Task lighting is a crucial element in interior design, providing focused illumination for specific tasks such as reading, writing, cooking, and sewing. It is a direct lighting source that adds visibility to a small area, making it more comfortable for reading and writing tasks. Task lighting is often used in home offices, where desk lamps can be used to illuminate the work area, making it more comfortable.
Effective lighting design uses different layers of light across an interior to set the right mood and level of practicality. These layers are made up of three main lighting types: ambient lighting, task lighting, and accent lighting. Task lighting is designed to help people perform specific tasks by providing concentrated light in a particular area, allowing them to perform these tasks with ease and without eye strain.
Task lighting should be brighter than ambient lighting and focused on the project or hobby at hand. It should not brighten the rest of the room but rather enhance the appearance of a space. Task lighting should be brighter than ambient lighting and focus on the task or hobby at hand.
In interior design, task lighting is essential for creating a comfortable and functional environment for various activities. The three main types of lighting used in homes are ambient lighting, accent lighting, and task lighting. Task lighting provides bright, focused light, allowing individuals to perform detail-oriented tasks with ease and without eye strain.
In summary, task lighting is a vital component in interior design, providing focused illumination for specific tasks and areas. By using different types of lighting, designers can create a visually appealing and functional space that enhances the overall aesthetic appeal of the room.
📹 INTERIOR DESIGN | Lighting Design 101 Principles, House Design Ideas and Home Decor Tips
Lighting is everything when it comes to interior design. A good lighting plan depends on the characteristics of the light source and …
What are the 3 basic types of lighting?
A well-designed lighting setup involves three basic types: ambient or general lighting, accent lighting, and task lighting. Ambient lighting provides a warm glow to a room, setting the tone for the space and ensuring comfortable movement. It can also double as task lighting in some cases. Accent lighting is another essential type of lighting that can be used to create a welcoming atmosphere for work or relaxation. By combining these types of lighting, a well-designed space can be a welcoming and comfortable environment for individuals to work or relax.
What is the primary function of task lighting in interior design?
Lighting can significantly enhance the appearance of a small room, making it appear larger. Natural lighting can create a bright, airy atmosphere, while a combination of ambient, task, and accent lighting adds depth and dimension. Uniform lighting throughout the room can also make the room appear larger.
In a home office, good lighting is essential for productivity, comfort, and eye health. Natural light reduces eye strain, while ambient lighting boosts mood and alertness. Task lighting is designed for tasks like reading or writing, while ambient lighting provides a thorough illumination. Mixing different lighting styles in one room can add depth, interest, and functionality to the space, but it’s crucial to maintain harmony and purpose.
Task lighting plays a crucial role in interior design by providing targeted illumination for specific tasks, enhancing functionality, and improving the overall aesthetics of a space. It helps reduce eye strain, enhances safety, and highlights design features. Accent lighting serves to emphasize specific features, such as architectural details, paintings, sculptures, display cabinets, bookshelves, and alcoves. It allows designers and homeowners to highlight what they deem essential or beautiful, creating a desired atmosphere and adding depth to the environment.
Architectural lighting is a blend of art and science, focusing on both the aesthetic appeal of a building and its functionality. These lights serve as a bridge between architecture and interior design, contributing to the overall aesthetic appeal and functionality of a space.
What is an example of a task light?
Task lighting products include under-cabinet lights, guidance lights, table lamps, and bollard lights. They are used for reading and writing at tables, while under-cabinet lights make searching for specific objects easier. Light Journey offers an alternative solution for workspace and home projects, providing technical assistance such as luminaire selection, lighting calculation, rendering through professional simulation software, and experimenting with visual mock-ups to validate design approaches. Contact them for a comprehensive understanding of the various lighting options available for your workspace or home.
What are the four types of interior lighting?
The four principal categories of domestic lighting are accent lighting, ambient lighting, decorative lighting, and task lighting. The various types of lighting have distinct applications and should be employed in conjunction with one another to achieve the optimal ambience. It should be noted that disabling cookies may result in the store not functioning correctly.
What is the best lighting for an interior?
Recessed lights, natural lighting, chandeliers, pendant lighting, wall sconces, track lighting, and under-cabinet lighting are all essential elements in home interior design. They set the mood, define spaces, and can transform a space into a warm and welcoming space. However, choosing the right lighting can be confusing due to the wide variety available. Understanding the different types of lighting and how to use them effectively can help brighten up your space.
This comprehensive guide from the best residential interior designers from an interior design firm aims to help you understand the different types of lights in home interiors and share some bonus tips.
What is the purpose of task lighting?
Task lighting is a crucial tool for enhancing the visibility of small or low-contrast objects, ensuring accurate tasks like sewing or reading directions. It is also beneficial for workspaces like workbench or garage, or arts and crafts spaces. Desk lamps offer adjustable task lighting, aiming in specific directions for demanding visual tasks like reading and writing. Plug-in table and floor lamps are also commonly used for reading. Wall-mounted adjustable arm lamps, also known as swing-arm lamps, are commonly used for reading in the evening.
These fixtures can be positioned to direct light onto reading material and avoid glare. They can be switched separately from other fixtures in the room and installed above the headboard to minimize shadows. This type of fixture may be suitable for children’s bedrooms to avoid floor and table lamps, which can be tipped over.
