which provides industrial styling and a pop of color.

Clean Finish

Farmhouse lighting works in sleek settings, too, as demonstrated by these industrial-style pendants with clear glass coolie shades. They're perfect for this simple, uncluttered kitchen space, offering spot-on task lighting for the island as well as a clean, refined design.

Drumroll, Please

Opt for a drum shade on a farmhouse pendant for classic styling that fits practically any setting, be it cottage, contemporary, or a look that's completely unique. There's a practical aspect that makes drum shades a good choice for a central fixture. The symmetrical top and bottom emit equal amounts of light, providing both task lighting for the surface below and overall illumination as it radiates off the ceiling.

• Farmhouse Decorating Ideas

Global View

A black strap globe pendant makes a simple but elegant statement in this farmhouse-style dining room. Candelabra bulbs are all about setting a mood for your meal and emit a soft, pleasing glow, while recessed ceiling fixtures provide additional illumination when needed.

A Shade Difference

An empire-style shade on this farmhouse pendant fixture brings a chic yet practial element to this eclectic dining room. The flared bottom allows light to spread across the tabletop for optimum illumination. Likewise, the gold lining adds appealing shine while amplifying light output.

Metal Works

How you suspend a farmhouse lighting pendant influences the overall look. A simple cord makes it more modern or industrial, for example, while a chain draws attention away from the wiring and creates a traditional ambience. In this kitchen, thick rope conceals the wiring, creating a fixture that could suit anything from a cozy beach bungalow to a sophisticated Manhattan loft.

One of a Kind

Flea market finds can easily transform into unique farmhouse lighting with the help of a lamp kit, some DIY chutzpah, and a free afternoon. This old galvanized-metal water can, complete with wooden handle, makes a charming addition to a child's bedroom.

Trust in Rust

Generous doses of white keep a room airy and bright but always need a little warming up. A wood trestle table paired with a farmhouse light fixture with a row of primitive rusty shades makes this room feel more intimate and inviting.

Corner Champion

Sometimes you just want to shoo away a few shadows without incorporating harsh lighting. This petite sconce with a pleated shade adds a sweet note of farmhouse flair tucked into a corner above a banquette. The size isn't intrusive on diners, and the bulb glows without glare.

Too Cool for School

Classic white globes such as these distinguish schoolhouse-style light fixtures that easily transition to the kitchen or dining room. Black iron suspension rods keep the look crisp yet adaptable to your favorite style. Here, subway tiles with dark grout on the backsplash echo the look of the lighting.

Perfect Pairs

One of the best ways to light a bathroom and eliminate shadows is to install fixtures on each side of a mirror. Wall-hung sconces are one solution, but so are these charming farmhouse pendants, which offer a look that's unexpected. The bright pops of red are sure to make getting ready more fun.

Vintage Inspiration

Authentic antique glass typically looks wavy or flawed, so selecting farmhouse lighting with decorative seeded glass, like these stylized lanterns, instantly communicates vintage flair. Suspended from a raw wood ceiling on black chains, these fixtures look as if they were salvaged from an old mercantile.

Looking for Trouble

There's something inherently cool about trouble lights. These pendants could have easily hailed from an old barn or backyard shed, but they're the perfect industrial-style spice for illuminating a kitchen peninsula. Natural wood stools with black iron bases complete this kitchen's farmhouse look.