What Is Layered Lighting and How Can You Achieve It?

Understanding lighting in your home can help you create a warmer, more atmospheric space that completes your home’s style and decor choices.

Lighting isn’t just a functional aspect of a room; it’s a transformative tool in interior design. How you illuminate your rooms and home can significantly impact the end results, giving you the power to create the perfect ambiance you’re aiming for.

Layering lighting, a concept often discussed in interior design, is like painting a room with light. It creates depth and interest and is a key technique for achieving the perfect ambiance in your home.

Layering lighting typically consists of three different types of lighting. 

• Ambient lighting – the general layers of fighting within a room, i.e., your primary lighting sources such as floor-to-ceiling windows or the main light that comes on when you flick the switch.
• Task lighting – stronger, more purposeful lighting allowing you to carry out specific tasks, typically from floor lamps and directional wall lighting.
• Accent lighting – highlights features or aspects of the room, e.g., pendant lights above a kitchen island to help with food prep or desk lamps to help you work.

Layering your lighting is similar to determining what types of textures and decor you want. You need to be strategic about how you layer your lighting and how you choose to focus on different parts of the room to add the lighting. These tips can help you get it just right.

Utilize Natural Light

When layering your lighting, don’t overlook the importance of natural light. Take the time to understand how each room is illuminated by your windows and how this impacts the room’s decor. By accentuating and enhancing the natural lighting, you can get more creative and make your lighting work cohesively with the space.

Add Levels

Your layered lighting shouldn’t all be at one level within a room, i.e., the ceiling or above eye level. This will result in a flat, one-dimensional room. Instead, you need to use floor lamps alongside table lamps, recessed lighting maybe, strip lighting under shelves, lights above artwork, etc., to help you build the illumination needed at different levels to create a three-dimensional room with added visual interest.

Mix and Match

When it comes to your lighting, don’t be afraid to get creative. Mixing and matching different light sources can add a unique touch to your space. As long as the lights and bulb colors complement each other and the room’s design, you can experiment with different combinations to find the perfect balance of light for your space.

You can add multiple floor lamps to add extra light if you wish to use strip lighting in more than one area, such as around the TV, under shelves, and even behind units.

Be Strategic

Use your lighting strategically to create impactful layering. Be thoughtful about what you illuminate. A floor lamp in a dark corner can work wonders, as can an overhanging light above a cozy reading chair. Spotlights above pictures or artwork on walls can create focal points, while statement ceiling lights in the center of a room can add a wow factor and support other light sources.