What is another name for task lighting?
Home task lighting includes goose-neck lamps or swing arm fixtures, which can be adjusted to focus on specific tasks or be used in home office applications. Some task lights also come with built-in magnifying glasses for detailed tasks, such as model building or sewing. Asymmetric task lights are designed to be placed at the side of the task, directing light obliquely over the desk, with the highest illuminance typically about 1′ to 1½’ to the side of the lamp head.
These lamps often have a parallel arm system that holds the lamp head horizontally, irrespective of arm movement. However, asymmetric lamps often cause more reflected glare than other lamps and may cause direct glare in workplaces with different table heights due to their lack of glare control.
What is the difference between ambient lighting and task lighting?
Task lighting is crucial in areas like home offices, kitchens, and reading nooks for fresh thinking. It’s brighter and more invigorating. Ambient lighting is ideal for creating a comfortable atmosphere and setting the tone for the space. It’s ideal for social areas and should provide a medium glow. Combining these three types of lighting can create a well-lit and comfortable space that meets specific needs. Share your lighting knowledge and enjoy the process by sending a picture of your setup via social media and tagging us (@GELighting).
What are the four types of lighting?
The right lighting is crucial for enhancing interior design and highlighting a home’s best features. There are four main types of lighting: ambient, task, accent, and decorative. Ambient lighting, which is used to evenly light up a room, is the foundation for any interior lighting scheme. It should be used in every room, ideally in the center, and closer to the ceiling to diffuse light more effectively.
What is the difference between task lighting and general lighting?
Task lighting aids in specific tasks like reading, sewing, cooking, and balancing checkbooks. It can be provided by under cabinet, tape and track lighting, pendant lighting, and portable lamps. Task lighting should be bright and free of distracting glare. Accent lighting adds drama to a room by creating visual interest, such as spotlighting paintings, houseplants, sculptures, or wall textures. It requires at least three times as much light on the focal point as the general lighting around it.
What are the three types of lighting in interior design?
Lighting is crucial for a room’s overall appearance and can be divided into three main types: ambient, task, and accent. The specific lighting needed depends on the room’s function and design. Our luxury lighting collection offers stylish contemporary designs that cater to all lighting needs. Valley Road, a residential home interior design project, highlights the importance of lighting in modern designs. Stay updated with interior design inspiration, new furniture trends, and trade tips to stay ahead of the crowd.
📹 Interior Design Lighting Tips! | Lighting Ideas For Your Home!
In this video, I go over some of my best lighting tips! If you’ve ever wondered how you see all these beautiful homes in the …
Zahira! I just discovered your articles this evening and have watched five in a row. They are fantastic, as are you. 🙂 I have always loved to design my spaces but don’t have any technical understanding of why I like certain things or how to fix something that doesn’t look or feel quite right. I’ve looked at plenty of decorating/design websites and books but nothing has been exactly what I’m looking for – until I found your articles. Thank you so much for the clear and concise way you explain so many elements of design. After only perusal five articles I understand so much more of what I’ve been doing and why some things just don’t/won’t work. And on top of that you offer free downloads of helpful guides. Designing is one of my very favorite things to do and you just made it so much better for me. I’m looking forward to checking out your other content! THANK YOU!
I love this article. Thank you Zahira! I have a background in electrical engineering and took some courses (over 20 year ago :)) in architectural and public lighting. I loved it then but life happened and didn’t continue with this. Now I start thinking that it’s never too late for your passion. Thank you for your great articles!
Hi Zahira, I’m planning to renovate my bedroom and follow your tips on lighting. In this article you said that warm light is best for bedrooms, do you advise that all the 3 layers ambient, accent and task lightings be in the warm spectrum since it is a bedroom? I would really appreciate your response. Thanks in advance and God bless. 😊
am currently pursuing an online bachelor’s in interior design and I had reached a creative mind lock. I was literally perusal car articles and this article showed up at some point. this article was not only efficiently illustrative, but it has given me the extra push to open my mind again. am finally doing that assignment I had taken 2weeks to do. thank you for the inspiration!!
For years I have been looking for learning about lighting in a home environment. People tend to miss out one lighting all the time and this plays a vital role in setting up the mood. If the lightings are not in place then the whole interior planning goes for a toss. Thank you for sharing all this knowledge/Tips.
Thanks for sharing this article,this is so helpful for me to design my new home I just need to know that my living area is not much big and i am thinking to put some lights in there place but my dinning table is not on the middle of the area,it was just a one side bcoz of path way,so is it looks good if i put chandelier little side of ceiling not in middle Need your suggestion pls
Hi Zahira! As usual an excellent article, thanks for doing such wonderful & inspiring work. It’ll be great if you can also explain about the factors to consider while selecting light intensity (lumens) for different spaces. You said that accent lighting is typically 3 times the ambient light intensity, but more details on this would be really helpful. Thanks again!! 🙂
Thanks for the article! Could you recommend the best/easiest way to create ambient lighting in a condo with concrete ceilings, where you’re very limited in installing ceiling fixtures? We’re thinking about track lights, but from your article I see it’s considered more as accent lighting, and I’m worried that they’ll beam right in the eyes and won’t light up the room evenly. What would be your advice? I’m also considering standing lamps, but they usually aren’t too bright and you need multiple for bigger rooms. Would love to get your suggestion!
