Getting a stylish designer look for your home is simple and easy – change its lighting. Switching to modern lighting will uplift the ambience of your home, create a trendy look, and give you the feel of a home redesign without bearing the cost of one.

Modern lighting options are multi-faceted – you can vary the style and design of the rooms by using different combinations of lighting techniques. Below is a description of three distinctive lighting practices followed by an overview of which combination suits each room best.

Lighting Techniques

Lighting options and fixtures can be categorized into the following three types, based on their usage and purpose:

Task Lighting

Task lighting is simply the technique of focusing illuminance on the ‘task’. Light is directed towards one focal point in the room using a central illumination piece, built-in ceiling lights and table lamps. Task Lighting is particularly beneficial for areas used for activities like reading, cooking, dressing etc.

Accent Lighting

Accent lighting basically balances lighting in the room by complementing illumination via various sources and fixtures. The strategy is to evenly distribute light and highlight specific areas of interest without concentrating at any one focal point.

Recessed Lighting

The lighting fixtures in this case are not clearly visible in most cases, yet they serve the purpose of highlighting and providing requisite illumination in a room. This type of lighting supplements illumination provided by the focal fixtures.

Placement of Lights

Task, Accent, and Recessed lighting fixtures are used in various combinations in different rooms. Fixtures ranging from chandeliers and pendants to sconces and monorails facilitate the lighting effects. Below is an indicative summary of which type of lights would look ideal in respective rooms.

Living Room

Being mostly used for gatherings, this room requires the most decorative fixtures. Task and accent lighting is perfect here. Use a chandelier or large pendant in the center of the room; accentuate the lighting effect with sconces in pairs on the walls and lamps on the side-tables. To avoid shadows in the room corners, use smaller sconces.

Companies such as Besa Lighting, Corbett lighting, and Crystorama Lighting offer a wide range of modern lighting fixtures that will beautify your living room.

Bedroom

Bedrooms require a mix of general illuminating fixtures as well as task lighting pieces. Direct more light towards your reading area by using floor lamps or small pendants. Focus light in the dressing room using monorails and torchieres.

For exquisite lighting pieces for your bedroom, consider collections by et2 Lighting, George Kovacs Lighting and LBL Lighting.

Kitchen

Combine task and recessed lighting for the kitchen. Over the cooking surface, focus light using a bright light sconce or a hanging illumination piece. Place lights in the kitchen corners. Under cabinets and on ceilings, use recessed lighting. You could also place a line of small pendants over the eating counter for accentuating the visual appeal.

Bathroom

Recessed lighting will be perfect here, accompanied by a pair of sconces on both sides of the mirror. Apart from recessed lights, you can also use straight, minimalist, horizontal fixtures on the walls. Use dimmers here.

Home Office

Home office is the area where task lighting is required most. You should focus the light of various fixtures towards your work area. Keep a table lamp/ floor lamp (http://furniture.about.com/od/accessoriesguide/ss/floorlamps21510_3.htm) at your reading space. Avoid keeping the illumination uniform in this room. Use concealed lighting at the workstations followed by a pendant behind each chair.

Maxim Lighting, Tech Lighting, and Varaluz offer collections that will perfectly match the criteria of your home office.

Outdoors

A pair or two of wall sconces at the door entrance will look welcoming. Use recessed lighting at all dark spots outdoors. You could use recessed lighting fixtures in the garden bed or along the walking trail.

To end with, modern lighting will give a designer look to your home, but only if the rooms are ideally lit and decorated. Use creativity to ingrain your own personality into the décor.