Lighting is an important aspect of a home that can make the difference between a dull or beautiful room. Here are some tips for layering three types of lighting to accent your home and its features.
Ambient Lighting
Ambient lighting, also referred to as general lighting, is the type we are probably most familiar with. This type of lighting acts as the general illumination. The easiest way to use this is through the basic overhead lighting. A great way to get lots of general lighting is to avoid one big overhead light, and instead consider fun table lamps throughout the space. Simple recessed lighting throughout can help to add necessary light to a room as well. During the day, use the natural light of the sun, through windows and skylights.
Task Lighting
Task lighting is light that is used for specific purposes like reading a book or cooking. Kitchens can often be full of dark corners, so this is a great place to add some task lighting. Under cabinet lighting (which can pull double duty as accent lighting) or a pendant light over the sink can be super helpful. Just because this type of lighting is utilitarian does not mean that it cannot also be gorgeous! A desk lamp can not only be perfectly useful, but it can also bring in the style of a room or add some much needed color.
Accent Lighting
Accent lighting is where we are able to keep things exciting and add lots of depth to a space. This type of lighting is mainly decorative and used to showcase different design elements. For example, adding some lights to highlight your fabulous book collection, or pointing a spotlight towards your favorite painting to create a high impact focal point. Even adding a dimmer switch to some of your other light sources (under cabinet lights for example) can allow one light source to pull double duty.
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