Ceiling lights can change the look and feel of a room, affecting a room’s usefulness, changing the tones of the décor, and dictating the placement of furniture, art, and other accessories throughout a room. The type of room you are lighting also plays a role in what type of ceiling lights you should choose. Lumens offers a wide variety of ceiling light fixtures in styles that range from traditional and formal to modern and casual. You should take time in considering the types of lighting and the brightness you want in your space before making a selection. In fact, lighting makes such a huge impact on the feel of a room that if you change nothing else in your dining room, swapping out an old ceiling light for a new one can completely change the look and feel of the space.
Choosing the Right Ceiling Light for Your Space
Types of Ceiling Lights
There are several types of ceiling lights to choose from. Some of the most popular types include flush mount and semi-flush mount lights. Flush mount lighting is commonly seen in businesses and schools in the form of square or rectangular lights that hold fluorescent bulbs. Semi-flush mount lights are most often seen in apartments and other residential spaces and typically have a shallow dome covering, explains SFStyle.com. They go on to note that flush mount and semi-flush mount lights are a good choice for rooms with ceilings that are eight feet high or lower. For ceilings ten feet high or higher, they recommend pendant or chandelier ceiling fixtures as these hanging styles bring the light down to the areas in which it is needed. Ceiling light is meant to provide general or ambient lighting in most situations. That said, if you are hanging a pendant light or chandelier over a bar or dining table, you can use this style of lighting on a lower ceiling, hanging as low as three feet above the surface of the bar or table: this allowance is due to the fact that you don’t have to worry about someone walking under the light.
Using Ceiling Lighting for Task Lighting
In the standard household, or even in an office, one room can serve many purposes and be the scene of several events. With many tasks to be done you need the proper light for accomplishing them. HGTV designers explain that the ambient light of a room can be maintained while still providing the proper task lighting in your room, by layering lights. For example, you can have a flush mount or semi-flush mount, or even a valance light as your central ceiling light for a room. Then, to add task lighting and more ambient light, you can use recessed or can-lights on tracks (angling them at the walls) to flood the wall with light and create a space within a space for playing games, talking, or even reading. This trick also works well when you want to highlight a painting or other piece of artwork on a wall in your room. Downward facing recessed or can lights work well when placed over a reading chair or desk for concentrated task lighting. One benefit of track ceiling lights is that you often have the opportunity to change the direction of the neck if you do not like the way the light is angled, or you decide to move your furniture around.
Ceiling Lights with Fans
Ceiling fans with lights is another option when looking to illuminate a room. While ceiling fans, in general, are not particularly popular with many modern interior designers, they are immensely popular in regions where the weather gets hot and humid; the addition of circulating air to a living space is often a welcomed one. Ceiling fan lights can be as diverse as standard ceiling light fixtures. The fan itself will always hang down a few inches from the ceiling, as this is necessary to facilitate spinning, but the light portion can be either a semi-flush dome or some variant of a can or valance light. BobVila.com explains that you should take into account how far the overall fixture will hang. You also have to consider the diameter of the fan’s base and that of the blades as well when choosing a ceiling fan light for your room. This type of light works well in living/family rooms and in large, eat-in kitchens.
You have numerous decisions to make when choosing ceiling lights for your room. Consider the amount of light the fixture will put out and the direction the light will flow. The purpose of your main ceiling light is to illuminate the room and give ambient light. You can then add task lighting with stick florescent, can, or track lights to highlight artwork or create areas within a room for working, playing games, or having conversations. Choose lights that hang an appropriate distance for the height of your ceiling and their intended placement. The lights you choose for your room can affect the room’s overall style and functionality, so take time to consider what you want and need and don’t just go for that pretty fixture you saw in a magazine.
