Rooms with high ceilings are better illuminated with uplighting.
The lighting in different rooms of the house varies based on its purpose. If you need bright light in which to read or prepare food, overhead fixtures provide the best illumination. But if you want to create a comforting, low-key atmosphere, uplighting or recessed lighting is the best option. Uplights are normally hidden in ceiling indentations or behind molding or trims.
Space and Room Accents
Exceptionally high vaulted or cathedral-style ceilings are frequently overlooked. To draw attention to beams and architectural designs such as wainscoting or ceiling murals, install uplights behind the molding a few feet beneath the ceiling. Controlling the uplights with a dimmer switch gives greater control of the lighting effects. If you have a large open space that serves as both a dining and living room, create the illusion of separate rooms by uplighting the ceiling with recessed lights that illuminate only the space above the dining room table.
Art and Curio Uplights
Intriguing art and curios displayed on ledges, walls and shelves frequently get lost in the shadows of a room. Installing adjustable, hidden lights in the ceiling of the room allows you to discreetly draw attention to the pieces with rays of light that also create interesting silhouette patterns in the room. If the room has large, intricate molding in the corners or where the walls and ceiling meet, the lights can be concealed there.
Mantle Uplighting
Older homes often have fireplaces with mantles up to 5 or 6 feet tall. To showcase the trinkets and decor on the top of the mantle, strategically install recessed lighting in the ceiling to cast a soft light on the display. Using adjustable uplights provides the option for switching the emphasis when the mantle display is altered to exhibit holiday themes or decorated for special occasions.
Other Ceiling Lighting Ideas
More elaborate uplighting options including coving, cornices, panel moldings, clam shells and ceiling roses. Coving is a thin decorative shelf wide installed around the perimeter of the room about two feet below the ceiling and cornices are concave, decorative shelves installed in corners. Both additions easily conceal uplighting. Wall panel moldings as well as clam shells and ceiling roses attached to the ceiling diffuse the uplighting and accentuate the diverse and subtle shadowing. These lighting options are available in lightweight plastic that look like wood and attach to walls and ceilings with strong adhesive backings.
Tags: behind molding, ceiling roses, clam shells, clam shells ceiling, , panel moldings, recessed lighting