How to Layer Lighting at Home

The three layers, in order

Ambient light fills the room, task light illuminates what you are doing, and accent light adds depth. A room needs all three, and they should be on separate switches where possible.

• Ambient: ceiling fixture, pendant, or a wash of light from a corner.
• Task: reading lamp, kitchen worktop strip, desk lamp.
• Accent: a light aimed at a wall, a shelf, or a plant.

The mistake is buying one expensive fixture and expecting it to do all three jobs.

Get the colour temperature right

Kelvin numbers decide whether a room feels calm or clinical. About 2700 K is warm and suits living rooms and bedrooms. Around 3000 K works in kitchens and hallways. Anything at 4000 K and above reads as office lighting at home.

Keep it consistent within sight of each other. Mixing warm and cool lamps in one view is the fastest way to make a considered room look accidental. The same restraint applies to materials — see mixing wood tones.

Place light where you sit, not where the ceiling is

Put a lamp within reach of every seat. A reading light should sit at shoulder height, slightly behind and to the side of the reader, so the page is lit and your eyes are not.

For a corner that feels dark, light the walls instead of the floor: an uplighter or a wall wash makes the room read bigger. This is the cheapest way to improve a small living room.

Add a dimmer before you add a lamp

A dimmer on the main light costs very little and changes how a room feels more than any new fixture. Dim the ambient layer to about a third in the evening and let the lamps carry the room.

In a bedroom, keep the dimmer on the circuit nearest the bed. The evening routine that makes this work is described in building a calm bedroom.