Brava! Your lucid, straightforward presentation makes a complex subject understandable. I used this information to re-arrange and augment the lighting in my home, and it had a big positive effect on the feel of all the living spaces. Next, I applied these principles to design the lighting for my kitchen remodel. Because we had so many constraints on the new kitchen (make it functional, can’t move walls, windows, ceiling, etc.), there was really only so much that could be done with the lighting. Even so, it could have gone terribly wrong if I just let the electrician pop a bunch of hockey puck LEDs into my ceiling and then leave! If I EVER hit the lottery and can build a custom home, I will bring the lighting architect into the planning process on day 1. Thank you again!
Loved the article. Very educational. I have one question. I have been seeing these new led light fixtures that come in shapes like circles and squares. How long do they last before replacement is needed? And since they are not light bulbs how can you replace them when they need to be changed? I have put in a link of an example of one lighting fixture of what i am talking about. Codie 1 – Light 22” Unique/Statement Geometric LED Semi Flush Mount
The most important in interior is lighting. This explain me much.. tq. Found this website n love it. Really need to figure out my lighting now. Most of them are Tracklights.. is it possible to make tracklight as ambient lighting? Plus. I also have pointing tracklight on accents walls n features.. The different is just the brightness.
Excellent article – thanks much for sharing . I have a small 12 feet x 8 feet bedroom with 4 LED lights & 2 task pendant lights on either side of the bed. Given I already have 6 lights in a small space, would an accent light on art still make an impact? Also Do accent lights have a separate switch or does it share the same switch as with the 4 LED lights?
Hi! Great article. Got a lighting problem that may not be easy to fix. My girlfriend loves high kelvin white light in spaces such as bedrooms and living rooms. I’m a warm light guy. Love the yellowish red colors a resistance bulb emites. Like you said, it gives a warm, cozy sensation. My question is, is there any way the two can live in “harmony”? If so, could you reference an example? I’m not one to dismiss her tastes because of mine, nor too giving to ignore mine. I think a happy medium can be achieved, I just need that nudge. Thanks! Y saludos desde Puerto Rico!
Thank you for your articles. I just wanted to ask :I have small house which has kitchen, dining room and living room almost together. What light tone should I use for kitchen because as I’ve learned from your articles for bedroom, living room, dining room is better warm light and for bathroom and kitchen is better neutral. Kitchen and dining room are almost the same place. Thank you in advance for your time.
Thank u that was very helpful!❤ Zahira, u make me want to move to a new home in every article😂😭. I have a question though. The LED lights nowadays can be the whole spectrum. Red bleu indigo every single color. How that’s affecting our perspective and mood? And how can we use it with out messing up with the colors in our room? (I mean the wall color the cushion colors and so on..)
Hi Zahira, Loved the content. I am currently designing the plan for our first home. But with all what you have explained could be a bit costly to encorporate Ambient, Tast and accent lighting source for all the rooms and areas of the house. I would like to request you if there is a cost effective way of encorporating all source of light. Or is there a checklist we could follow as a minimum for each area of the house. Many thanks once again Zahira, I learned a lot from this article.
Great article! We are trying to decide what lighting fixtures we should use in our new renovation. We are working with an interior designer but we haven’t seen anything that inspires us. Our biggest need is an attractive light in the foyer, dining room light and bathroom sconces. Our designer was suggesting globes, which work for the kitchen island but perhaps are a little boring everywhere in the house. Do you have a lighting supplier that you like that we could look at for some ideas? Thanks!
First some questions, then a compliment. You said at the end of your article that you have your Master’s degree in lighting design. I googled you and it looks like you went to Politecnico de Milano. I didn’t see a lighting design program on their website but was looking on my phone. I’ve been researching Lighting Design Master’s programs and it looks like some have been discontinued. Is this the case with the program you attended? I’ve been torn between 1) if it’s worth it to get a master’s working in Lighting Design since I’ve already got a few years of job experience and my undergraduate degree is in theatrical lighting and 2) if I should pursue Interior Design Master’s programs in addition to Lighting Programs since there is really only one school in the US that has a program and only a few programs internationally. No idea if you read all the comments, but if you have any input, I’d love to hear from someone who has been through a Master’s program in lighting. None of my co-workers have Master’s in lighting all either have a Master’s in Interior Design or only have an undergraduate degree. Beyond that, great article. I came into it fully expecting to scoff at it, but it is a great explanation of Lighting Design. I may even use it if someone is ever just super curious about what I do for a living although my company works on much larger scale projects.
Can you mix the color of lighting in a room? For example: 3000 kelvin recessed lighting with 2700 pendants or the like? What about rooms that open up into each other like the dining and kitchen—while a warmer light might be recommended for the dining room, a cooler light might be recommended for the kitchen. What is a happy medium? I have white walls (BM dove white) and am trying to figure this out. Thank you for the great information!
