Art and accent lighting
We’ve written before about selecting and displaying artwork and accessories in your home. Because you want to show off the pieces that bring you such joy, the next step involves choosing the right lighting! Accent lighting, when done strategically, allows you to feature decorative and architectural elements in your home that make it unique.
How can you use art and accent lighting?
Simply put, I think that the best way to integrate accent lighting into your home is by adding dedicated lighting to artwork and bookshelves. This creates focal points in both gathering spaces like living and dining rooms and intimate rooms like your bedroom and bath. Interior cabinet lighting adds depth to kitchens, family rooms, game rooms, and offices.
Recessed art lighting is one of our favorite ways to highlight artwork because it’s designed to be unobtrustive and seamless. This type of lighting is flush with the ceiling and allows you to highlight the art from an almost unseen light source.
Recessed art lighting by Michael Abrams
Traditional picture lights work really well above art and bookcases. These are probably what you think of most often when you picture a museum or gallery. In your home or office, though, they cast elegant pools of light and add a polished touch. We love the idea of a home library with sophisticated brass picture lights in a row above each built-in – it almost makes you feel like you should whisper!
Home library with brass picture lights via Domino Magazine
If traditional isn’t your style, gooseneck sconces are a cool way to illuminate spaces with a more modern spin. High-polished fixtures by The Urban Electric Co. are not only industrial and adjustable, but also hinged in two places to allow you to create the lighting effect desired for each specific location.
Maxine sconce by The Urban Electric Co.
One last way to integrate accent lighting, as pictured in the header photo, is in cabinetry. We’ve done undermount and internal lighting in our interior design clients’ kitchens, especially in “fun” areas like bars or in glass-fronted display cabinets. Our clients have received several compliments on how clever it is and how it adds to the overall warmth of the room!
Header photo: Accent lighting in dry bar by Bluebell Kitchens
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Glenna Stone Interior Design is an award-winning Philadelphia interior design firm serving Philadelphia, the Main Line, and surrounding cities. Utilizing her background and training in interior design, architecture, and engineering, Glenna specializes in creating interiors for residential and commercial design settings. We invite you to visit our website, view our portfolio, and catch up on the latest interior design concepts on our blog!
