We mention various types of light fixtures all the time here at Lighting by Lux, but what do all the terms mean, exactly? In order to perfect your lighting plan, it’s essential to know the difference between different types of fixtures and the type of lighting they produce. Here is a quick and easy reference guide to the three main categories of light fixtures - portable, surface-mount and recessed - and the types of fixtures that fall under each category:

A Portable Fixture has a cord with a plug and can be easily moved from place to place. Portable fixtures include table lamps, floor lamps, torchieres (a floor lamp that projects light toward the ceiling), uplights (a small fixture that can be placed on the floor and concealed behind furniture), swags (hanging fixtures with a plug-in cord), adjustable accent lights, and external stake lights for your garden. These tend to be the most widely-used fixtures in residences, most likely because of their flexibility and ease-of-use, as well as because of their usefulness in providing both ambient and task lighting..

The term “surface-mounted” is fairly self-explanatory - these are fixtures that are permanently mounted to the wall, floor or ceiling (or some other surface outdoors), and require being hardwired into your electrical system. These include flush and semi-flush ceiling fixtures, pendants and chandeliers, wall sconces, porch lights and track lights. The problem with surface-mounted lighting is that, unless it is wired to a dimmer switch, it is often too bright to serve as ambient lighting, and it usually casts too many shadows to serve well as task lighting. For this reason, surface-mounted fixtures are often decorative and should almost never be relied on as a sole source of illumination in your room’s lighting plan.

Recessed fixtures, like surface-mounted, are hardwired into the home’s electrical system, and are sunken beneath the surface of the floor or ceiling. Since their installation involves cutting, drilling and wiring, they are usually only added to a home during either new construction or a remodeling project. The type of recessed fixture you choose depends on which your home is undergoing, as fixture housing is designed for either one or the other. If you are in a position to install recessed lighting, be sure your design places them where they are easy to get to for maintenance purposes. They won’t do you much good once they burn out if access is too difficult to be worth the trouble.

Knowing the right terms should make both planning and shopping for the right light fixture much easier. Of course, the best lighting plans integrate combinations from all three categories to provide functional, flexible lighting in any room.