The secret to bringing out a room’s beauty is combining various light sources, but what types of lighting in interior design should you go for?
Layering light follows more or less the same concept used in fabrics and colours to create a striking visual appeal. But with lighting, the objective isn’t aesthetics only, but to enhance the functionality of the space. Choosing the right interior lights for home can transform your space, highlight hidden architectural features, and enhance mood.
So, in this post, we explore the various home interior lighting types to help you make the right decision when revamping your space. We discuss purpose, usage, and methods of integrating them into your home to enhance its beauty.
10 Types of Lighting In Interior Design To Transform Your Space
Understanding the types of lighting in interior design is crucial when you need to create a well-balanced and practical lighting style. Whether you’re just getting started with interior design or you’re a DIY enthusiast looking to give your home a new look, these types of lighting designs will give you ideas to create something phenomenal.
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Ambient Lighting
When people casually talk about lighting in a room, they often mean ambient lighting. It’s just the general lighting and is crucial in the overall illumination of a space. Ambient lighting is what forms the foundation of interior lighting design. It creates a comfortable, inviting atmosphere.
One of the most common sources of ambient lighting is the recessed downlights, which have the same level of illumination as the regular downlights. However, they have a smooth finish because they’re fitted into the ceiling directly, so you get a larger ceiling space while illuminating the room more efficiently.
Other ways to provide ambient lighting to a room are through chandeliers, wall scones, pendant lights, and flush-mounted fixtures. Remember to install multiple circuits during wiring to dim specific lights while letting others stay brighter. This is an excellent solution for creating a flawless ambience within minutes and is also ideal for families that like to multi-task.
Tips To Integrate Ambient Lighting
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Combine recessed lighting and ceiling fixtures to make your sitting room warm and inviting.
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Pair the central ceiling light with under-cabinet lighting in the kitchen to achieve even light distribution.
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Install dimmable ceiling lights in the bedroom and adjust the brightness as needed or according to the time of the day.
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Task Lighting
Out of the different types of lighting in interior design, it’s only task lighting that seems to play a functional rather than aesthetic role, but it does both. The light is focused on a specific task or area to aid in activities like reading, cooking, or DIY. You can add task lighting through desk lamps, floor lamps, pendant lights, spotlights, downlights, and other sources that focus a concentrated beam in a desired direction or a surface.
Tips To Integrate Task Lighting
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Brighten up your kitchen’s work surfaces using under-cabinet lights and make meal preparation easier and safer.
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Direct light to where you need it using adjustable desk lamps to reduce eye strain when working long hours.
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If table lamps consume too much space, consider using wall sconces to provide downlighting as an alternative to task lighting.
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Accent Lighting
The third in our list of types of lighting in interior design is accent lighting, also called decorative lighting. It comes in handy when you want to highlight specific spots in your space, like architectural features. While some people like to include accent lighting in their spaces, it’s good to note that it’s most effective only when the focal point light is three times more brilliant than the surrounding space.
Apart from attracting attention to the desired features, you can use accent lighting as a source of secondary light to fill in spaces by removing shadows. It’s effective in illuminating areas that ambient lighting alone cannot brighten.
Including accent lighting in your interior design adds depth and creates a striking visual interest by making specific features stand out. Applications of accent lighting include track lighting for highlighting decorative elements or artwork. Wall washers also make great accent lighting by evenly casting light on a wall to emphasize colours and textures.
Tips to Integrate Accent Lighting
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Highlight a focal point, such as an art piece or gallery wall, using track lighting.
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Create a spectacular appeal with wall washers in the hallways and enhance the overall aesthetics of your space.
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Illuminate landscaping features outdoors using spotlights to enhance security and curb appeal.
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Wall Washing
This home interior lighting style entails illuminating a vertical surface, mostly a wall, from top to bottom. It generates a soft, uniform glow to make the wall seem brighter and more spacious. It’s ideal for highlighting architectural features or art and is achieved using recessed lights.
While it’s a popular choice for museums, art galleries, and hotels, modern home interior designers are also incorporating it into homes to enhance aesthetics and functionality. In this technique, light fixtures are placed at a defined distance from the wall, at an angle to project the soft, diffused light across the surface. It’s an artistic way of reducing shadows and texture visibility to achieve a clean, chic appeal.
Tips to Integrate Wall Washing
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To eliminate harsh shadows and achieve an even glow, set the lights 2 to 3 feet away from the wall.
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Go for diffused lighting (frosted lenses, LED wall washers) to eliminate hotspots and glare.
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Spread the light evenly across the wall by using wide beam angles of 30—45 degrees.
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Maintain a consistent colour temperature; cool if you’re after modern aesthetics, and warm for cozy spaces.
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Mount a neon sign like this Love Yourself First sign on a washed wall to enhance the glow and create an attractive focal point. Use soft, ambient lighting to prevent harsh contrasts.
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Uplighting
The different types of lighting in interior design discussed so far illuminate the space below or directly in front. In the uplighting technique, illumination takes a down-up approach. That is, light illuminates a wall or ceiling from below to achieve a dramatic appeal. Like accent lighting, it’s also used to attract people’s attention toward a specific object or feature in a space.
Uplighting is achievable by placing light fixtures near the surface, like the ceiling or the floor, to project the light upward. It’s commonly used in commercial, residential, and hospitality spaces but is also becoming common in homes to add dimension and mood.
