One of the most essential elements of a room is the lighting. Lighting impacts everything else—the color of the walls, the artwork, and the furniture and rugs. It sets the tone for the space and is perhaps one of the most affordable ways you can update your home.

Lighting is best when layered in three kinds: ambient, task, and accent. Ambient lighting is general lighting: it’s what provides a room its overall illumination, such as the light from ceiling fixtures. Task lighting is the workhorse of lighting—it’s key to providing illumination for particular jobs, such as reading or kitchen prep work. Accent lighting is used to highlight a particular feature, such as drawing the eye to a piece of artwork. Mix these three types of lighting, and your design scheme will be feeling very bright indeed.