Lighting is important in homes and businesses, playing a key role in setting the mood of a space and providing needed illumination for tasks and activities. Well-designed lighting schemes turn spaces into attractive, functional rooms, with dimmers allowing the light level in a room to be adjusted for different times of day or activities. Types of lighting include: • Ambient lighting: A broad, overall light level often provided by ceiling fixtures, area lights, wall sconces or up lights. • Task lighting: Bright, clear light for activities like cooking and reading or workstation use. • Accent lighting: Used to draw attention to vital elements in the environment, like artwork, antiques or textiles. • Decorative lighting: Chandeliers, statement pieces and novelty lights for decoration. Recent developments in lighting have made it much more energy efficient. Compact fluorescent bulbs are now seen as the best choice for a number of applications, using far less electricity than incandescent bulbs, whilst giving off less heat. LED bulbs are also becoming increasingly popular, with even more savings in energy compared to other sources, and their small size makes them ideal for decorative and accent pieces. As with most things, its important to consider how much money youre willing to spend on lighting. Achieving a modern lighting scheme doesnt require spending a fortune, but quality lighting products sourced from reliable suppliers usually require a little more of an investment.