Lighting Elements

Of all the elements that go into a home, lighting may be one of the most underestimated—and least understood. Particularly in new construction or major remodeling projects, homeowners tend to treat lighting as an afterthought or fail to dedicate enough of their budget to it.

In reality, though, lighting is a workhorse in the home: It helps us function, creates ambiance, enhances room details, and establishes a sense of place and time. “Lighting is one of the most important purchases when it comes to design,” says Karen Soojian, senior interior designer for Gabberts in Edina. “It creates the proper mood in a room just as much as color or furniture. It can also accent the architecture of your home and punctuate a design concept more than any other accessory.”

To help bring homeowners’ ideas on lighting out of the Dark Ages, specialists and interior designers explain the basic principles of lighting and its functions, and share their tips on making the most of lighting in your home.

Lighting That Works

Lighting comprises three types: ambient, task, and accent. Ambient lighting represents the overall glow or illumination of a room. As its name indicates, task lighting illuminates the surface or space in which you’ll be reading, cooking, grooming, and doing other activities. Accent lighting is used to highlight a certain area, such as a painting or an interesting architectural detail.

The key to a quality lighting plan is to incorporate all three types of lighting, says Jodi Gillespie, an interior designer with Meyer Scherer & Rockcastle, Ltd., an architecture and interior design firm in Minneapolis. “The rooms that are least successful are those that employ only one of those types of lighting,” she says. “By using layers [of lighting], you add more interest and function to the space as well.”

Designers also consider how natural light plays into the overall design scheme. Many homeowners want to make the most of streaming daylight, but it’s important to understand that it can’t be the sole source of lighting in a space. “You have to think of what the room will look like on December 23 at 4:30 p.m. when that window won’t do you much good,” says Noel Sheldon, a lighting designer for Creative Lighting, a lighting showroom in St. Paul. “We have to work backwards from there . . . to determine how much light we need when it’s dark in this room.”