Light has a profound impact on our senses. It can make us feel awake, alive, comforted, secure, or inspired. With too little light, we are unable to get motivated, but with too much, we can feel anxious. Despite the intense impact lighting can have on our moods, lighting design in our own homes is frequently an afterthought and not an intentional choice.
The fundamentals
There are three main categories of lighting: task, ambient, and accent.
As the name suggests, task lighting is used for performing tasks. It helps you perform a function and is more focused. It’s the type of light you would want in your kitchen when you’re cooking dinner, in your game room when you’re playing billiards, or in your bathroom when you’re getting ready for the day.
Ambient lighting is more general. It includes recessed lighting, lamps, or LED strip lighting installed around kitchen cabinets. It creates atmosphere and mood.
Accent lighting draws the eye and highlights something you want to give special attention to. It can be used to illuminate special artwork or wall plants. It elevates your home décor and instantly adds a bit of elegance with its detailed intention. Accent lighting includes spotlights and wall sconces.
It starts with a feeling
Once you know the three types of lighting, you can start dreaming up your own design. Heidi Blom with Cabinet & Lighting Supply encourages people to begin by considering the intention, functionality, and most importantly, how you want to feel in each room.
For example, if you have a reading room, you’ll want to have sufficient task lighting so that you’re not straining your eyes trying to read in the dark, but you’ll probably also want to feel cozy and at ease in your reading room. That will require a combination of task and ambient lighting.
Similarly, in your kitchen, you’ll need task lighting, but you’ll probably also want to have ambient lighting so that after you’re done cooking, your kitchen can become a peaceful gathering place for friends and family to congregate and enjoy camaraderie, recounting their days together. You may also have a piece of artwork or a family heirloom, like a porcelain dinnerware set, that you want to give accent with softer and warm lighting – noticeable but not drawn out.
Feeling and functionality should drive design.
Don’t be basic
Recessed lighting is a popular choice, but it’s often done in straight lines almost like a runway, which can be overkill and create glare. Placement makes a huge difference with recessed lighting, so you want to be sure to create the perfect positioning in order to achieve that Goldilocks “just right” feeling.
Read the room
The direction your home faces will have a significant impact on how the natural light travels throughout your home each day. Homes that face south will have a different daily light pattern than homes that face north. Pay attention to that daily light pattern so that as you design your home, you can incorporate dimmers and automatic light timers that will complement and supplement the natural light that your home gets.
Cool it down or warm it up
You can create moods by the tone of the lightbulbs you use. Cool lights tend to work well for task lighting, whereas warmer lights help with ambient lighting. You should mix and match throughout your home, depending on the feelings you want to inspire in each setting, but be sure not to mix cool lights and warm lights within the same design element, such as a group of recessed lights.
Instantly elevate
Dimmers are an easy way to instantly add dimension, functionality, and an elegant feel to your home. In addition to dimmers, accent lighting helps set your home apart. Choosing a few key areas for accent lighting subtly illuminates delightful details of your interior design.
Another great way to add charm and richness to your home is to add “toe-kick lighting.” Toe-kick lighting consists of delicate accent lights that you can put in key areas, like along the bottom of cabinets or along staircases that add ethereal ambiance at night when you’ve extinguished your general lighting and want to wind down.
Placement makes a huge difference with recessed lighting, so you want to be sure to create the perfect positioning in order to achieve that Goldilocks “just right” feeling.
Choosing a few key areas for accent lighting subtly illuminates delightful details of your interior design.