Use Track Lights For Accent Or Task Illumination

Track lights are primarily used as a form of accent lighting or task lighting. They are part of a lighting system that are used to accentuate a painting or feature wall in the house or provide plenty of light for doing a task. They are often used in areas of the home such as the kitchen, study room, family room or the games room.

Track lights can instantly change the feel of any room in your home. You can use it as an accent light on your favorite picture frames, plants, books, vases, and antiques. You can wash the walls with light in your living room to give generous illumination or give it just a soft glow. Mounting these lights above your home office desk, library bookshelves, kitchen island, kitchen sink or billiard table will give you bright, task lighting. You can also use them to add a play of light and shadow around your fireplace, or to brighten up a dark corner of your entry hall.

Find Out Your Lighting Needs First

Before you go out and buy those track lights, you will need to be very clear about your lighting needs. Do you need dramatic accent lighting, practical task lighting, general lighting, or supplementary lighting? Have you decided where to put your light fixtures and measured how far they would be from your electrical power source?

What style of metal tracks will blend with the decor of the room? Will subtle track lighting with tracks that fade into the ceiling be more appropriate? Do you want to pick tracks that match the color of the ceiling? Do you want to downplay your tracks with thin cable wires? Or does the room call for a thicker track with a bolder look?

Choosing the Right Type

Another important consideration is choosing the right type of track lights. If the need is for general lighting, then you might want to go for pendant fixtures and incandescent lights. If you want to focus on artwork or the design elements in the room, then halogen may be the answer. Some of the more popular lighting designs use halogen spots to liven up a room or object of art.

If you want intense light while you work, then fluorescent bulbs may be your best bet. You can also mix and match your light bulbs. For example, mixing compact fluorescent light bulbs with traditional bulbs can be the perfect compromise between elegance and energy conservation. Choosing light heads with colorful glass covers or metal boxes can also make an impact.