What is Accent Lighting?

Your home is a reflection of you—the life you’ve lived, the places you’ve been, the things you love. Why not show off the things that make you unique with some well-placed accent lighting?

Accent lighting is directed right at the things that you want illuminated: artwork, pottery, plants, souvenirs and so on. It’s important to do accent lighting right, which means doing it subtly. Make people notice the object you’re lighting, not the way that it is being lit.

Here are some examples of accent lighting.

Track lighting: Rows of track lighting are usually individually adjustable, so their lights can go exactly where you need them to go no matter what. Some track lighting styles are more decorative than others, but many of them are pretty modern in style, so keep that in mind for your own preferences.

Picture lights: Just like at the world’s premier museums, you can get special lights just to mount above art that you want proudly displayed. Picture lights are available in a variety of sizes and finishes, plus there are even some that use energy-saving LED lights.

Under-cabinet lights: These are great for kitchens because they brighten up the room and show off unique touches like countertops or backsplashes, but there’s more. These lights are also useful for providing extra task lighting if they’re installed in the right place. They’re not just for the kitchen, either. Maybe you display some treasured items on shelves or in nooks where under-cabinet lights could be installed, for example.

Sconces: Straddling the line between accent and decorative lighting, sconces bring small amounts of light to corners, corridors, bathrooms—pretty much anywhere where a little more illumination would be appreciated. Many of them are also ornate and highly decorated, though there are also varieties that are simpler in design.

Outdoor varieties: Create intriguing lighting effects by aiming outdoor accent lights at things like trees, rocks, statues, the exterior of the house or anything you’d like! Some outdoor accent lights are also rated for use in wet locations, meaning they can be submerged in ponds or used to illuminate water features.

The sky is the limit when it comes to using accent lighting. If there’s a will, there’s a way.