Accent lighting. Lighting that directs attention and catches the eye

In the interior we should have several layers of lighting. On the one hand, the space then is more functional, and on the other hand, it "lives" - is more interesting. Lighting can bring out many aesthetic qualities. What's more, sometimes we want to accentuate selected points in our space - from paintings and graphics through furniture and bookcases full of books, to wallpaper, laths or stucco. That's when accent lighting is helpful. How to choose them appropriately for your space?

General vs. accent lighting

Accent lighting has a specific task to perform in an interior. In order to do it well, it must emit spot light stronger than general lighting. This is when we can talk about layers of light, and most importantly understand the difference between general and accent lighting. Illuminating a painting, for example - general lighting will simply make it known that it hangs there, but accent lighting will already make that painting visible with its details.

PET lighting next

© AQForm

Use accent lighting to highlight what is most interesting and noteworthy in the interior. And there are always a lot of such elements - paintings or photos on the wall, but also a sculpture standing in the living room, a collection of favorite albums on a representative dresser or even an exotic flower standing in the corner of the living room.

How to properly position accent lighting?

distance

If you want the selected elements in your interior to be clearly visible, it is worth choosing fixtures with adjustable positioning, mounted on the ceiling. One of the most important rules for mounting lighting is the distance. It is best to offset them by about 1/3 of the height of the room. This will avoid overemphasizing the structure of the material or unnecessarily bringing out the unevenness of the wall.

Moder Glass and PET lighting next

© AQForm

angle

To get the most satisfactory effect in lighting an object such as a painting - let's try to move our fixtures. Lighting at an angle can give us a much more interesting effect than the one straight ahead.

Very often it works to move the spotlights a little along the wall to be illuminated. So that they do not shine directly on the accented element, but at a certain angle. This usually gives a more interesting result, and on three-dimensional objects better brings out the chiaroscuro effect.

which luminaires should you choose?

Many of the luminaires available from AQForm will work well as accent lighting. If we do not have a suspended ceiling - let's bet on surface-mounted spotlights, for example, from the PET next collection. The whole family of these fixtures is a multitude of possibilities - taking into account their size, the amount of light emitted, as well as the angle of illumination! If you have a suspended ceiling, it is worth choosing a G/K luminaire, such as PET next equipped with a flat rosette with a diameter of 70 mm.

Modern Glass lighting

© AQForm

Another solution dedicated to suspended ceilings are recessed fixtures, e.g. MORE maxi. This is a good choice when more light and accentuation of a larger area is needed. The wide angle of illumination allows you to move the luminaire a little closer to the wall. Here it is worth noting that MORE is also available in midi and mini versions, An interesting solution is the so-called pivoting luminaires like SWING next, where the reflector protruding from the body allows you to set the angle of incidence of light accordingly.

Well-chosen accent lighting will harmonize with the other layers, creating not only a unique atmosphere in the interior, but will make the interior primarily functional. This type of lighting will take the best care of all the decorative accessories to beautify our space.