Accent Lighting

Trick of the Trade

When you plan the accent lighting for a specific room, consider having a main feature and then add to it, by creating a hierarchy.

If all the pictures on the wall would be illuminated the same way, the overall effect would be more like a wall wash, turning accent ligthing more into background or ambient lighting.

So, as a general rule, if you add too much accent ligthing the effect will be lost.

Be selective and accentuate only key pieces! Achieveing a good balance when using accent lights, is what creates harmony in a room.

Concealed Lighting

One of the keys to get successful accent lighting, is to see just the effects this type of lighting creates, but not the source of it. Ways to conceal it? With molding - for lights incorporated in a niche or shelving, or those inserted behind a shelf to create backlight.

Concealed lighting is more effective in a modern setting, as this type of space can benefit from discreet lighting with no visible sources. When setting accent lighting to uplight a feature such as a doorway or arch, providing extra definition within the space, the key is to use an uplight in which the source is well recessed within the fixture.

• Bathroom - If you have a niche you want to accentuate, a small 20w 12v downlight is concealed within, providing accent light to whatever object you might display in it.
• Living room - If you have shelves on the wall, you can use a continuous line of simline fluorescent under each shelf to provide a backlit effect, so the light washes up and down the wall silhouetting the books.
• Stairs - Sometimes the area under the stairs is forgotten, but some accent lights can make it appear more spacious. A line of xenon or an LED tape light could be used as a source. Concealed by a small cornice or beam, and fitted to the underside of the stairs at approximately four inches from the wall, they provide a soft wall wash effect. Avoid using fluorescent lighting in this case as it would make the light too harsh.
• Kitchen - Downlights can be set into the toe-kick area under kitchen cabinets to skim across the floor. A glow under a solid mass will make it appear to float.
• Bedroom - If you have one or more recessed windows, they can become a feature on their own. In the top of each window recess, install small 20w 12v low voltage downlights with wide beam lamps to get a soft light down the shades. As with any downlight, a fixture in which the lamp is well recessed within its housing will avoid direct glare.