Three Types of Lighting

Ambient

• Ambient lighting is also called general lighting. This is because it refers to the overhead lighting that is present in most rooms. It is the primary way that a room is lighted, and provides great illumination. There are many examples of ambient lighting, such as a chandelier, ceiling-mounted fixtures, the light on a ceiling fan, recessed lighting, wall-mounted fixtures and even track lighting.

Task

• Task lighting is exactly what it sounds like -- lighting meant to help you perform a specific chore. A great example of task lighting is a desk lamp. The room that the desk lamp is in may have ambient lighting, but the desk lamp helps you accomplish tasks such as reading or writing directly at the desk. Other examples of task lighting are pendant lighting, under-cabinet lighting and floor lamps.

Accent

• Accent lighting is illumination meant to draw the eye to a particular area. This adds some drama and flair to a room, but it is too little to be used as a primary source of lighting. To achieve this, accent lighting must train three times as much lighting on the object than the ambient lighting in the same room. An example would be a wall-mounted picture light that is focused on a piece of art. Accent lighting is generally a small part of an overall design scheme.

Mixing the Types

• It is acceptable to mix more than one type of lighting in the same room. For example, a bedroom may have an overhead light, which would serve as ambient lighting. But you may also choose to have lamps in the room, a form of task lighting. The lamps would be used for reading or other activities that don't require an overhead light. In a kitchen, ambient overhead lighting can be complimented by task lighting under a cabinet to help you read cookbooks or recipe cards.