QUESTION moving to a new house and the new kitchen has one single ceiling light, it’s not enough light, and I dont like it. What type of light should I put there instead? Also maybe I should at 2 pendant lights where the stools are? Also the living room has zero light fixture, should I just use lamps? Theres 2 ceiling lights close by tho. Thanks! Love your website! This article was great
My wife and I are buying master bathroom lighting as we are remodeling the bathroom and the lighting fixture we are considering is going to be position above the mirror has milk glass with light bulb is open at the top not from the bottom. My question is what kind of light bulb would I use and is this kind of light fixture ok above a mirror. Thank You for your article it was great! Thanks Wayne and Linda
Hi… Just found this article searching for ideas on lighting. I do have one ?. I have in my small living dinning área. Live in Puerto Rico and I always need fans. I has for a few years now a fan I still love in a satin nickel with wood color blades. I want to change the chandelier in the dinning area. But I’m scared the mix finishes. I wish I could find a mixed metal that would go under my budget. But so far no luck. What would you recommend? Should a stick to the silver tones? I will appreciate any input.
If i have one open space of kitchen and family room, which lighting temperature should i choose for recessed light ? should i go with Neutral White or warm white all the way ? or half Neutral White for kitchen area and half warm white for family room ? and how do you mix and match multi temperature lighting for one room ? is there any basic principles for that ?
Hi Zahira. I am currently confused on which center light to install on my bedroom ceiling. The design is a simple cove lighting on the walls of the bedroom. I used warm white LED strips for the cove lighting. Which light is best for the center light? And should I go with a chandelier type of center light or a simple one? All the help will be appreciated.
Hi Thank you for your great tips. I am building a small cabin with open concept and loft. The ceilings are 13 ft high so I am having a hard time picking lights. I got to get a chandelier for the kitchen and one for the dining room, pendant one by one of the kit hen window, 2 kitchen island, 2 under cabinets strip, livingroom with fan/lighting, as well as the loft and bathroom below it, I need one for the loft stair, 2 for hallway, 1 vanity, one with extractor cor bathroom and 4 cor the ninth stands as well as the one for the front porch and 3 for outdoor wall mounted ones by deck. You like to give me this for them? I see seeded, oil one in the stores but I do not like the., not sure is white glass or white glass will be best
These lighting examples seem perfect for high-income situations. But what are some tips for low-cost solutions to great lighting? I’m thinking about rooms where there are no ceiling lights. I assume I would have to utilize –medium floor lamps, –taller floor lamps, –side-table lamps, and –strings of lights (that’s something I see on tv shows). But I feel there are even more cost-effective solutions that I’m just not considering. Growing up, I just never thought about them because we never had the resources or knowledge for these things, and I’ve carried that ignorance with me.
Great article! We are redecorating our living room and updating the lighting but couldn’t decide how some of the lighting should be placed. This article really explained the Ins and outs of lighting and has helped me see more clearly how to place the different types of lighting. Our problem right now is we don’t want to have to rewire the room so we are also looking for some battery lighting for spot lighting picture walls and window sheers. I have subscribed to your vlog now and plan on learning a lot about design by viewing all your articles. Thank you again.
Thank you for the article. I found it very well structured and organized, with a lot of useful information. I am an architect and I did my Ph.D. in lighting design, so I wanted to give you a feedback that may help you improve your lecture. I think that the example that was probably shown the most (seen at 5:33) is the wrong one. The LED strip is too near to the ceiling, so it provides a “burning” effect and the accent light fixtures are positioned and oriented wrong, so they make light spots on the wall instead of stressing the plant or painting on the wall. I wish you all the best in your future work.
Thanks for this great explainer article! We have a small (14’x13′) kitchen, and I’m wondering about using one ceiling fixture, plus pendants over the peninsula, for ambient light — rather than installing ‘cans’ recessed lighting in the ceiling. The central ceiling light would be easier, but also it better reflects the 1940s era of the house. What should we consider if we use a central ceiling light (in addition to led under cabinet task lighting)? Thank you again!
HI there, D.Signers. Thanks for sharing this valuable information about lighting. now i know little bit on how to setup my bedroom lighting. my question is, is good that accent lighting installed in all 4 corners of my square bedroom.. because when i m lying on my bed, my eyes sight is glared SO MUCH,, should i take it off and replace with others?
Hello 🙂 I wondered if you were able to help me with a design dilemma. I have a kitchen diner space that was just a dining room. On the ceiling of the single room, there is a beautiful ceiling moulding that forms a cross in the middle of the room with four fleur di lits. It has the main pendant light in the middle of the cross. The issue is this pendant light doesn’t light the room enough and I wanted to add recessed lighting but don’t know how to position them into the ceiling where they don’t detract from the beautiful ceiling moulds. Would you knowhow to overcome this? thank you in advanced 🙂
I am building a home with an art studio. In that room I quilt and I do paper hearts. I have ott lights on my table at this time, however in my new home I would like to have the lights perfect for doing art. Would naturally be the best, should I have canned lights, I do need a fan in the room. I was thinking of a ceiling fan Central and canned lights above around it.
