Lighting solutions for sloped and vaulted ceilings

Those stunning vaulted ceilings in barn conversions and period properties certainly boast the wow-factor but they can be difficult to light. Sloping ceilings can present you with a few issues too. It will take a little thought and planning to light these spaces effectively if you don’t want to be banging your head on your pendants or peering through the gloom!

Why sloping ceilings make life difficult

It doesn’t take Einstein to work out that sloping ceilings can make furnishing a room rather awkward. Wardrobes won’t fit and you can even struggle to accommodate beds with high headboards. However, the difficulties you face with lighting may not become apparent until you start choosing your fittings.

Pendant lights and chandeliers are usually supplied with hardware designed for flat ceilings, preventing you from featuring this type of lighting in your room. Most flush styles will look strange affixed to sloping ceilings and then there’s the issue of height. Even if you find lights to suit, they may hang too low and you risk suffering a serious of head injuries.

So, what can you do?

Lighting solutions for sloping ceilings

The good news is that pendant lights can hang straight down from a sloped ceiling if you use a sloped ceiling adaptor. These are typically fitted between the canopy and the downrod. The only fly in the ointment is that it can be a major mission to find a model which is the same colour as the finish of your light.

Spot lights are definitely an option as these little marvels look at home anywhere. Of course, you could dispense with ceiling lights altogether by fitting uplighters to the walls and featuring table or floor lamps.

You should also consider track systems with multiple lights. These will fit seamlessly into almost any room and if you choose lights which can be swivelled, track lighting is highly effective at eliminating shadowy areas of a space.

Tackling vaulted ceilings

Vaulted ceilings create a striking look but there is always a huge amount of space to illuminate. This is an important consideration as it is all too easy to underdo your lighting and leave yourself with a gloomy room rather than a bright and open interior. The drama of the space demands statement lighting and so groups of pendants or chandeliers would be excellent choices. Choose styles with lengthy chains or cables to enable you to hang the fittings low enough to light the space you actually use and to create visual impact.

Your chandeliers could be supplemented by spotlights or wall lights to ensure that you have sufficient light to illuminate all areas of the room.

Re-positioning pendant lights

Your lighting plans may be complicated by the current location of the fittings. If you have moved house, the lighting in your new home may not have been carefully planned or could have been arranged specifically to suit the way your predecessors used and furnished the room. You may not be able to hang your lights where you would ideally like them without having to call in an electrician. If you move the fittings you face having to repair the ceiling too.

There’s nothing more annoying than an off-centre light or one which is obviously in the wrong place. The solution is to invest in ceiling hooks and lights with cords or chains which can be draped over these. You can then re-position your pendant without having to move the connections.

Sloped and vaulted ceilings can create interiors which are more difficult to light and may restrict your choice of fittings. But it is possible to light our rooms effectively and to create stylish looks which make rather than break your rooms.

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