The Lib Crib

If you’re someone who lives with sensory sensitivity—like I do—then you already know how much our environment can affect our mood, focus, and even how safe we feel. One of the greatest changes I made in my home was to understand the principles of lighting and integrate it into my home with a focus on accent lighting. Adding accent lighting to my home changed the mood and gave me a sense of peace and calm. It turned my home into a sanctuary instead a place of work and stress. The principles of lighting really helped me change the feel of my home.

Lighting in a home typically falls into three functional categories, each with different brightness levels and purposes.

Ambient Lighting (General Lighting)

Ambient lighting is basically the overall illumination of a room. Ambient lighting includes overhead ceiling lights, chandeliers, and recess lighting. Its purpose is to light the area for general visibility so we can safely walk around our home.

Task Lighting

The second level of lighting in a home is task lighting. Task lighting is focused light for specific activities. Task lighting examples are: desk lamps, under-cabinet lighting, and vanity lights. These lights are not as bright as ambient lighting but because it is focused it helps us do detailed work.

Accent Lighting

The third level of lighting is accent lighting. The purpose of accent lighting is to affect the mood of a room, highlight certain decor, and just basically contribute to the aesthetics of the room. Accent lighting is soft and subtle, warm and glowing. It helps us calm down, relax and it brings a sense of peace. Examples of accent lighting are wall sconces, salt lamps, and the glow of aquarium lights. Research has shown that lighting in a home affects our nervous system, sleep cycles, and stress levels. When we swap out harsh overhead lighting for soft accent lighting we can feel an immediate shift in our mood.

Whether you’re neurodivergent, highly sensitive, or just looking to make your home feel more peaceful, I want to show you some Amazon lighting, some of which I use, and maybe you would like to try, too.

Wooden Mushroom Accent Lamps

I keep these adorable, rechargeable lamps in my kitchen and my bathroom. When getting a midnight drink of water or visiting the bathroom at night, these little guys help me stay in a restful state and help me not stub my toe!

Cordless Tabletop or Countertop Accent Lamps

I actually saw a version of this accent light in an episode of “Ted Lasso.” They were on a kitchen island and I thought they were gorgeous. I don’t actually have a set of these yet, but I will! Amazon has a ton of them in various styles and at various price points.

Battery Powered Wall Sconce

I love wall sconces! They are elegant and add that wonderful glow to any space. They work anywhere in my opinion: hallways, over the sofa, bathrooms, and bedrooms. Being battery powered and controlled by remote, they are just so easy to install and use.

Rechargeable Night Light

I LOVE this little lamp! I keep it on my nightstand. It has 3 levels of brightness to fit whatever need I have. I turn on the lowest level as I’m settling in to go to sleep. I love that it holds a charge so I’ll have light in case the power goes out. It’s very inexpensive and not many are left at the time of this writing, but there are other styles.

Bird Lamp

These adorable bird lamps are the perfect accent lighting. They add a warm glow to a bookshelf or any small area that needs brightening up. They are rechargeable and have 3 brightness settings.

Plant Lights

Let’s not forget that accent lights can perform other duties beside just adding a warm glow to our room. If you have plants that could benefit from some extra light, Amazon has a plethora of plant lights. I actually have the ones pictured here and I love them. In addition to giving my plants light, they draw the eye to my plant and highlight them in my room.

Aquarium Lighting

Aquarium lighting has come a long way since I was a kid. If you haven’t considered having an aquarium and using the lighting as an accent light in your home, you should look into it. They have sleek, modern, new lighting options. They come with color options and remotes. The soft lighting combined with the subtle sounds of bubbling water adds such a soothing, natural vibe to any room.

I hope these accent lighting options inspire you to bring a bit of peace and comfort to your home. They certainly have helped me and they can help you, too.