We’ve talked about how color is a simple but impactful solution that can truly change how a space looks and feels without taking up any physical room. Another powerful tool that can greatly alter how a room is presented is lighting. Just like color, interior lighting design can make a small room seem larger, a home office more productive, or a living room more relaxing. The possibilities are endless!
Types of Light
Before you start choosing light fixtures you’d like to have in your home, it’s important to understand the different types of lighting out there. The three main types of interior lighting include ambient, task, and accent lighting, and all play a different role when it comes to interior lighting design.
Ambient lighting
Ambient lighting is essentially the general lighting in your home. It offers consistent illumination and sets the tone of a room. Examples of ambient lighting include ceiling-mounted lights, downward light fixtures, floor lamps, and large pendants.
Task lighting
Task lighting offers direct light to help improve your visibility when performing a task like reading, writing, or cooking. It’s brighter and more focused than ambient lighting so that you can see what’s going on right in front of you without causing strain to your eyes. Desk lamps, vanity lights, and small pendants are all common examples of task lighting.
Accent lighting
Lastly, there’s accent lighting, a type of light that sort of acts between ambient and task lighting. Accent lights accentuate drama and sophistication, drawing attention to a room’s focal point. Wall lights, recessed spotlights, and track lights are all forms of accent lighting.
Creating a Lighting Plan for Your Home
Interior lighting design can do many things, from creating a certain mood in a room to accentuating different parts of your home to helping you perform day-to-day tasks. It’s vital to consider your space before selecting lights:
- How big is your space?
- Where are the windows and doors positioned?
- How is your furniture arranged?
- Is there room on the walls and ceilings to add lighting or would the space work better with freestanding lights?
- What is your lighting budget?
- What colors and finishes are already in your space?
There are certainly a lot of factors to consider when finding the perfect lighting design, but these questions are a good place to start. After you know the type of atmosphere you want to create in your home, then you can start honing in on smaller details, like the colors and types of bulbs you want to use, the style of fixtures, picking out light dimmers, etc.
Call On the Experts
Like any part of the design process, finding the right balance between ambient, task, and accent lighting is not easy, especially with all the different choices that are available! That’s why WPL Interior Design is here to help create your ideal home atmosphere with the perfect lighting. From the very beginning, we make sure the design of a home reflects the needs and style of our clients, not our own. That means finding the best quality lighting, the right colored bulbs, and lighting fixtures that exemplify your design taste.
Partner up with WPL Interior Design today by filling out our design inquiry form today, or give our office a call at 215-592-9570.
