Friday, April 15, 2011

Cathedral Ceiling Lighting Options

A lighted ceiling fan is one option for illuminating a room with a cathedral ceiling.


A cathedral ceiling takes away the space between the roof and the ceiling. The ceiling follows the architectural flow of the roof, peaking where the roof peaks. Cathedral ceilings add extra height to a room, creating a sense of spaciousness that standard eight-foot ceilings cannot portray. They also add extra decorative space. Within this extra space, you must select the correct type of lighting that will mount onto the ceiling safely and will illuminate the room to a satisfying intensity.


Track Lighting


According to HGTV Pro's website, track lighting is the recommended and preferred lighting option for cathedral ceilings. Track lighting highlights the architectural detail of the cathedral ceiling while also providing enough light to illuminate an entire room. Service Magic states that the most common type of tracking lighting is currently three wire systems that mount onto the ceiling and provide three separate hanging lights, making them convenient to install on slanted cathedral ceilings. Low-voltage options are available for softer, more energy-efficient lighting.


Lighted Fan


Ceilings fans suspended from long cords seemingly bring the height of cathedral ceiling down a notch or two, according to YourNewHouse.com. Fans create aesthetic value and a homey atmosphere while also allowing you to cool your room's temperature by circulating the air in warm weather. More importantly, you can turn the fan blades in the opposite direction during cold weather to return heat to the ground. Because heat rises, cathedral ceilings can cause a room to become chilly. Lighted ceiling fans help regulate the air temperature while also lighting the room.


Natural Lighting


With higher ceilings come higher walls. Fill this extra bare wall space visually and objectively by adding windows. Windows of different shapes and sizes create style and break up wall space that would otherwise look awkward and empty, according to YourNewHouse.com. Stacked windows or regular windows topped with transoms are visually appealing options that coincide well with cathedral ceilings. Also, add natural light by incorporating skylights into the ceiling. According to House-Energy.com, mounting a skylight onto a cathedral ceiling is ideal because the skylight is mounted directly onto the roof, and the ceiling just needs a simple hole installed.

Tags: cathedral ceiling, cathedral ceilings, while also, according YourNewHouse, mount onto, mount onto ceiling, onto ceiling