Accent lighting

Accent lighting is the layer of light used to draw attention to a particular point in a space. A painting, a sculpture, a bookcase, a stone wall, a niche or a feature on a facade is lit clearly brighter than the general light level around it, so it stands out. Where task lighting serves the work, accent lighting serves perception and mood.

Contrast is what makes it work

For an accent to read, there has to be enough difference between it and its surroundings. If the whole room is brightly lit, the accent disappears. That is why rooms with accent lighting usually keep ambient light calmer and on a separate circuit.

Techniques

• Adjustable spotlights: track or recessed spots focus a narrow beam on an object.
• Grazing: light placed very close to a surface at a steep angle brings out the relief of stone, brick and textured plaster.
• Washing: a broad, even wash of light lifts a whole wall.
• Concealed light: linear LEDs inside shelves, niches and display cases frame objects from behind or above.

The same logic applies outdoors: uplighting trees or picking out the rhythm of columns on a facade gives a building its night-time identity.

In visualization, accent lighting is where an image directs the viewer’s eye. Because IES profiles carry the beam pattern of real fittings, the cone of light on a wall looks convincing. To see these techniques in night exterior scenes, read night exterior rendering.