There are four basic types of lighting that all work together in your home: task, ambient, mood and accent.
Identifying which type of lighting you need will help you create a home that you can enjoy and looks beautiful as well as serving its purpose well.
Task Lighting – task lighting helps you perform specific tasks, such as preparing food, reading or grooming. It shouldn’t produce harsh glare or shadows, but should be bright enough to prevent eye strain.
Ambient Lighting – this type of lighting provides an area with overall illumination, so you can see and use the room safely. Usually accomplished with ceiling or wall mounted fixtures, it is important to have a source of ambient lighting in every room.
Mood Lighting – this is used to create a certain mood, usually soft and relaxed. Accent Lighting – accent lighting adds visual drama or draws the eye to a particular feature of the room, such as art or a textured wall.
Bathroom
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A bathroom should offer a combination of three types of lighting, as it is a room that is needed for both task, ambient and mood lighting. For instance, in the morning, you’ll need functional lighting to ensure that you can wash and perform your ablutions.
You might therefore have task lighting either side of the mirror to illuminate your face. In the evening, however, you might want to have a bath to relax, and you’ll want something softer, like candles or a dimmer switch.
Kitchen
The kitchen is mainly a task-orientated room, namely the act of preparing food. Therefore it will need both task and ambient lighting. Pop an LED rope underneath your upper cupboards and your surfaces can be illuminated whenever you need them to be.
Living Room
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Another room that needs a combination approach is the living room. With lots of different things going on in this room, it’s important to have lighting that supports that.
Tasks such as reading or working on finances will need task lighting. The right table lamp can be a great solution for task lighting, and it can also do great for the ambiance in the room.
Bedroom
Again, the bedroom needs a combination of lighting. Task lighting is needed when getting ready in the morning or applying make-up, but mood lighting is also needed to be able to set a relaxing or romantic mood.
Outdoors
Your outdoor space will need both task and mood lighting, and you may choose to have accent lighting too. Task lighting will be needed to highlight doors, paths and patio or decking edges, to make sure you can see everything you need to.
Mood lighting for the outdoors can come in a variety of forms, from fairy lighting to solar lights. Accent lighting can be used to highlight trees or sculpture or artwork that you might have in the garden.
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