Good Lighting depends more on where you put the light (and in what proportions) than on the number of footcandles. Managing brightness to assure comfort and providing convenient controls are also critical.

All rooms require ambient (all around) lighting to provide basic visibility. Ambient lighting enables you to move safely, see into drawers and cabinets, and clean up. In addition, most rooms need further task, accent, and wall illumination. The composition of these lighting effects is often called layering. The layers consist of ambient plus local areas of higher intensity illumination. (Providing just a single layer of light at the highest intensity not only wastes energy and money, it makes a space appear static and dull.)

Layering also provides light from different directions and with varying textures. The goal is capturing the pleasing dynamics we experience from natural light. For example, lighting a room exclusively with down lights can create unpleasant shadows and feel somewhat oppressive. Providing soft fill light from table lamps, pendants, or wall brackets balances the effect. Totally indirect lighting flattens a space, diminishing its intrinsic character and creating an overcast atmosphere. Providing accent light, pooled brightness, or sparkle, adds back attractive highlights.