Our lighting plays a crucial, dual role in our homes. It fulfils a practical function, of course, but beyond that, it's often the thing that pulls the space together, the finishing sparkle, elevating your room. But when you're stuck with a home with low ceilings, it can often feel as though your choices in this area are rather limited.
When we think of statement light fittings, our minds tend to naturally float over to dramatic chandeliers or low, swinging pendant lights stocked by all our favorite lighting shops. But without the luxury of grand, double-height ceilings, these fittings are unlikely to have the desired effect. In fact, if anything, they can tend to accentuate the limited height you're working with, making your space feel even more cramped than before.
But that doesn't mean you can't still make an impact with your lighting; you just have to change what you're looking for. And the experts have told me exactly what these spaces need: semi-flush lights.
A semi-flush light sits somewhere between a flush mount and a pendant, hanging slightly below the ceiling surface, often suspended by a central rod or stem. "I often recommend semi-flush decorative fixtures in rooms with low ceilings because they can solve a problem that recessed downlights alone cannot," shares Nathan Orsman, renowned lighting designer and founder of Orsman Design, Inc. While a classic downlight illuminates the area directly below the ceiling plane, leaving the rest of the room comparitively dark, a semi-flush light projects a wider plane of light, bringing a warm glow across the room.
By changing the direction of light, you're able to completely transform the feel of your space. "If I'm looking for a fixture that needs to provide meaningful ambient light, I look for a design with transparent or translucent sides so the light can escape laterally rather than being directed only downward. Bringing light to the upper walls and ceiling can completely change the way the room feels," explains Nathan.
But even beyond the light they provide, these fittings fulfil a vital aesthetic function, too. They bring drama and movement to your space, an added layer of intrigue, no matter the height of your ceilings.
Designing a space with low ceilings can be trickier than you may expect. Luckily, we have plenty of ideas for how to make your ceilings look higher, so you can get more out of the space you have available.
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