The Four Basic Types of Lighting

There are lots of different ways to light your home.  And when it comes to renovating, choosing the right lighting is an important part of any project.

Well-designed lighting should create atmosphere, highlight a room’s interesting features, give you the light you need to perform tasks without straining your eyes, and keep your home safe.

Ambient lighting provides a diffuse wash over a whole room or area. It ought to be warm and comfortable—not too bright or glaring. That being said, ambient light that’s on the dim side will give your room a romantic feel, and brighter light will create a more cheery atmosphere. It should never be too bright, however; this kind of lighting is supposed to be as similar to natural light as possible. For successful ambient lighting, use a chandelier or pendant, ceiling or wall fixtures.  For outdoor ambient lighting, try hanging garden lanterns.

Task lighting gives you light for performing tasks such as reading and cooking. Its primary purpose is to make it as easy as possible for you to see what you’re doing without straining your eyes—so don’t worry about mood with these. Adjustable spotlights, recessed downlights—especially installed beneath an overhead cabinet to illuminate a food preparation area—and portable lamps are ideal.

Accent lighting is used to create visual interest in a room by highlighting artwork, houseplants, or interesting architectural features in your home. It must be at least three times brighter than the ambient light in the room to create the desired effect. To achieve it, use recessed downlights, uplights, or adjustable spotlights.

Security lighting is found both indoors and outdoors, and its purpose is to keep you safe. Basic security lighting includes outdoor floodlights installed over entranceways, spotlights under the eaves at the corners of your house, and perimeter lanterns around the edges of your property. Ideally, these should be fitted with motion sensors.