Ambient Lighting
These tend to be the general lighting sources within a room and consist of overhead lights, recessed, pendant or chandeliers. They are designed to illuminate the majority of the room and can be quite bright. Don’t make them the only lights in the room and ideally you need to have them on dimmers, so you can change the vibe of a room by lowering the light levels. This will prevent your house feeling all lit up like an airport lounge!
Task Lighting
These are the practical lights you need in the room, so desk lamps, reading lights, under cabinet lighting for preparing food in the kitchen, mirror lights in the bathroom, motion sensor lights in cupboards and drawers etc. Task lights are practical and functional, but they also make a room feel more beautiful and harmonious because you get little pools of light dotted around the room.
Accent Lighting
These are the lamps that you can load up on everywhere in the room, and Abi’s favourite design trick. Plop lamps everywhere and anywhere, on side tables, consoles, on central islands and on the floor. These little glowing pockets of light create atmospheric, cosy, intimate spaces. As you enter a beautifully lit room you immediately get that feeling of squishy contentment. Use them to highlight architectural features, add a soft to glow alcoves or along stairtreads. Hidden backlights tucked behind headboards and above kitchen cabinets give an unexpected extra layer of glow. Or the lighting can be a feature in it’s own right, like a stylish floor lamp or a neon wall sign.
