Lighting plays a crucial role in shaping the atmosphere and functionality of our homes. Whether we realise it or not, light is one of the first things we notice upon entering a room, affecting how both we and our guests experience the space. Among the various types of illumination, ambient lighting stands out as a vital feature of comfortable living environments.
In this interior lighting guide, we’ll explore everything you need to know about ambient illumination — from explaining key concepts to identifying some common applications, and discussing how to incorporate it in your home’s design.
Ambient light forms the foundation of a room's illumination, providing a general baseline of brightness without creating harsh glares or shadows. It's the bedrock of your home’s lighting scheme, typically emanating from ceiling lights, wall fixtures or powerful floor lamps that distribute illumination broadly throughout a space.
The primary role of ambient lighting is to provide enough brightness to allow for adequate visibility and safe movement within a space. Unlike task and accent lighting, which is more focused and directional, ambient light generates an even glow that sets the overall mood of a room. Characterised by its uniform distribution, soft diffusion that minimises shadows, and adjustable brightness for different activities and times of day — ambient lighting is all about elevating the functionality and atmosphere of your home.
Once you understand what ambient lighting is, the practicalities of introducing it to your home become much clearer. However, knowing precisely which fixtures will work best in your home can still be a difficult task.
If you’re buying new lighting and hoping to achieve a perfect ambient glow in your home, here are our expert tips for bringing your lighting vision to life:
Ceiling Lights
Ceiling-mounted fixtures are consistently popular choices when it comes to creating ambient light in the home, ranging from luxury chandeliers to sleek and modern pendant lights. Producing a soft yet powerful glow while serving as stylish focal points themselves, ceiling lights represent a perfect choice for living room, dining room and bedroom lighting arrangements.
Aside from bringing evenly-diffused brightness to your home, a thoughtful combination of ceiling lights and lamp shades can take your ambient lighting scheme to new heights of luxury. Translucent fabric shades produce a softer, warmer illumination, while opaque shade materials tend to cast light directly downwards into concentrated pools. Our premium cotton and linen lamp shades allow a subtle level of light to pass through, filling your room with a beautifully mellow radiance.
The shape of lamp shades also affects the spread and direction of light. Cylindrical or ‘drum’ shades cast a bright and even glow, while conical shades offer a more focused yet diffused illumination.
Floor & Table Lamps
Using table and floor lamps for ambient lighting allows for a great deal of added flexibility. Unlike most ceiling fixtures, lamps can easily be moved around the room while serving a wide range of functions — whether you need task lighting for nightly reading, accent lighting to highlight wall art, or general ambient brightness.
Floor lamps are more effective in brightening large rooms, while table lamps will bring a warm glow to specific spots in your room. We recommend using a combination of floor lamps and table lamps to give your ambient lighting scheme a rich and layered effect, while allowing for even more flexibility and adjustment.
It’s important to consider practical factors such as your room’s size and the height of your ceiling when choosing ambient lighting fixtures. Larger spaces often need multiple sources of ambient light to create adequate visibility, requiring a varied selection of fixtures to maintain a balanced effect.
Even with an understanding of lighting types and the best fixtures for producing them, applying these principles in your home can still feel challenging. With that in mind, let's discuss some ways in which you can create ambient, atmospheric lighting in one of the most important spaces in your home — the living room.
A thoughtful approach to lighting can transform any living room from stark and uninviting to a captivating hub of relaxation. One effective technique for achieving this is the rule of thirds, which involves visually dividing your living room into three vertical zones:
Top: Use ceiling fixtures such as chandeliers and pendant lights to create a foundation of ambient light.
Middle: Introduce accent lighting such as wall sconces to highlight wall art, furniture, or statement architectural features.
Bottom: Add layers of ambient light and introduce sources of task lighting with table and floor lamps.
Following this structure will allow you to create a layered lighting scheme with multiple sources of ambient illumination. Diversifying sources of light in your living room provides depth, warmth and versatility — allowing you to adjust lighting to suit a wide range of moods and activities throughout the day.
Feeling confident in your understanding of ambient lighting is crucial. However, it’s equally important to know how ambient light fits into the wider context of a comprehensive lighting scheme. There are three main types of illumination involved in developing a well-balanced and functional lighting plan: ambient, task and accent lighting. While each serves a distinct purpose, the three types truly shine when used together.
Ambient lighting: The foundation of any room’s lighting scheme, providing general brightness without creating harsh glares or shadows. Think soft, diffused, and an evenly-distributed glow.
Task Lighting: Intense and focused illumination which is concentrated on particular areas where tasks are performed. Bedside lamps and bathroom vanity lights are some of the most popular examples.
Accent Lighting: Used to highlight specific objects or architectural details within a room. Accent light adds depth and drama to a space, commonly in the form of recessed spotlights or wall-mounted picture lights.
A well-designed lighting scheme layers all three of these lighting types. Start with a strong base of ambient lighting, add task lighting to areas where you need focused illumination, and highlight your favourite features with accent lighting fixtures.
Now that you understand ambient lighting and its interaction with other types of illumination, it’s time to think about the practicalities of using it in your home. With just a few simple principles to keep in mind, you can start introducing ambient light as part of a layered and well-rounded lighting scheme.
- Installing dimmer switches gives you greater control over your home’s atmosphere, allowing you to easily adjust lighting levels for any occasion or time of day.
- Bulb colour temperature significantly impacts the warmth and atmosphere of light emitted. Bulbs with a colour temperature between 2,700K and 3,000K are ideal for cosy lighting, while 3,500K and above are more suitable for kitchens and workspaces.
- Considering natural light is vital when planning any ambient lighting scheme. Using sheer curtains or adjustable blinds will allow you to maximise levels of natural light, balancing and complementing your internal scheme.
Mastering the art of ambient lighting can transform the functionality and aesthetics of any room in your home. By understanding the nature of ambient light, exploring suitable fixtures and being strategic in your development of a lighting scheme, you can create spaces that are comfortable, practical and visually captivating.
Don’t forget that effective lighting design is all about balance. A combination of ambient, task and accent lighting is essential for a well-rounded scheme, and can be achieved through thoughtful placement of lamps, ceiling lights, wall fixtures and more. Explore our luxury lighting collection today, and experience the profound impact of a thoughtfully-illuminated home.
Shop Premium Lighting
