Track lighting and individual lamps keep artwork illuminated and give Spirit of the Hand Gallery in Dandridge, Tenn., a welcoming glow. Credit: Marc Ward.

With so many lighting choices out there, retailers can often feel a little lost. How exactly do you showcase the work in your gallery in the best possible light? Lighting is about much more than spotlighting a piece of art; it helps set the mood in your store and directs how customers move about the displays.

Don’t forget about your exterior. A nicely lit sign lets customers know they’ve reached Spirit of the Hand Gallery, and a bright porch light beckons them inside. Credit: Marc Ward.

“Lighting should be considered a sales tool in retail environments,” says the Lighting Design Lab, an education and consultation company in Seattle, Wash. “It can be used to entice customers into the store, lead them through merchandise areas, call attention to specific merchandise, and draw customers through the transaction process—all the while conveying specific moods or enhancing merchandising themes.”

According to retail design expert Lynne Mesher, who discusses lighting in her new book Basics Interior Design: Retail Design ($32.95, AVA Publishing), retail lighting can be divided into three layers: accent, task and ambient.

Accent lighting, she says, is the brightest element in the store, and the one used to highlight products. A good example of this would be LED lights used to illuminate pieces in a cabinet.

Pinnacle Gallery in Scottsdale, Ariz., capitalizes on daylighting, complemented by track lighting. Pendants are used in the jewelry and consultation areas.

Then there’s task lighting, which is used in service areas like your cash register or consultation area. Mesher says it should be low enough that it doesn’t interfere with accent lighting, but bright enough that everybody can clearly see what they are doing. Task lights are often pendants or chandeliers.

Finally, there’s ambient lighting, which guides customers around the store. It gives an overall glow to the store, but doesn’t interfere with the other two layers. Ambient lighting is often incorporated in a ceiling fixture, or recessed into the ceiling.

Lighting options have come a long way in the last few years. The Lighting Design Lab notes that many retailers are now looking to daylighting as a good option, putting in skylights or larger windows. There’s also a demand for energy-efficient lighting. Here’s Mesher’s breakdown of the types of lighting you should consider:

• CDM: Stands for ceramic dicharge metal halide. These are very bright, and are used to wash product-filled walls. You’ll see them a lot in window displays.
• LED: Stands for light emitting diode. They are very energy efficient and long lasting, and have a low heat emission. LEDs are great for cabinet lighting.
• Low-voltage downlighters: These can be used independently, or as secondary lighting for products. You can also use them to wash your gallery interior with ambient light. Set them about 30 inches apart for an even glow.
• Fluorescent: This is a very versatile option, as fluorescent lights come in many sizes. Fluorescents are good for back-of-the-house lighting because they are inexpensive and efficient (average lifespan is 12,000-20,000 hours). You can also use them behind ceiling rafters for an even glow of ambient light.
• Track: These are often used when there’s no ceiling void available to recess lighting. They come in a range of styles.