Ambient, accent & task lighting

Ambient, Accent & Task Lighting

As we have touched on in an earlier lesson, there are three fundamental types of lighting that should layer harmoniously within a room. Let's explore this in more detail to really understand the effects of each type.

Ambient Lighting

• The general light within a room. The opposite of specific light, it provides the overall light to a space.
• In a traditional house, this could be a chandelier hung in the middle of the room or a series of table lamps.
• If the house is more contemporary, you may choose concealed light sources instead such as recessed strips of LEDs that give a wash of light to the walls.

Accent Lighting

• Lights that direct your focus towards certain areas in a room. This could be artwork, shelving, or flowers in the centre of a table.
• A picture light works well in traditional homes to highlight artwork, and having multiple in a room gives a beautiful mid-layer of lighting.
• Highlight flowers on a table by either recessing spotlights into the ceiling or concealing a spotlight within a chandelier.

Task Lighting

• Lighting that is specifically catered towards a certain activity, and supplements the ambient and accent layers.
• This could be activities such as reading in a bedroom, food preparation in a kitchen, or getting ready in the bathroom.