Three Types Of Lighting For Your House
If you are thinking about to embellish your house with lighting, the concept of three-layer lighting process can help you make better decisions.
We recommend the three-layer lighting process which is kind of lighting arrangement technique commonly used by interior designers all around the world. There are multiple functions for the lights you use in your home and based on that all lighting can be classified into three layers: Ambient Lighting which is used for general illumination of a room, task lighting which is used for particular task or to light a small area and accent lighting which is used to highlight the elements you think important. Using all these layers of lighting is important to give that elegant look for your home.
1. Ambient Lighting
The light sources used to illuminate the entire space is called ambient lights. This is the first layer of lighting and all houses have this. The LED or CFL lights you use in your room to provide general lighting for a room is an example of ambient lighting. Ambient light gives uniform light to the entire room. Unlike desk lamps or bed lamps, ambient lighting has no specific purposes.
The purpose of ambient light is to give necessary light to the indoor. Most of the people think that an ambient light source with a neutral colour is the best for their house. But in fact, people can choose warm or cool colour lights to create the particular mood based on the design of the house. The best match for a traditional looking house will be warm colour lights and cool colour lights will be great for modern and contemporary designs.
Here is a list of common types of bulbs used for ambient lighting.
Chandelier Lights: This is a decorative light source with multiple bulbs and this gives an elegant look to the house. Usually, this is fixed in large rooms.
Recessed Lights: This is commonly seen in commercial and office places and it is also used for homes. Lights are fixed inside a hole in the ceiling and give light downwards. Most of the time one such light is not enough to light an entire room and you will have to fix multiple lights to get enough ambient light for a room.
Wall Scones: Wall scones are fixed on the wall and it can add style and mood to any room. This is another common lighting seen in homes.
Track lighting: Although the function of a track light is similar to a spotlight, using multiple light sources, a track light can be used for ambient lighting. At the same time, one of the light sources in the track light can be used as the spotlight to illuminate particular elements in a room like a wall painting. The direction of each light sources in a track light can be changed easily.
2.Task Lighting
The second layer of lighting is to illuminate small area or lighting for particular activities like reading or writing and it is called task lighting. As the name suggests, these lights have special functions or tasks and are used only for that. Here is a list of common example for task lighting.
Table Lamp/Desk Lamp: This light is used when people work on table or desk. The light illuminates only the necessary area. These lights are used when the ambient light is not strong enough to read or do other works on a table. Using a table lamp, you can illuminate the table area and do your work. Sometimes, for different reasons, you don’t want to switch on the ambient lights for a room in the night while you work on a desk. Then you can use a table lamp. Similarly, when you work with a computer in dark, you can use a table lamp to see the keyboard very well.
Under Counter Light: These kinds of lights can be fixed under the shelves above the cooking area in a kitchen. These lights are easy to install and can be tucked beneath shelves or cupboards.
Swing Arm lights: This can be used as an alternative to bed lamps or chimney lights. Swing arm lights are available in different varieties and there are different models for different purposes. It gets its name from its adjustable and foldable arm. The light source is fixed at one end of the arm. With the help of adjustable arm, the direction of the light can be changed.
Pendant Lights: These lights are hung down from the ceiling. A pendant light can be used for the ambient lighting and for the task lighting. It is commonly used in kitchen as a task light. Since it is far below the ceiling, it can better illuminate the specific area you want.
Floor Lamps: This is similar to a desk lamp. Instead of keeping on a table, the floor lamps are kept on the floor. These are like a miniature of street lamps. The leg of these lights are tall and so it can be used to illuminate a desk. Floor lamps are now available with adjustable legs and so the direction and height of the light can be changed.
3.Accent Lighting
The lights used to attract the attention of people towards something come under the third layer of lighting. This is to highlight particular elements inside or outside a house. This can also be used to divert the attention of people from things doesn’t look good. Unlike, other layers of lighting, the primary function of accent lighting is to add style and beauty.
Track Lighting: Any of one from the light sources in a track light can be directed towards something like a painting on the wall, picture or a pottery. This illuminates that objects and attract others attention.
Under Cabinet Lighting: Less intense under cabinet lights are another way to highlight things.
Wall scones: Less intense and warm wall scones can create beautiful shapes on the wall.
The possibilities of accent lighting are limitless. You can put light on the trees or direct light towards them to make them stand out. If you have a fountain or aquarium in your house, you can direct lights behind it.
This classification is not mutually exclusive and the examples might overlap across layers. Some types of lights are used in multiple layers of lighting. So it is important to remember that it is the functionality of a lighting that determines the layer. When you choose lightings for your home, think about each of these layers and choose a perfect type of lighting for each.