Tips for Integrating Uplighting
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Recessed floor lights or LED strip lights give a clean, elegant, and modern appeal.
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Pick warm white with colour temperatures ranging between 2700K and 3000K to create a cozy feel, or go for cool white (4000K+) if you want a sleek, modern ambiance.
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Pair uplighting with downlighting or wall washing to achieve a balanced lighting scheme.
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Grazing
If you want to highlight ceiling or wall textures, grazing is the type of lighting in interior design to go for. In this technique, light is directed across the wall or object surface at a sharp angle to create a striking appeal. It enhances shadows and highlights to create a dimensional and dramatic look on rough surfaces like stone, wood, and brick.
The light is usually angled parallel to the surface to emphasize the patterns and ridges. But there’s a catch if you want it to work: your surface must be textured, not smooth. This technique is common in galleries, hotels, and modern luxury homes to highlight feature walls. So, if you want your home to have that Malibu-type affluence, work the lighting magic with grazing.
Tips for Effective Grazing
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Narrow-beam fixtures, usually 10—15 degrees, give well-defined shadows.
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Set the lights closer to the surface for maximized texture contrast.
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Use warm white (2700K-3000K) if you want a cozy appeal or cool white (4000K-5000K) to achieve a modern feel.
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Backlighting
Backlighting is among the few types of lighting in interior design that create subtle, beautiful, and chic glows. You’ve likely seen it used to highlight furniture pieces, but it’s also used for lighting up architectural details or artwork. In this lighting technique, a light source is placed behind an object or surface to create a dramatic glow effect that adds contrast and a sense of dimension.
Backlighting can use either a visible or concealed light source placed behind an object for an elegant look. Other than the chic appeal, the technique creates a floating effect that gives objects a modern, weightless appearance. If you want to make your sitting room look fancy and luxurious, backlighting is the way to go.
Tips for Effective Backlighting
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Go for diffused LED strips to get a soft, uniform glow.
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Lights should be 1 to 2 inches behind the object or surface for the best floating effect.
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Warm white does well with cozy spaces, just like cool white with sleek, modern spaces.
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Pair backlighting with front lighting to create balanced illumination and enhance visibility.
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Dimmable Lighting
Have you ever found yourself wanting the lights' brightness a bit lower, but not entirely off? Like when you want to watch a movie or when having a date night at home? Dimmable lighting lets you create just the right ambiance for whatever activity you want by simply adjusting brightness. This lighting lets you create bright and focused workspaces or a soft, cozy atmosphere.
Dimmable lighting uses LED, CFL, or incandescent bulbs together with a compatible dimmer switch. This lets you adjust the brightness from full to a subtle glow. Modern versions come with smart controls or apps that let you customise settings conveniently.
Tips for Effective Dimmable Lighting
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Choose dimmable LED bulbs for smooth light transitions and energy savings.
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Confirm that the dimmer switch you go for is compatible with the bulb type and light fixture.
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Combine dimmable lighting with cool and warm colour temperatures for different moods.
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Go for smart dimmers with remote control and automation features.
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Layering Lighting
Just one type of lighting may not be enough, especially if you want to illuminate a bigger space, like a sitting room. That’s where layering lighting comes into play; it’s combining different types of lighting in interior design to properly light up the space. It’s a sensitive lighting technique that combines ambient, task, and accent lighting. The idea behind this type of lighting is to create a balanced, functional, and visually appealing space.
Tips for Effective Layering Lighting
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Combine ambient, task, and accent lighting: Use overhead lights for general lighting, task lights for focused activities, and accent lighting to highlight your décor.
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Match lighting to room function: Use bright task lighting in kitchens and workspaces. Soft ambient lighting is great for bedrooms, while balanced layers are great for sitting rooms.
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Vary light directions and intensities – mix warm and cool tones, use dimmable bulbs, and layer downlighting, wall washing, and uplighting for depth.
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Include smart controls – Use smart bulbs, dimmers, and automated settings to adjust lighting for different moods and achieve energy efficiency.
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Dimmable Lighting
If you want to control the brightness of light in your space to achieve a desired atmosphere, use dimmable lighting. Whether you want a soft glow in the sitting room to relax in or need bright light for tasks, dimmable lights create the flexibility and comfort desired while enhancing overall aesthetics and energy efficiency.
Tips for Using Dimmable Lighting Effectively
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Choose bulbs and switches that are compatible. Ensure your CFL and LED bulbs work with dimmer switches to prevent flickering.
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Install dimmers in key areas – Certain spaces in our homes need lighting flexibility, such as bedrooms, sitting rooms, and dining areas. Install dimmers in these areas for adaptability.
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Use smart dimmers – Use an app or WiFi-controlled dimmers for convenience and automation.
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If you want a specific theme in your space, such as music, pair this Live Music with Guitar neon sign with dimmable LED strips or overhead lights to control the brightness levels and create a perfect ambience.
Final Thoughts
With these 10 types of lighting in interior design, you can craft the perfect atmosphere for whatever interior space you’re working on. Combining different lighting, like in layering, is a great way to bring in functionality while enhancing the space aesthetics.
Just be sure not to overdo it, otherwise, you may end up with a stressful ambience. Aim for a perfect light and darkness balance for a more inviting space.