Understanding the Three Types of Light
How to properly light a room
When it comes to casting the right light, it might sometimes take more than one type of light to
do the job. When thinking of different types of light maybe different fixtures come to mind, a
chandelier, a wall sconce, or even a pendant. But these types of fixtures have a specific job and
purpose they fulfill in your home. Let’s look at a kitchen for example.
The kitchen is not exclusively just the room where cooking happens. A brightly lit kitchen is
something to be desired but this calls for lighting fixtures to provide a wide swath of luminance,
showering your kitchen with bright light. Sometimes you need to read off a recipe or prep
ingredients for tonight’s dinner party. This calls for a direct light pointed at your work space so
you can see the task at hand clearly. If your kitchen happens to have some architectural feature
you want to highlight or if you are in need of additional light in a select area than you might be
in need of an additional light source. As you can see for this one room you are now in need of
three ways to light the room evenly and correctly.
The most ideal lighting set up would be a combination of:
Ambient
The main source of light in a room, casts an even array of light from the ceiling. This is most
commonly achieved through recessed lighting and flush mounts, like the
Trim Collection.
The Diverse Collection pictured
Task
While ambient lighting can provide great general light disbursal, sometimes you need light in a
specific area to accomplish a specific task. The most common forms of task lighting are
downlight sconces and under-cabinet fixtures like Maxim's
3K Series.
The Library Collection pictured
Accent
Once there is ambient and task lighting readily available you will want to add amore decorative
element with accent lighting. This look can be added with a wall sconce or mini pendant, like the
Scope Collection.
The Fairmont Collection pictured
There are three main ways of lighting a room. For a multi-use room like the kitchen it usually
requires a combination of all three. The key in all of this is layering your light to suit your
individual needs the most. Another room that would require a combination of these three would
be your master bedroom. Think of all the time you spend there, in the mornings getting ready for
the day, at night when you are winding down, and everything in between. Sometimes you need
lighting for a specific task like reading a book or getting dressed, other times you can enjoy the
ambient light that your room provides as you rest. Factor in the ambient light provided by your
windows as well. Don’t forget about accent lighting either, a mini pendant or sconce near some
artwork or drawing attention to your home’s architectural features is a great way to provide
lighting with a purpose.
