Function

• The first consideration in lighting design is function -- that is, what does the lighting need to do? Ambient lighting lets you do all the ordinary things in your home and keeps you from banging around your home at night. Task lighting allows you to do certain tasks like reading, cooking and crafting. Accent lighting adds drama by highlighting decorative objects such as art, plants and window treatments.
  
  

The Right Light for the Job

• Ceiling and wall fixtures provide ambient lighting. The American Lighting Association notes that ambient lighting may also serve as task lighting, as would be the case in a laundry room. Generally speaking, however, track lighting, pendants, desk lights, reading lamps and lights mounted under cabinets and shelves serve as task lighting. Accent lighting, the ALA notes, should be three times brighter than the surrounding light. Recessed and track lights, up lights and mounted picture lights are common types of accent lighting.
  
  

Mood

• Mood lighting has a strong influence on how a room feels, in terms of its illumination and design. Bright lights are upbeat and stimulating. Low lights have a cozy, romantic feel. The light fixtures themselves add to or temper the mood. A very contemporary metallic light, for instance, suits a lively, bright room. Likewise, it brightens a room that you want to energize.
  
  

Harmony

• Lighting design creates harmony by tying together all the elements of a room in a way that's aesthetically pleasing and keeps the lighting from drawing attention to itself. A designer accomplishes this by using ambient lighting to give an even illumination across the room, while incorporating ample task lighting for the ways in which the room will be used and then filling in with accent lighting that makes the room's special elements pop. Harmony is further enhanced by lighting fixtures with designs that match the room's function and mood and are varied enough in size, texture and intensity to add interest.