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3 Types of Lighting Every Room in your Home Needs

Published: January 11, 2022 | Updated Aug 05, 2022

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Do you have the right lighting in your room? Learn what types of lighting you need for every room in your home.

Do you have the right lighting in your room? Learn what types of lighting you need for every room in your home.

Lighting can totally make or break a room.

Don’t think so?

Consider what it’s like walking into a classroom or a hospital… bright, very white lights turn up the brain juice and make you stand at attention.

Now picture yourself in a restaurant or on the patio under the stars.

A much different vibe.

When you are completing any room makeover, one of the things you have to take into account is lighting and how you want it to contribute to your design plan.

But first, you have to know what kind of lighting you have to work with.

In today’s post I’m sharing with you the different types of lighting and how they are used in various rooms of your home.

Table of contents

  • Ambient Lighting
  • Task Lighting
  • Accent Lighting

Disclaimer: This post does include affiliate links for your convenience. This is at NO additional cost to you but earns me a small commission. To read more, check out our disclosure policy. As an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Ambient Lighting

Kitchen Before and Afters

Ambient lighting is also known as general lighting.

It’s most of the main switches in your home that attach to…

  • Recessed lighting
  • Chandeliers
  • Ceiling fixtures
  • Floor lamps
  • Table lamps

Let’s take the kitchen for instance.

In general, you want some recessed lighting to make sure the whole room can be lit while you work and eat.

In my kitchen above, I have recessed lighting as well as a chandelier over our table.

Living Room Tour

In our living room, we have an overhead light and a few lamps to brighten up the corners when we are watching television at night and don’t want the overhead light on.

Modern Vintage Bedroom Reveal
Modern Vintage Guest Bedroom Before and After

In most bedrooms, you either have a ceiling fan with light or a chandelier.

I’m a big proponent of modern ceiling fans due to the fact that I’m a super hot sleeper.

A little tip when considering ambient lighting in your room makeover…

Use a dimmer wherever possible.

I love having dimmers to help regulate the kind of ambient light I need at any given time.

If you don’t already have one on a light, they are not very difficult to install, but you do want to make sure you have dimmable light bulbs when you make the switch.

Task Lighting

Donโ€™t let decision paralysis stop you from getting the lighting in your kitchen to shine bright. These 8 steps will give you the confidence and direction you need to choose your kitchen lighting.
How to Choose the Perfect Kitchen Lighting

The second type of lighting you want to consider is task lighting.

This one is self explanatory, but it is lighting specifically setup to help you with certain tasks, such as cooking, writing, reading, etc.

Any task that you’ll be completing in various rooms of your home may require direct lighting over those areas.

For instance, the kitchen typically has pendant lights over the island to help with food prep.

Same goes for under cabinet lighting in the kitchen to illuminate your countertops more directly.

Looking for inspiration for your home office/craft room? My Home Office/Craft Room is complete! Come check out what I did in my final reveal, including a new light fixture, a statement ceiling, and all kinds of organization!
Home Office Meets Craft Room Before and After

Here is another example of task lighting in my home office/craft room.

This swing arm lamp helps illuminate my craft table better so when my back is to the overhead light, I don’t have to worry about shadows.

When planning your room makeover, consider areas of your room that will need their own task lighting to ensure you don’t strain your eyes.

You won't believe the before and after photos of this powder room makeover. Phase 1 was completed for $100 and phase 2 gives the finishing touches!
Small Bathroom Before and After

For smaller bathrooms, typically you have one overhead light above the sink that illuminates the room.

However a better bet, if you can make it work in any bathroom makeover is to mount sconces.

Fun fact…

Mounted bathroom sconces are most optimal 66-inches off the floor and with 75-watt warm white light bulbs.

bathroom decor
Tips for Planning a Bathroom Remodel

In our basement bathroom we put in, I didn’t consider how much better it would be to have mounted sconces, but we do have both ambient and task lighting in this bathroom.

There is recessed lighting and also the fixture above the sink.

Rug Placement in Bedroom in Guest bedroom
Tips on Rug Sizes for Bedrooms

When it comes to bedrooms, you definitely need ambient light, but as for task lighting, your best bet is to include lights near your nightstand.

The best nightstand lights can swivel to provide better lighting for reading in bed.

Dimmers are also a good idea for these to help control the amount of light you need.

When choosing the types of bulbs that go in either your ambient lighting or task lighting, stick to bulbs between 2700 to 3000 Kelvin for warm white lighting.

With my hospital and classroom example in the beginning of this post, you want to save the daylight bulbs for areas where aesthetics aren’t really a concern, such as in garages, laundry rooms, and other utility spaces.

You can find more great tips by room here.

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    Accent Lighting

    Last, but not least, you want to consider accent lighting in your room makeover.

    Accent lighting is the perfect way to create atmosphere in various rooms of your home.

    Accent lighting is typically used in areas that you aren’t necessarily needing to do any particular task and don’t really light up the whole room, but are there to provide the good feels.

    Some accent lighting examples are…

    • Decorative sconces
    • Picture lights
    • Candlelight

    In my living room photo above, this table lamp is an example of accent lighting because it is not a true necessity, but provides an ambience within this large room.

    And there you have it!

    The three types of lighting you need to consider to make your next room makeover your best one yet.

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      Do you have the right lighting in your room? Learn what types of lighting you need for every room in your home.

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      13 Comments

      About Christin

      Christin lives in central Indiana with her husband, daughter, son, and fur-baby, Lambeau. Her mission is to help you become a confident DIY decorator, so you can reach dream home status with the home you have. At My Homier Home, you'll find time-saving tips to rescue any room and DIY tutorials to keep the cost down. Christin also offers affordable virtual workshops for the do-it-yourselfer that needs a little extra guidance visualizing and completing their home projects. Be sure to grab your quick start checklist at promos.myhomierhome.com/quick-start today!
      Previous Post: « 5 Home Organization Projects to Tackle Now
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      Reader Interactions

      Comments

      1. Brooke Fedigan says

        at

        I love this post so much! Such wonderful tips and gorgeous lighting fixtures. My husband works lighting up broadway shows and both of us are obsessed with lighting, Lol .

        Reply
        • Christin | My Homier Home says

          at

          How cool! What a fun job!

          Reply
      2. Donna Allen says

        at

        Hi Christin! Great post and very informative! I love the lighting fixtures you chose for your home! Have a great day! Donna

        Reply
        • Christin | My Homier Home says

          at

          Thank you Donna!!

          Reply
      3. [email protected] says

        at

        Great tips for making sure your home is well lit. Your home is filled with beautiful light fixtures.

        Reply
        • Christin | My Homier Home says

          at

          Thanks Paula!!

          Reply
      4. Kim says

        at

        Terrific post, Christin! Lighting is such an important element in interior design, and one that often gets missed! Thanks so much for sharing such great tips!

        Reply
        • Christin | My Homier Home says

          at

          Aww thanks Kim! Glad you enjoyed it!

          Reply
      5. Melba / Cocoon Raw says

        at

        I am a believer that lighting changes the entire feel of a space. Great post!!!

        Reply
      6. Cindy says

        at

        Great tips on lighting. Beautiful room too!

        Reply
      7. Rachel - Tea and Forget-me-nots says

        at

        Lighting has been one of my biggest lessons, something that seems so easy but is just easy to get wrong!

        Reply
      8. Elizabeth says

        at

        Great tips for lighting and beautiful fixtures.

        Reply
      9. Linda Johnston says

        at

        Excellent tips as my daughter and I work through what she need in her home she is renovating.

        Reply

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