Hi Zahira, I’m going through a de Lima. We have done some renos around the house. I have done a charcoal grey accent wall along with lighter grey in all over the living room. Which looked so great. Yesterday we had a electrician came in to change our light fixtures, so for our spot lights I chose 4000k. Now we still dnt have bulbs in our chandelier above the dinning table, cuz it’s hard to find same K from the stores(amazon carries them). Lighting looks great to me and my husband but there is no dramatic effect on my accent wall( we chose black and gold chandelier) this lighting shows all true colours, I dnt know what to do now. Should I still go ahead and order 4000k chandelier bulbs from amazon, cuz calling the electrician to change the lighting from 4000k to 2700k would cost us money. Plz help
Nice but not detailed in full. For general public like me, I need to understand that in which room or space of my house I can install the correct type of lighting!, It will be very useful if you take an example of two bed rooms or three bed rooms as an example and explain in detail by adding some pics. Because most of the 95 percent people fall in that zone only. While appreciating yours efforts, hope you will come out with my above suggested concept also. Thank you . God bless you.
I am an Architect and really love lighting. I was also thinking of doing masters in lighting design but wasn’t sure. Reasons – where and whether lighting designers are really needed ? The scope and whether I will be able to earn enough after this. I am confused. Please guide. It will be really helpful. And loved this article. Thanks ❤️
First of all thank you so much for your articles that can uplift interior design knowledge from 0 to quite professional! My question is how to place switches around the house or more importantly should these layers have separate switches from each other or how? Thing is that if it is separate switch for each layer then we have tons of switches considering that some walls have switches for more areas than one.
Very educational! What I am wondering is how best to identify usage of colours for different areas of home – now with LED lights we can manipulate colours – when done correctly they seem to totally innovate your room and if conducted poorly then it looks awful – what course of action is important to keep in mind?
I’ve got a question which I suppose would apply to most people living in warm countries. How can we have an ambient + access lighting in case we have a ceiling fan attached? The fans in my house cover up a majority of the ceiling space and currently tube lights and some corner ceiling wall lamps are the only functional lights that I have incorporated in the design and lighting element. I’m not up for any ground lamps or table lamps so I wish to work my way around the ceiling lights eager to hear ur suggestion..
Great article and good insights with excellent examples. What’s your take on combination of warm (chandelier for example) and cool (led strips, say) lights for an apartments living room space? I was always under the impression both shouldn’t be used but a clip in your article showed there can be presence of both with selective trigger depending upon mood setting..
This is such a helpful overview of the types of lighting and how to use each of them. Thank you, Zahira! I am struggling with ideas about adding recessed lighting over an existing mantle, in the same space in which I need to find the right overhead lighting over a sofa for reading. Finding the right balance and layering is a challenge! Thank you for helping to educate me, Zahira!
Hello I like your article, I like what you do, I like how you explain. At the end of the project you say : “Mater degree in lighting design,So if you have any question let on comment below” . I have a question : Can I send you a picture with the design of the future home and you to offer example of the “Ambient Lighting”+Accent Lighting”+”Task Lighting” ? It will take 5-10 m for you to make suggestion for my home and it will by a very interesting opinion from your side . If you accept the challenge please send me a e-mail where to send the plan. Tnx in advance for the respond !
I know it’s been a year so you might not even respond to this. I am trying to buy a chandelier for my dinning area and one for my living area but I don’t know if I can buy both or one chandelier for dinning and one floor lamp for living room. I guess I need to mention that I have a small space and basically the are next to each other. Dining are is low ceiling and living room has a high ceiling. And my design is mid century modern. Please help!! I’ve watched a ton of articles and no one talks about this!! 😩
I know I am pretty late to the party, but this is the first article from this website I saw. As someone with an electrical engineering background, I also deal with lighting regulary, but more on the technical side. Very informative, especially from an architectural point of view. Learned more in these 10 Minutes than in an hour-long presentation. also well presented, and my intuition that Ms. Cury knows what she is talking about was even confirmed. Thank you for sharing your knowledge. PS: love the wordplay with “D.Signers”
Hi Zahira. I am currently renovating my room. It’s 13 sq meter room, which will be transformed from victorian theme to a modern industrial theme. I am placing a brick wall (white and bluish grey) on one side. It has a window which will have a ceiling high curtain. The left side (when lying on bed) has a window, will have an off white wall and ceiling high white curtain. The right side will be my work space. It will have a midnight blue / navy blue wall with black bookshelves. Lying on the bed, i am facing a tv area in between two wall installed wardrobe. The two sides adjacent to the tv set will be mirror wardrobes. But the doors of the wardrobe beside them with be dark blue (same as the wall of the study area). the tv area will be black. My queen side bed is simple. Will be painted black. Everything will be matte finish. I need help with lighting. I wanna use all, accent, ambiance and task lightings.
I want to replace my 6 recessed PAR38 dimmable halogen light bulbs (3050K, 9˚ beam angle, 1600 lumens) in my living room with LED equivalent (CREE 3000K, 15˚ beam angle, 1370 lumens). It’s 18′ ceiling, and before I hire an electrician (with right equipment, e.g., scaffold)… it looks like the LED light bulb beam is narrower but has more intensity than the halogen light bulb. I like the existing ambiance, and have tried replacing it with flood LED, and it changed the feel of the room. What to do? do you have any advice? TIA!
