Discover the art of combining light sources to create a beautiful and more functional home lighting design.
Are you aware of the importance of layering lights at home? Well, first of all let's have a look at what these layers are.
There are three types of lights called "layers of light". They all have different purposes: AMBIENT, TASK and ACCENT.
Ambient is general, overall lighting that every room needs. Pendants and some floor lamps are the best light fittings for this purpose.
You have to add task lighting in some special areas where you need intense, direct lighting in order to fulfil a task.
For example if your task is preparing food, you may need mini-pendants above the island or a LED strip underneath the kitchen's wall units.
While working, you surely need a desk lamp.
Another typical example of task light is the pendant above the dining table to light up food and people's faces, creating a jolly mood.
Accent lights help you balance your lighting and create atmosphere.
For example, you may want to draw attention to your artwork by adding wall lamps.
Or you can add them as a decoration in a feature wall.
A well-designed room shows a mix of these lights. You don't need to use all of them at the same time; layering means that they can be on or off depending on the user's needs. Ideally, ambient and accent lighting are dimmable so you can vary the intensity to provide the right mood.
I'll see you next week with some examples and practical solutions! In the meantime, what about your home lighting? Did you know about the layers? Tell me about it in a comment!