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3 Basic Types of Lighting
Posted in Our Online Journal, The basics of Lighting. Last updated June 7, 2018.
One room can serve multiple purposes. It can be a place where you can
relax, work on the computer, do arts and crafts, cook, share a meal with
 friends, and much more… This is why lighting features need to correspond
to the setting or application of the room.
“The best advice I can offer is the following: no matter what you do, or what you hope to
accomplish, always install three types of lighting in a room,” says Patricia Rizzo, of
the Lighting Research Center . People often expect a single source of light to meet all their
needs. Yet, each of the three types of lighting has a particular function to fulfill specific
needs, which are: Ambient, task and accent lighting.

Ambient Indoor Lighting

General or ambient lighting is intended to light up a room in its entirety, to provide a uniform
level of illumination throughout the space, independently of other lighting sources.

Moreover, its purpose is to ensure safe and easy traffic, as well as to create an overview of
the room. The ambient light ‘bounces’ off the walls to illuminate as much space as possible.

Types of fixtures that can provide general ambient indoor lighting:

 Chandelier
 Ceiling mounted fixture
 Wall-mounted fixture
 Traditional recessed fixtures and/or LED Downlights
 Track light
 Floor lamp
 Table lamp
Ambient Outdoor Lighting
 Outdoor lighting is usually installed in order to ensure visibility and increase security around
a building. It is also recommended to light up the exterior of the building, entrances and
stairs to reduce and perhaps eliminate the risk of injury that can occur when entering and
leaving the building.

To learn more about outdoor lighting, read our article Economical, Efficient, and Safe
Outdoor Lighting

Types of fixtures that provide ambient outdoor lighting:

 Spotlight
 Hanging fixture
 Garage and canopy lighting
 Post lantern
 Wall lighting
 Recessed fixture used in overhanging structures
Task Lighting
 Task lighting sheds light on the tasks a person carries out in a given space such as reading,
cooking, computer work, for which a brighter light is required in a smaller focal point of the
room.

For a more pleasant lighting, it is often best to avoid harsh lights or lighting that casts
troublesome shadows. It is also practical to install a single switch for focal lighting,
independent from the room’s overall lighting switch.

Types of Fixtures that Provide Task Lighting:

 Directional gimbal recessed fixture or downlight
 Pendant lighting
 Slim line bar and undercabinet
 Tape and extrusion
 Portable or desk lamp
Accent Lighting
 Accent lighting is used mainly to focus on a specific point of interest or to achieve a desired
effect. This type of lighting gives the impression of a larger room; it is more frequently used
to highlight an architectural feature, a plant (in outdoor layout), a sculpture, or a collection of
objects.

As a general rule, effective accent lighting requires the installation of three times more light
on the focal point than ambient lighting generally provides.

Types of Fixtures that Provide Accent Lighting:

 Track light
 Slim line bar and undercabinet
 Tape and extrusion
 Directional recessed fixture or downlight
 Wall-mounted fixtures
In short…
We often start designing our lighting plan with ambient lighting and then go on to identifying
the areas where there will be a need for accent lighting. “I like to move from general to
specific when planning the lighting for a room,” says lighting designer Markus Earley of
Providence, R.I.

However, when multiple specific tasks are performed in a room (a jewelry store, for
example) or when there are several points to highlight (such as a museum or an art gallery),
it is best to start a lighting plan with accent lighting. Therefore, it is essential to know the
purpose of a room before starting the development! For more information on lighting
requirements, see article 7 Spatial Categories and Their Lighting Requirements.

If you need help designing your lighting plan (commercial or industrial), call STANDARD’s
project department. Our experts will provide free energy audits, fixtures, and a solution to
improve it.
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11 thoughts on “3 Basic Types of Lighting”

1.

farah says:

September 19, 2017 at 2:29 pm

i love your example !

Reply

2.

Emery Jean Chambers says:

April 25, 2018 at 10:27 pm

It was really nice that I found this article because I am tasked to manage the lighting in
the house after it is renovated. The problem is that I have no idea what type of lighting
is required. That is why it got my attention when you mentioned the accent lighting and
how it is used to focus on one specific item and achieve the desired atmosphere. I
think this is what I need since it will be used to highlight the grand piano. Thanks for
sharing!

Reply

3.
 Ria Amelia Lawrence says:

April 27, 2018 at 10:02 pm

It sure was nice how you mentioned the different types of lighting and that the task
lighting is used in lighting a space wherein a specific task needs to be carried out, like
sewing. If so, then I am pretty sure that my sister is in need of a task lighting system
and not anything else. She usually reads next to the living room table so I thought this
is the one. I will work on it right away. Thank you for sharing this.

Reply

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