What is Task Lighting & How to Use it

Not only will the right lighting setups help create stylish, ambient spaces that are pleasant to spend time in, but they’ll also ensure your interiors are as functional as possible.

Task lighting is an integral part of this, helping you find the right balance between a space that serves you well and a space that looks good.

What is Task Lighting?

Effective lighting design uses different layers of light across an interior to set the right mood and level of practicality. These layers are made up of three main lighting types:

• Ambient lighting
• Accent lighting
• Task lighting

Task lighting is designed to illuminate a specific task, giving you enough light to work by. It is more focused and direct than general ambient or accent lighting, helping you focus and ensuring you don’t have to strain your eyes.

Where to Use Task Lighting

Task lighting will likely feature in most rooms of the house, helping you complete daily tasks or enjoy more detail-oriented hobbies. In the kitchen, it’ll come in the form of kitchen island pendants or under-cabinet spotlights. Whereas the living room will likely make use of table lamps or well-positioned modern wall lights.

You can incorporate different kinds of task lighting into your home in various ways to maintain your overall design theme and preferences while still shedding some vital light on the matter.

• Pendant lights – most commonly installed over kitchen islands or tables.
• Wall lights – often installed beside beds or reading chairs in the living room.
• Table lamps – common features in offices, bedside tables, reading nooks or crafting areas.

Kitchen Task Lighting

If you don’t already have effective task lighting in the kitchen, this is the room to look at first. Pendant lights work brilliantly in kitchens, adding a distinct focal point while also working as focused spotlights over countertops and islands.

You need good levels of overhead light here so you can comfortably prepare food, cut and weigh ingredients and read recipes with ease. Depending on the size of your island, a singular pendant or row of hanging ceiling lights will do the job wonderfully.

Pendant lights are incredibly diverse, offering a style to suit everyone and every space. Discover our range of kitchen island lighting options to see how form and function are blended successfully.

Living Room Task Lighting

The living room is a multi-functional space where we may retreat for a number of relaxing activities. General ambience in a living room should typically be subdued and calming, but you will still need moments of bright, direct light.

This will usually come in the form of wall lights or singular small living room pendants shining light on either side of a sofa or over a reading chair, providing lots of cosy light for reading or working at a laptop.

Featuring elegant, modern wall lights by living room nooks and snugs is another good way to create pockets of light for tasks that require closer scrutiny.

Bedroom Task Lighting

Like in the living room, bedrooms will benefit from smaller pockets of highly focused light. The main place for task lighting here is on either side of the bed to illuminate the bedside table and make reading in bed more pleasant.

Depending on your style and space, you could use wall-mounted lights, small ceiling pendants or table lamps to send a pool of light over each side of the bed and side tables. If possible, incorporate a dimmer switch here so you can start turning down the brightness when it’s time to get ready to sleep.

If you have a desk or vanity table in your bedroom, you will also need to think about the level of task lighting here. Again, a well-positioned wall light over the place where you sit is a good option.

Bathroom Task Lighting

Tasks in the bathroom where you need light might include things like shaving, applying makeup, brushing teeth or styling hair. For this reason, lights illuminating the bathroom mirror are a popular choice.

Placing lights on either side of a mirror offers a sleek look and will help ensure your face isn’t cast in shadow when completing these daily tasks.

To find out more about the best ways to brighten up your bathroom, especially during the colder, darker months, see our tips on how to light your bathroom.

Office Task Lighting

The right lighting in a workspace can help increase concentration and productivity. Whether for your home office or in the workplace, your desk should be equipped with good task lighting – not too bright and not too dim – to reduce the chances of eye strain and headaches.

An adjustable industrial table lamp is great here, shining light on any reading, writing or work at a computer. Sleek or industrial wall lights installed over your workspace are equally good options if you don’t want to take up too much room on your desk but still want to add a bit of character to the space.

How Many Lumens Do You Need For Task Lighting?

Naturally, you will require a higher level of lumens for task lighting than you would for ambient or accent lighting. How many lumens you need will depend on how big the space is.

Lux is a useful measurement to consider here – it is a unit that equals one lumen per square metre, showing how bright a light is perceived while also taking into account the total area it’s illuminating.

Depending on the room and the task, you may require between 300-800 lux to provide enough task lighting. Kitchens, bathrooms and offices will likely be on the higher end of this spectrum.

Task lighting comes in many shapes and sizes, from modern wall lights to vintage ceiling pendants, allowing you to keep your interiors looking great while also maintaining the utmost practicality.

Browse the Industville lighting range now to find the perfect task lights to illuminate your home and brighten up daily life.

Header image supplied by @casacoton