Hi, I really love your website. The way you teach me interior design is very simple and easy to understand. I am on my project about making lighting layers in my home. Could you suggest how to put the light fixture in living room? I have a plan to buy the pendant lamp but the position of my living room near by my front entrance. Thank you
Wow! Indeed your generous briefing about the importance of light is so informative and very thoughtful! These days, m helping myself with my new apartment interior. While exploring YouTube happened to watch this article.. and it just changed the way i perceived about interior lighting.. Thank you so much for sharing. Looking forward to watch more such articles from you in the future. Regards
Great article. It is much appreciated. I am writing an essay about artificial lighting. I noticed that some sources are describing Ambient, Task, and ACCENT lighting and others Ambient, Task, and DECORATIVE lighting. While accent light draws the eye to another object, decorative light is the main actor. Is decorative lighting a separate category?
Hey Hi, Thanks for sharing informations and articles. I want to know, I know pretty well by now that I am passionate about lights and I have an eye of aesthetics. What to do if I dont have an architectural degree, I am a Media Professional with 5 years of experience in Shootings, with technical understanding. Please suggest how to go about it.
This is a fantastic explanation. I am working with a builder on lighting for my Tiny House on wheels and am stuck on the lighting types and locations. Any tips on lighting up a sleeping loft (with only 4ft of headroom? Pot lights seem too in your face while laying down, yet I’m worried about hitting any wall sconces.
Two lighting tips: 1) If you want to look good in the bathroom mirror, put the lights on the sides of your mirror, NOT the top. Lights at the top make you look dead. 2) Nothing looks richer and more charming for a dinner party than lots of candles. I have a dining room that has no electric lights. When we have people over, the whole room is lined with candles and we put several on the table.
Another great article!! I especially liked your chatting about the color of the light itself. SO important. It should work with the colors in the room (fabrics, paint etc) as well as being flattering to skin tones. One issue I had to work with was, the color bouncing into our home from the exterior that I had no control over. We live in Colorado and the house is surrounded by ponderosa pine trees. The bounced a green color into ever room in the house. I made decisions to not fight this as it would make all the colors look muddy. I chose fabrics and paints based on that. Also, using exterior lighting indoors is also an option. While you can’t do the reverse (indoor lights outside), there’s nothing preventing you from using exterior fixtures inside. I have two exterior sconces in my living room and another fixture, from the same line, in my foyer. If you like it, use it.
I love Philips hue, they’re all over my apartment. some people really hate them but they have multiple color settings and regular setting like daylight, golden light, and customizable colors you can pick for the perfect daylight white color. You can also put them on a timer so they change at certain times.
Nick I watch your content all the time. I am currently in decision paralysis about ceiling fans and lighting. I don’t need ceiling fans with lights downstairs…but upstairs in the main bedroom and one of the other rooms I need a ceiling fan with a light. There are vaulted ceilings it gets sooooo hot even in the winter. A article on stylish ceiling fans would be oh so helpful. Thank you!!!
When I worked in a big fluoro-lit office a few years back, you had the 4th option in overhead lighting of pink toned light–not just the 3 options mentioned here of blue toned or yellow toned or daylight tone. (By pink, I mean a subtle imperceptible effect, not the party colours shown in this article.) A colleague who had worked in modelling and portrait photography insisted we get the pink option, as it is so much more flattering to every complexion, and makes blemishes and imperfections invisible. I observed these different lighting tones on people’s faces, and what he said is is absolutely true. Yellow-toned light can also reduce blemishes, but it will make blue eyes look dull, and make teeth and eye-whites look more yellow. Blue is better for eye-whites and teeth but it will emphasis wrinkles, skin folds and circles under the eyes, so it has an ageing effect. I hated having to sit under a bluetoned overhead light at work, I knew it made my olive tones skin more greenish. Pink light is the best all-rounder for complexions by far, if you look closely many Youtubers, not just in the makeup and beauty business, seem to be using it . BTW I have found I can’t rely on box descriptions of the light colour, i have to test them myself. I have never found any standard lights that actually say ” pink” on the box. They usually say “warm”, but that can mean either yellow or pink. “”daylight” toned light often turns out to be blue. If skin appearance is important to you, if you can’t find pink toned light, I would choose a TRUE “daylight” wherever possible.
Outdoor lighting: yes, I agree that it is important for making you home more consistent. That said, I live in a large urban apartment building and most of the apartments have terraces (balconies…whatever) and there is a series of balconies that are outside our bedroom window. The lighting that some folks are using on their balconies is obnoxious bright white lights. I would have liked for you to have added that outdoor lighting should take into consideration your neighbor’s windows. Yes, I do know about blackout shades but still.,,,
Lighting design is something that should be paid attention to. When dad finally had softer lights installed in the corners of all the bedrooms in our house, it made a HUGE difference. I never used the main light in my room ever again. He also had lights installed underneath the overhead kitchen cabinets to illuminate the countertops and EVERYONE was always in the mood to cook afterwards.
I’m glad you discussed diffused light. This trend of fixtures with bare bulbs for me is not a good one. I find it so harsh and just not pretty. I am very sensitive to light and need diffuse light. Also being in a room where the room is mostly backlit, like from one window is quite harsh. Has anyone had to sit across from someone who has a window behind them and this is the primary source of light in the room, you just don’t see them and it will eventually hurt your eyes.
