Wallwashing is a popular name for a lighting design technique for illumination of large surfaces. It is mainly used with

contemporary architecture Contemporary architecture is the architecture of the 21st century. No single style is dominant. Contemporary architects work in several different styles, from postmodernism, high-tech architecture and new interpretations of traditional architec ...

; in public cultural buildings, museums and galleries; and in

landscape lighting Landscape lighting or garden lighting refers to the use of outdoor illumination of private gardens and public landscapes; for the enhancement and purposes of safety, nighttime aesthetics, accessibility, security, recreation and sports, and s ...

. Most of what one actually sees, entering a room, are the vertical surfaces. The illumination requires asymmetric lighting fixtures, which, in a number of 3 or more in a line, can produce evenly illuminated walls. It is a technique used mainly by

lighting designer In theatre, a lighting designer (or LD) works with the director, choreographer, set designer, costume designer, and sound designer to create the lighting, atmosphere, and time of day for the production in response to the text while keeping ...

s to create lighter spaces, or make rooms seem brighter or higher, similar to the "horizon" technique used in

theatre lighting Stage lighting is the craft of lighting as it applies to the production of theater, dance, opera, and other performance arts.

References

Architectural lighting design {{Architecturalelement-stub