Light Fixtures 101: Understanding Different Types and Their Uses
When you look at your home, there are many options for lighting solutions. When most people think of the lights in their home, they picture chandeliers hanging from the center of a dining room or decorative lamps on a bedside table, but different types of light fixtures can offer unique layers of lighting, from accent lighting to task lighting or ambient lighting.
Different light fixtures serve fundamental roles in both functionality and aesthetics in various home spaces. Selecting the appropriate light fixture is crucial, depending on the space’s intended use and design theme.
What constitutes a light fixture?
A light fixture is anything that offers illumination in your space which is reliant upon electricity. There are three main categories of light that a light fixture can provide:
#1 Accent
This is the first type, which is meant to draw attention to or accent a feature in your home.
Some examples include:
- Recessed lights
- Wall-mounted lights
- Downlights
#2 Task
This is a type of lighting that helps you perform a specific task, like things you install in an office, your kitchen, or your living room.
Some examples include:
- Lights under your cabinets
- LED strip lights
- Desk lamps
#3 Ambient
This is the third type, which is considered general lighting. It helps control the brightness and tone of the light in your space, making it safe to move around a well-lit area.
Some examples include:
- Wall sconces
- Floor lamps
- Lighting fixtures
- Ceiling lights
- Windows
Let’s look at some of these different types of light fixtures in more detail.
Ceiling Light Fixtures
Different types of light fixtures in the ceiling can offer ambient as well as accent lighting.
Chandeliers
Chandeliers are designed to send light upward, usually over a table. They provide ambient lighting and are directly installed on the ceiling. Chandeliers can be very decorative, and they can also take on a modern or minimalist design. Chandeliers can also be integrated into entryways or foyers, providing a central form of ambient light in a smaller space.
Pendant lights
These offer focused lighting and are ideal for areas like kitchen islands and dining tables. Pendant lights send light down and are typically suspended from the ceiling. They are most commonly used for ambient lighting or task lighting over a kitchen island or a table. Pendant lights don’t have to be plain, either; they can enhance the style of a given space with decorative elements.
Recessed lighting
Recessed lighting is installed above the ceiling, usually in the space between floors or in the attic. This creates an opening flush with the ceiling to send individual bands of light in one direction or another. Recessed lighting is particularly popular because it can be used for ambient lighting when all of the different rows of recessed lights are on or accent or task lighting when individual rows or individual lights are turned on.
This offers many advantages for residential and commercial spaces, providing a streamlined, clean look and more control over the functional lighting in a given space.
Flush and semi-flush mounts
Flush mounts and semi-flush mounts are exactly what the name suggests. One is fleshly mounted with the ceiling, and the other is semi-flush with the ceiling. These are used in rooms with low ceilings and can offer ambient or task lighting.
Wall-Mounted Light Fixtures
Other common light fixtures include wall-mounted fixtures, which are more commonly used for ambient light or accent light.
Wall sconces
Wall sconces are directly mounted to your wall and can send light up or down. The different covers and shades you use can also add a unique stylistic touch to your room. When used in regular intervals, wall sconces can provide ambient light, such as down a hallway, but they can also offer task lighting, such as on either side of a mirror. A great deal of decorative and functional use comes from wall sconces in hallways, bedrooms, and bathrooms.
Under-cabinet lighting
Other wall-mounted light fixtures include under-cabinet lighting. These are unique for task lighting, particularly in kitchens or offices. They are attached to the wall, sometimes in strips, and they provide lighting underneath different layers or levels, such as underneath each level in a cabinet or underneath the entire cabinet and onto the countertop.
Portable Light Fixtures
Some different types of light fixtures for accent and task lighting include portable light fixtures.
Table lamps
Table lamps come in a wide array of sizes and styles, and they provide a portable form of light specifically for things like end tables or desks. Many of them direct light downward and are designed for reading tasks but can also be used for ambient light.
Table lamps offer a great deal of flexibility in adding light and style to various rooms.
Floor lamps
Floor lamps are very versatile and can be used to direct light downward, using ambient lighting or task lighting. floor lamps are standing units that can be placed on either side of a desk, a couch, or near a workspace. Floor lamps are particularly versatile in adding ambient or direct lighting to living rooms, bedrooms, and reading areas.
Specialty and Outdoor Light Fixtures
Aside from these, there are different types of light fixtures you can use for specific purposes or outdoor purposes.
Track lighting
Track lighting is when you have a continuous track along which several lamps and lights are installed. Track lighting offers a great deal of functionality and flexibility for places like galleries and kitchens.
In a kitchen track lighting can be designed to provide task lighting in the most common workspaces like the countertops or a kitchen island. in a gallery track lighting can be used as an accent light on some of the most popular pieces of artwork or other displays.
Outdoor Lighting
When you look at different types of outdoor lighting, you have many more options that provide both safety and aesthetics. Pathway lights, for example, are designed to work similarly to accent lighting in that they provide downward-facing light directly on a given path, usually a footpath. Most of the outdoor lighting for these scenarios is very small and low to the ground.
Flood lights are often motion activated and they are designed to provide safety through ambient lighting. Flood lights are typically installed in parking lots, in front of major commercial entrances, or in front of garages and back patios so that maximum amount of light can be achieved when it’s dark and otherwise dangerous to walk.
Landscape lights can offer security in conjunction with floodlights but can also provide better aesthetic purposes, lighting up different areas in your yard or garden where you might socialize.
Summing Up
There are several types of light fixtures in the ceiling that you can incorporate into a commercial or residential space. different types of light fixtures can be used for several layers of lighting including ambient, task, and accent lighting. When choosing the right light fixture you need to consider the room itself, the purpose of the lighting, and your design preferences.
Whether you have a residential or commercial space, you should always assess and potentially upgrade your current lighting solutions to enhance your workspace or living environment.