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nuart

Ambient lighting : options and guidelines

nuart
10 years ago
Hi all,
I see in many pictures florescent tubes in recessed strips in the ceiling provides a good source of ambient light. Do you recommend this or regular can / recessed light? Guide lines in using either type for ambient lighting?

Comments (4)

  • Phil
    10 years ago
    You mean general lighting? Ambient light is whatever lighting happens to be spilling into the space. Could even be from outdoors or another room.

    Lighting is generally divided into general, task and accent lighting. General usually being overhead and providing a base level of illumination. Task being things like lamps, vanity lights or pendants-anything helping u see better. And accent being anything used to accent or emphasize something. Sometimes the categories run together like under cabinet lights which are both task and accent.

    So in order to figure out what the right fixture or lamp is you have to determine is it for general, accent or task purposes. Fluorescent tubes make great general light in an office or workspace but poor task or accent light in a family room. Similarly lots of recessed lights work well in kitchens but are usually too much in bedrooms where you typically don't need much general lighting. A good vanity fixture might fulfill all three in a powder room but in a master bathroom you might need some recessed cans to provide task lighting over the shower or tub. A lamp might be enough in a bedroom but not enough for a heavy task area like a laundry room. You get the idea. It's less about the fixture and more about how it's being used.
  • User
    10 years ago
    Ambient lighting provides an area with overall illumination. Also known as general lighting, it radiates a comfortable level of brightness without glare and allows you to see and walk about safely. In some spaces such as laundry rooms, the ambient lighting also serves as the primary source of task lighting. Conversely, task lighting and accent lighting can also serve as ambient lighting.

    You may want to read this article for a more thorough understanding of lighting.
    http://m.inspectapedia.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Finspectapedia.com%2FBestPractices%2FLighting_Interior_Guide.htm#2612

    In general, it depends on the look you are after. Fluorescents covering the ceiling is not very popular right now. It can be more energy efficient than recessed depending on the type of bulb you use. If you need task lighting in a room, start with that. You may end up with enough ambient light from them. Next, add any accent lighting you would like. This will also add to the ambient lighting. Then, don't forget to add in the lumens from any table lamps planned. If you are still short on lumens for the room, find something that coordinates with the rest of the lighting and add it where the footcandles will be the lowest otherwise.
  • leelee
    10 years ago
    Ambient lighting is light that comes from anywhere but you can't see the source. If you're talking about light for your home I wouldn't recommend florescent. Not a very flattering light --looks like an office kind of light. Halogen track lights are good for aiming the lights where you need them.
  • User
    10 years ago
    @leelee, perhaps you did not read the last article I posted on what ambient lighting is, so here is another.

    http://www.americanlightingassoc.com/lighting-fundamentals/3-types-of-lighting.aspx
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