Cove Lighting

Cove lighting is a type of lighting where light is directed to the ceiling or an adjacent wall, and the reflected light illuminates the room. It is normally built into recesses, valances, ledges, or high on the room’s walls. Cove lightings are good in diffusing the illumination and hence won’t be too glaring for the eye. As they are concealed lighting, it helps to create an atmospheric ambience in the space. They are often used in living rooms, kitchen cabinets and bedrooms.

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Recessed Light

Recessed lights, also known as downlights, are light fixtures built into the ceiling. These lights are sleek and take up little space, which helps to provide more headroom for your house or aid spaces that have a low ceiling. As recessed lights are single-direction lights, you will need multiple recessed lights to light up a spacious room. However, if you place them strategically, it’s still able to provide even illumination for the space. Recessed lights are most commonly used in communal areas, kitchens, and bathrooms.

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Track Light

Track lights are lights that allow you to mount multiple light fixtures to the track or railing system, and you are able to manually move, pivot or swivel the light fixtures to different angles based on your preference. Track lights are good to highlight certain features in your house, for example, artworks, photo frames, or display shelves.

However, do note that track lights are spotlights, hence they do create harsh shadows. Another alternative is that you can get smart bulbs for your track lights, allowing you to adjust the brightness based on your needs. Track lights are often used in display cabinets, hallways and living rooms.

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Pendant Light

Similar to chandeliers, pendant lights are lights that hang down from the ceiling. They come in various shapes, forms and materials. The main difference between a pendant light and a chandelier is that a pendant light operates with a single light bulb, whereas chandeliers have multiple light bulbs in a single light fixture. Pendant lights are great as a center light piece, creating that aesthetic and sets the tone for the space.

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To avoid bumping your head into the light, it’s advisable to hang your pendant light at least 75cm above your dining table. Pendant lights are commonly used in dining rooms, living rooms and above kitchen islands.

Source: Renonation

There are still many more that are not covered in this article. Before you decide on your lights of choice, do research and test out the lights if possible in the showroom/galleries to get a clearer view of what you want. Certain companies do adopt Unified Glare Rating (UGR) practice, which is an index that calculates the glare from various glare sources in the room, and predicts what glare rating would cause discomfort. The higher the UGR, the greater the amount of glare. If you are someone that is sensitive toward glare, you may ask the lighting company you patronize, whether they are able to advise on a light with a suitable glare rating.