Ghid 03Lighting
Layered Lighting: The Three Types of Light
Rooms that look good in the evening have at least three light sources at different heights. Designers call them layers, and each has its role.
Composition
Three layers in a living room
A chandelier for general lighting, a floor lamp for reading, and two accent lights on the wall.
Crystal Chandelier CC9447
€810,95
Eleganza Living Floor Lamp
€1.356,95
1 · 2 · 3environmental, functional, decorative
LED HARMONY Wall Light
€104,95
LED Dance of the Spheres Artwork
€205,95
În compoziție
-
3+
In-room sources
At different heights: ceiling, eye level, near the floor.
-
× 3
Accent lighting
To make it stand out, the accent lighting is about three times stronger than the general lighting.
-
2circuits
Minimum
So you can turn on the main light and the ambient light separately.
Sketch
How roles are divided
1. Ambient: chandelier or ceiling light, which illuminates the room evenly.
2. Functional: light for an activity: reading, cooking, applying makeup.
3. Decorative: wall sconces, LED pictures, hidden strips. They don't provide much light, but they add depth to the room.
Layer 1: ambient light
This is the base light that allows you to move around the room. It usually comes from above: a chandelier, a ceiling light, or recessed spotlights. It should be uniform, without dark areas in the corners, and ideally dimmable, so you can lower it in the evening.
Layer 2: functional light
It illuminates the area where you do something specific and needs to be brighter than the ambient light, only where you need it.
- Living room: floor lamp next to the armchair or sofa, for reading.
- Kitchen: pendant lights above the island, LED strip under the wall cabinets.
- Bathroom: LED mirror or wall lights on either side of the mirror.
- Bedroom: reading wall lights next to the bed.
Layer 3: decorative light
Highlights a painting, a wall texture, a plant, or a niche. This is the layer that makes the difference between a lit room and a beautiful room in the evening. For an object to stand out, the light on it must be approximately three times brighter than the surrounding light.
How to combine them
- Start with the ambient light, chosen according to the size of the room.
- Add functional light for each activity in the room.
- Finish with one or two decorative sources.
- Put the layers on separate circuits, so you can turn them on independently.
Keep the same color temperature for all the sources in the room: a mix of warm and cool light looks sloppy.
Designer's tip: in the evening, turn off the chandelier and leave only layers 2 and 3 on. The room immediately looks bigger and more peaceful.
Common mistakes
- A single powerful chandelier in the middle of the room, which flattens everything.
- All the lights on a single switch.
- Light bulbs with different color temperatures in the same room.
From the store
Products suitable for this guide
Checklist
Before you order
Five quick checks to ensure the product you choose is right the first time.
- The room has an appropriately sized ambient light source.
- Each activity (reading, cooking, makeup) has its own light.
- I have at least one decorative light source: a wall sconce, LED picture, or floor lamp.
- The layers are on separate circuits or remotes.
- All sources have the same color temperature.
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