As someone who has often had to use their bedroom as their workroom (I’m a tailor for a living) the most gamechanging thing I ever did for myself was put in a light that I can change the temp on. Helps me wake up in the morning (and helps when I really need to be able to see what I’m doing) then at sunset I can change it to warm!
While I agree with you absolutely on the importance of including outdoor lighting in your lighting plan, you have to keep in mind the issue of light pollution and the very real impact it has on us, our neighbors, and the environment at large. Strongly considering dark sky friendly outdoor fixtures is a good way to have the best of both worlds.
I would suggest that people re-evaluate if they really need lots of outdoor lighting, it can be harmful to wildlife/birds especially during migration season, and increase light pollution in cities. I know it looks so lovely to light up your yard just to look out at it from inside your house but the consequences outweigh the benefit of it for me unless you’re responsible about it and only use it when you need it!
Can you do a article for lighting in odd spaces that typically have no windows (laundry rooms, hallways, mudrooms etc.)? These spaces typically have the classic boob light yet, in my opinion, the boob light is hard to replace. For example, I have a hallway with no windows and a boob light …I’m struggling with finding a light fixture that isn’t too extravagant but also isn’t boring like a flat led light. Help would be much appreciated, thanks!
I feel people are placing cool and bright lights in the bathroom, and sincerely, why do you want them? when you use the bathroom sometimes in the middle of the night and your eyes are in shock just turning on the switch… Do we realized that we need very very sweet lights especially in the bathroom and it’s not even common to have them there.
I personally find LED lighting strips always look very commercial to me, even in the pics Nick shows here as examples where it’s done right. It looks like a shopping mall hair salon to me. (The exception I’ll grant is under the upper kitchen cabinets, where it serves as task lighting for the countertop below.)
Very practical tips, thanks! What about daylight lighting in a home office? For me, I feel like a very warm light (even Edison bulbs) in a home office/studio is gonna make me fall asleep instead of working. But I definitely wouldn’t want that stark cold hospital lighting. Do you have any tips on home offices in general maybe? 👓🙌
I was thinking before you said about bright hospital lighting that “but I want my place to look as bright and white as a hospital” and yeah I do. Yellow low lighting makes me tired. It makes me want to be lazy. I have energy health problems and bright white light makes me feel more alert plus makes my white and silver decor even brighter whereas if there was yellow light everything would be dull. I also am in a basement which is a large space but only has two basement windows. The walls are a beach blue and I basically have all my lighting switched to bright white except for one light (that I can’t seem to get open) in my bathroom. I want it to be a very cool toned space and having yellow lighting just won’t make it what it should be. Might be too much for some people but I can’t function without it.
Tip on color temperatures: bluer/whiter light is what we’re used to during the day, and softer/oranger light at night, so I really love “dim-to-warm” bulbs! These are LEDs that give daylight temps when turned on all the way (which makes sense when it’s bright outside but you want some additional light, you’ll probably have to turn it up all the way to make a difference) and get orangey when dimmed. There are app-controlled “multi-white” bulbs as well, but I really hate that interface in terms of convenience and accessibility, and esp for guests! Coincidentally, the “dim-to-warm” function mimics how incandescent bulbs behave when dimmed, which is why folks often prefer/miss them, even though they’re so inefficient.
Late to the party but with questions — I love accent lighting in principle, eg subtle LED lighting, little lamps on shelves, etc but I don’t understand how to power it all. Do you have everything on batteries? Power cords snaking all over the place? Do you have to get electricians in to hardwire everything? If so do you add extra switches? Would love a short article on the practicalities of “ok but how do you actually do lighting” if you ever get the time!
Hey Nick, your content is endlessly bingable. You are such a delight. And it is affecting me as we plan and prepare moving to another city. I started looking differently at our house, I am seeing why it feels so incoherent, I am even sitting up straight and being more appreciative of everything around me. It hugely helps to declutter and get rid of things that weigh us down. You are such an inspiration. I wonder: I have in my office (pastor) a lot of books and materials. Maybe you could do domething on offices/workspaces and how to make a lot of books /your shelves look not to distracting.
Good information, Nick. I agree about dimmers, they are the easiest and least expensive way to make a difference. I use my pendants over my island on high beam for food preparation (task) then dim before guests arrive because everyone seems to want to congregate around the island upon arrival. We all want to look our best😉.
Ok so this isn’t really what you are talking about but I actually have leaned in to the warm and cool light….but the cool light is actually the night mode of my aquascape in my dining room and is deep blue. I noticed in the evening when it is on it creates this beautiful gradient across the room as it meets the very warm light in my living room. So I found art pieces and furniature that kinda enhance the effect with different textures. It makes the space feel very sultry, I love sitting in there listening to the tinkling of the water from the aquascape and perusal the blue, pinkish and soft warm light play across the room.
Hi Nick! Another great vid, thanks. I have an open floor plan with a high (20’+) ceiling, white walls, would like to put 2700k ceiling lights in and in the adjacent open kitchen under a loft with 8′ ceilings, would like 3000k. I agree with consistency, but here I like warm= LR, more= kitchen. Am I making a mistake?
