Accent lighting is also commonly referred to as feature lighting or highlighting. To me, it is the most important type of lighting as it’s what creates visual interest in rooms. Without accent lighting there can be no drama. With rooms evenly lit, they are bland as your eye has nothing to concentrate on. Even lighting, especially when it’s bright, obliterates the focal points that you may very carefully have planned into rooms. Whilst you may notice them during the day they will fade into the background at night.
The way that I create accents is I just take a room and think. “What do I want to be noticeable?” Typical things and features that I look at accenting are:
Pilasters and columns, archways and interesting windows:
Lanterns and rooflights:
Niches:
Vaulted ceilings, beams, ties and posts:
Decorative fire surrounds, deep set and inglenook fireplaces, feature mantels over fireplaces and ranges:
Built-in joinery like bookcases, shelving, wardrobes and kitchen cabinets:
Feature sanitaryware:
Artwork, Sculpture & objets d’Art, such as bowls or vases of flowers on tables:
Textured or feature walls:
Decorative panels in floors or just nice flooring:
Staircases:
Curtains and other window treatments:
Unusually shaped rooms:
I hope that these give you some ideas about what to accent in your home.
