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Accent Lighting Overview
Home » Lighting & Fans » Accent Lighting » Accent Lighting OverviewAccent lighting is a way of softly lighting a room where the light source is hidden or diffused. Although it took a while to catch on, accent or indirect lighting has been around since the 1920s. Indirect lighting eliminates the glare of the light source. For example, if you have ever attempted to read by the light of a light bulb with no shade you know the glare of that light bulb makes it very difficult to see clearly. By adding a lamp shade the light is dimmed and the glare is eliminated.
Most conventional light fixtures are mounted on the ceiling with the light being unevenly directed into a room. The brightest light is directly under the light fixture. With indirect lighting however, the light source is below the ceiling and the light is aimed upwards where the light reflects off of the ceiling. This enables you to have a smaller amount of glare and a more even lighting. Accent light creates a softer effect, which is useful for reading, sewing, using the computer, or to highlight artwork.
Lighting is used to affect the mood of a room. A brightly lit room can lend to a more upbeat mood while being in a room with more indirect light creates an intimate and romantic mood.
When you are planning a lighting scheme in your home, it is advisable to first plan the accent lighting, followed by task lighting, and then determine what additional light is needed. Be careful not to carry the accent lighting too far. A room that has too many objects highlighted will appear to be chaotic. None of the objects in the room will appear to be highlighted if you light everything.
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