Lighting 101: Your Easy Guide to Lighting Types

When you’re planning your home’s electrical layout, thinking about how each space will be lit is just as important as where you put the switches and outlets. Layering different types of lighting not only makes your rooms more practical, it also sets the mood. Here’s a quick guide to the types of lighting within your home:

Ambient (General) Lighting

This is your “overall glow” – the light that fills a room and lets everyone move around safely. It provides a uniform level of illumination and gives you a clear view of the space. In most modern homes, ambient lighting comes from LED downlights positioned throughout each room.

Task Lighting

As the name suggests, task lighting is designed to help you do something specific. Think brighter, more focused light over your kitchen bench, beside your reading chair, or at a home office desk. It makes everyday activities like cooking, reading or working at the computer easier and more comfortable.

Feature (Accent) Lighting

Accent lighting adds personality and drama by drawing attention to a particular spot or element. It’s perfect for highlighting artwork, architectural details, or creating a cosy corner. Picture lights, wall-mounted fixtures, or track lighting are common choices, and dimmers let you adjust the mood with ease.

By combining these three layers, you create rooms that are functional, inviting and flexible — and your electrician can help you plan the perfect mix right from the start.

Cool Light vs Warm Light

Light bulbs don’t just differ in brightness — they also vary in colour temperature, measured in kelvins (K). The higher the K number, the cooler and bluer the light appears.

• Warm White (2700K–3000K): Enhances warm tones, ideal for lounges, hallways and bedrooms. We generally recommend 3000K warm white as a standard in living spaces.

• Cool White (around 4000K): A neutral, slightly bluer light that emphasises contrast — perfect for kitchens, laundries, bathrooms and garages. We recommend 4000K cool white in garages.

• Daylight (5000K–6000K): Almost blue in tone, mimicking outdoor light and creating crisp contrast for very task-oriented areas.

A simple way to picture it: 3000K warm white has a soft yellow glow, 4000K cool white sits neatly between warm and blue, and 6000K daylight appears much bluer and brighter.

By combining the right type of lighting (ambient, task, accent) with the right colour temperature, you’ll create rooms that are functional, inviting and tailored to the way you live — and your electrician can help you plan the perfect mix right from the start.

In residential homes these are usually the LED downlights which feature throughout the majority of your home.