Are table lamps, ambient light, or task lighting,? I think in this area I have everything down, outdoor lighting lots of accent lighting and good ambient light. Except in my living room which I would love to put led lighting in as it has a recessed tray ceiling but no ceiling fixture, the only thing is that I will have to build a little ledge around the recess to hide the lighting because I don’t want to see the leds
Very cool. I was searching LED lights and getting fatigued by all the gaudy offerings and decided to look for some more traditional lighting wisdom. Particularly that tip about lighting outside the window is much appreciated. I’ve got a floor-ceiling window on to a balcony with a lot of plants next to my computer desk, and I hate the black wall effect and usually just close my curtain. But I experimentally pointed my lamp out of the window, lighting up the plants, and it adds so much. It even makes the patches of light out on the street and the lit windows of farther houses feel like a connected space.
Hi. perusal from Boston, USA 2 years after you made this article! After perusal your article, I looked up cove lighting options- I saw LED rope lights and LED strips. Can both be concealed with crown molding? I did not LED strips that looked good by themselves but I havent looked much yet- Curious to hear your thoughts 🙂 thanks for making such a good article!
Hi Nick, would you consider doing some articles that tackle small viewer dilemmas? For example, I’ve got a small hallway in my home that has three (four if you count the inner porch light!) ceiling bulbs. We also almost never use them since light from the surrounding rooms flows out into it sufficiently. Nevertheless, the bare bulbs look unfinished and I’m struggling with choosing shades for them that won’t overwhelm the space
Dude….starting at 9 min or so you just talked waaaayy too fast. I rolled back twice and still just too rushed. Great info but man was that hard to process. Dimmers…hospitals…color…Kelvin (?)…warm…cool….. STOP! Let me off. Edit: yes, I’m from the South. It’s not that we’re ‘dim’ it’s just that we listen slowly.
Actually, placing outdoor light is very bad for the animals and for your neighbours. We have already too much light polution. Please don’t do that. Use some curtains to cover the “black window”. And the temperature of your lightning should also match the light outside (with some exceptions). Which means that you should use day/cool light temp during the day. You can do that to balance out dark corners in your room during the day. Especially around your desk or in the kitchen. And I also disagree with colorful lightning. It can be used to set really interesting and magical accents in your home. Just don’t go crazy with that. It is the same rule as for everything in design ;).
I see your point about the outside. When to blend and when to create separation between indoors and out is an artform, and it is also very philosophical. I prefer to focus on physical egress and physical transitions between in and outdoor living areas, but only light paved/furnished/path/task areas. I think it is important to maintain the ‘wild’ on your land, because the perception of having more space “beyond” the zone where you are provides a sense of undiscovered area and the feeling of owning more space. It is also far better for wildlife. To learn more about lighting’s impact on human animals and human circadian rhythms, read up on the, “Dark Sky” movement.
I totally agree with idea that the black window in winter makes the room smaller. However because o cold climate I use outdoor roller blinds which make it even worse. Any idea how to deal with that? On patio door I have off-white inside blinds and white curtains but I would be glad for other suggestion
I have yet to be convinced by the wonderful interior drsign youtube folks, that accent lighting is imperative. Ambient and task, yes. I 100% have those and will continue to, but I don’t think I will use accent lights. I always feel like I’m in a museum when I’m in a home with accent lighting, which is not the vibe I want to feel at home.
what about led strips that eveyone is saying is the only way to fully light up dining and living. I hate the look. Looks so modern, trendy, and store like. What are our options to fully light up a room (aambient),I feel that is so hard to get right. Could you help me more with that if I don’t like that look but all the lighting stores say that is the only way to go. The task and accent come after. So what do you advice?
i feel like green strip lighting in the right style and setting looks really elegant. like you can use strip lighting to help bring seasons into the home without changing furniture too crazy. like change lighting strips, pillow accents, and kitchen rags around. a very subtle pink in the spring with sakura accenting too boom you have a whole new look
Hello Nick, thanks for the information you have provided in this article, I wanna ask you something, I started learning interior design from the internet and books recently and I have a bachelor in urban design so not far away from the field do u think those sources are enough to learn interior design or i should take some specific courses or diploma ?
I want a nice lighting configuration like this. I do want a gaming room that’s all fancy colored, but the whole rest of the house needs that warm feeling. Too dark and the house feels dirty, and if it’s too bright and white themed, it just feels like a hospital. A good mix of warm lighting with greenery like plants, some white mixed with wood colored theme, I feel like that makes a place feel like home. And you mentioned the hospital feeling after I wrote this so it’s funny that we feel the same lol
i live in the Netherlands and we have a company cold Philips and they have a light witch works on your regelary switch, no dimmer needed, you just put the switch on, turn it off again, wait for a cupple of secconds and then you can pik out the strenghts of your light, coms in 3 different hights, soft to strong
I have a very nice ceiling lamp in my entryway that requires G9 LEG lightbulbs, but I can’t for the life of me find good ones for it. Either their colour is a bit off, or they start strobing. So annoying. Does anyone know of a good lightbulb brand for G9 bulbs? So far Osram seems to have the best quality but they only have 2700K and 4000K available and I’m looking for 3000K.