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Lighting Fundamentals - Creating a well lit space

dts builders
9 years ago
Lighting your home well begins with an understanding of the basic fundamentals of lighting and how they impact the quality of enjoying your interior space. All lighting performs one or more function, and when integrated into an overall design, will result in a well lit space.

A great home lighting plan should take into consideration a few things:
1. The activities that take place in each room,
2. The mood that you want to create and any emphasis on elements that you desire to highlight.

Generally speaking, these questions lead us to the four basic lighting fundamentals that should be considered to create a well integrated design. Ultimately, lighting serves one of four purposes: ambient lighting, task lighting, accent and decorative lighting.

Ambient Lighting

Also known as general lighting, ambient lighting provides overall, non-specific illumination in a room. It provides a comfortable and pleasant brightness that allows you to perform simple activities without glare, such as walking around, dressing or cleaning the space. Think of ambient lighting as a central source of lighting that is usually provided by ceiling or wall-mounted fixture, recessed or down lights

Task Lighting

Task lighting provides a higher level of directed light needed for specific activities such as reading, food preparation, grooming, doing homework or crafts. It can be provided by recessed and track lighting, pendants, under-cabinet lighting, or portable floor and desk lamps.

Accent Lighting

Accent lighting is directional and focused light that is used to highlight and add drama to a particular item in the room. Most commonly used to create visual interest in artwork, collectibles, architectural features or special possessions, it is recommended that accent lighting provide at least three times as much light on the focal point as the general light surrounding it. Track, recessed or wall-mounted fixtures work well in this category.

Decorative Lighting

Decorative lighting adds a festive element to a room and should enhance the décor of a space. The use of chandeliers, pendant lights, rope lights can have a dramatic impact on the overall feel of the room.

By combining these basic lighting fundamentals into an integrated design you will meet all of your lighting needs!

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