The choice of light fittings is dependent on the kind of lighting that is in use. In general, lighting is categorised into three types: ambient, task & accent.
As such, the choice of light fittings would then depend on which of the three types of lighting is used in a given room.
What is ambient lighting?
The most common in a general setting is ambient lighting. That is the kind of light that you get to illuminate the entire room. It is enough for you to observe your surroundings and know where everything is. The light is evenly distributed across the entire room and is featureless. The colour of the light would depend on the shade or the bulb that is used.
What is accent lighting?
The next most common is accent lighting. Accent lighting, as you may imagine, is very different from the widespread ambient lighting. Accent lighting focuses on one feature in the room, be it a piece of furniture, a section of a wall, or a featured article. It’s like a spotlight but not as bright.
What is task lighting?
Finally, task lighting is like the table lamp you have on the table to shine the brightest possible light to do work. It is harsher than the other two kinds of lighting and it is not meant for aesthetic purposes. It is practical in nature.
Choose a fitting & lighting
From here we can look at how we want to adorn the light. The match between fitting and light is now narrowed as most fittings are designed based on their function.
Ambient light will have its range to choose from and so will task and accent lighting.
There is hardly any occasion for overlap. When thinking about ambient lighting, the goal is to choose fittings and styles that throw the light across the entire space without too much contrast between the area that is lit and the areas that are in the shade. It is also possible to diffuse ambient lighting by bouncing it off the ceiling and spreading the illumination across the room that way.
A chandelier would be something that you would use to fulfil this requirement. You will find ambient lights in high-traffic areas as well as transition areas like the front porch where you transition from the outside to the inside. In places like this, you will have outdoor lights and perhaps pendant lights.
Telbix Medina Pendant
Accent lighting may have some overlap with the task lighting depending on how artistic you’d like to be. Otherwise, accent lighting is something that is designed to contrast a certain element in the room. It does not have to be harsh, but it has to be concentrated.
Floor lamps and wall lights fall under this category. It is usually interesting to have multiple accent lights in a particular area as long as they are well-balanced and properly defined.
Mercator Panama Floor Lamp
Finally, the aforementioned task lighting. There is a wide range to select in this category but the most common are the spotlights and halogens. These lights can be harsh depending on how they are deployed. It is possible, depending on the interior design of the premises, where all three kinds of fixtures are used simultaneously. It can be done elegantly if someone who understands lighting and is tasked with design.
There is one other area that deserves a little attention. It is traditionally classified as task lighting but it feels better to list them on their own and these are lamps that you use for the work table but are not task lighting.
Table lamps and floor lamps serve a specific area like a spotlight but are generalised like ambient lighting. They have various characteristics of the three previous lights and so deserve a discussion of their own.
Table Lamp
Consider using table lamps when you include work tables in public spaces. It may not be your work table but it is located in a part of the room that makes it more of a fixture and part of the decoration than being functional. The table lamp would be the perfect way to illuminate the desk and provide accent to specify parts of the room.
At Best Buy Lighting we have the best lighting for your needs, from ambient lighting, accent and task lighting. You are welcome to visit our retail shop or check our online store for a massive selection of modern & designer lighting.