A basic understanding of the different types of lighting is crucial because the first and most important decision you will have to make is defining the purpose of lighting different areas or rooms in a home while taking into consideration the kind of mood you want the light to cast off. Task lighting is the most common type of lighting known to man. It is generally the type of indoor light that mainly serves to assist people in whatever they are doing such as having bedside lamps to assist in reading in the evening or table lamps to assist with whatever it is that needs to be done in an office desk. It is usually directional meaning that it casts light directly to where you need it. Accent lighting is usually utilised for highlighting an art piece, architectural piece, an important object or a painting. Wall lighting is the most common form of accent lighting used in museums and art galleries. Stair lights also seem to be growing in popularity as a form of accent lighting. Ambient lighting is any kind of light that does not particularly focus on one area such as the lights in bedrooms that aim to illuminate the entire span of the room. These different types of lights can also be combined for a variety of functions or create a particular mood in a room.

The next step is deciding whether you want to utilise natural lighting or artificial lighting in a particular area. Natural light can be achieved through sunlight, firelight or candles. Natural lighting through the use of sunlight is rather difficult to control but the use of blinds, curtains and shades can help deflect the glare of strong lighting. Candles are rarely used as a constant source for task lighting but are very popular as an accent light. Firelight can only be used when needed. Artificial lighting is the use of fluorescent or incandescent bulbs. The two differ in how they produce light and use energy although they practically give off the same brightness. Incandescent light uses heat to produce light which is rather inefficient because it uses as much as four to eight times the energy that fluorescent lights consume. Fluorescent bulbs on the other hand produce light by utilising electrodes, a more efficient way of producing energy. Although the price of a fluorescent bulb is far greater than that of an incandescent bulb, a fluorescent bulb lasts way longer. In the end, it is cost efficient while being energy efficient.

Lastly, you need to decide where you want the lights to be and if you have enough space in your home to accommodate them. Smaller spaces require smaller or no fixtures at all. Instead utilise the ceiling or wall for this and avoid adding anything to your floor area. The floor can still be utilised but only from beneath it meaning lights should be installed from within making the floor area still usable. Choosing the perfect light for a small space immediately makes that room look bigger and more spacious. Bigger spaces require bigger lighting fixtures and allows for more room to combine lighting techniques. In this way you do not have to limit your selections to one size of lighting fixture.

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