Choosing a ceiling light for your home from a catalogue or online can make many people nervous. They are unsure of the finishes, the correct size, or are just unsure what type to choose.
Here we have tried to make it easier for you, with tips and suggestions that have helped many of our customers over the years, who to this day are still delighted with their choice of light fitting.
Choosing a ceiling that is right for you and your home is relatively easy. What is confusing is the vast amount of different types that are available, so you find yourself flitting to one style then the other which often confuses and put people off making the final decision.
If you are changing all of your lighting in different rooms, just concentrate on one room at a time. It can sometimes be so easy to get confused with the many different styles available. Once you have decided on that room carry onto the next.
Considerations
Does the room have a high ceiling of 8ft or more? If so, the best type of light will be one on a chain suspension or something that hangs down a little from the ceiling. As a rule of thumb the lights that we have are measured without the inclusion of the chain, so the actual height of the ceiling light is measured from the highest point of the light fitting to the lowest point. The chain measurement is then added.
If your ceiling height is lower than 8ft, then a semi flush fitting may be your best choice. This type of ceiling fitting has no chain and is suspended by the means of various rods or ceiling mounts incorporated into it. So the height shown in the light fittings description is the actual height your light will hang down into the room from the ceiling.
If the ceiling height is 7ft 6in or lower, then a flush fitting ceiling light should be considered. Some people dread choosing a flush fitting, especially if it is a living room where you want to have a decorative ceiling light. Today there is a vast and expanding amount of highly decorative fittings that are spectacular and a far distant cry from the day when we could only choose a simple glass shade on a bracket or lamp holder.
It is always a good idea to measure the height of your ceiling and decide as to what type of ceiling light will actually fit in your room. At this stage you will know whether it is to be suspended on a chain, a semi flush fitting or a flush light.
Style Of Ceiling Light
What style of décor are you seeking to achieve? Modern, traditional, contemporary, or do you have a themed style to your house such as Art Deco, or the rustic 18 Centuary farmhouse style?
Try to remain in keeping with the style of your home, with your furniture and not be too extreme. It really is important to think at this stage of the style of light fitting that will suit your home and not just because something is in fashion or trendy. Fashion and trends come and go, but if you choose the correct style of lighting, it will blend well with your home and outlast fashion trends, remaining a feature in your home for many years without becoming out of date or out of style.
By now we should have chosen the style of light fitting (modern, traditional, contemporary or themed) as well as the type, (chandelier with a chain, semi flush or flush fitting).
What Finish?
There are so many different finishes to choose from, but in many cases, the choice of finish has already been made for you. What finish are your door handles, switches, sockets, your fire surround, hearth or curtain rail? These are just a few hints and things to think about and sometimes help in the choice of choosing a particular colour from fixtures you may already have.
If you are starting from a blank canvass the finish of your light fitting will depend greatly on the type of décor and theme you will be seeking. In general it is a good idea to match the colour of your light fitting with other fixtures in your room so if you are starting with a blank room it is a good idea at this point to choose the colour at the same time as for instance light switches, sockets, fireplace curtain rail etc. There are many finishes to choose from such as brass which although recently has not been as popular it is making a come back, which is something to bear in mind when choosing a finish. Trends come and go but the traditional colours such as brass, chrome and the satin colours such as satin silver and satin brass will always remain.
Now that you have decided on the type, style and finish of your light fitting, you need to ensure that the light is in proportion to the room size.
What Size Light Do I Need?
Generally the size of the light fitting determines the amount of illumination you will get. For instance a three light chandelier is almost always smaller in diameter than a five armed chandelier. The diameter of our fittings is given in the description and is measured at the widest point.
The diameter of the light you choose is important. The larger the diameter, the wider the fitting, so the lamp bulbs are spread further apart and will throw light further into your room. Generally, the larger the room, the larger the light fitting needs to be as these tend to hold more lamps than a smaller diameter alternative.
Sometimes it is very difficult to visualise the size of the light fitting by reading the measurements from a description. Through years of advising our customers, we have found that the following method works. It may seem peculiar, but we have found it has helped many of our customers to get the proportion right before committing to their purchase.
If you have a light fitting in mind but just cant quite imagine the size of it in your room, find and old cardboard box and cut out the diameter of the light. Ask a helping hand to hold this at the approximate height that it would hang. This cut out will help with visualising the size of the light and the impact it will have on the room.
This method can also be used with the height of the fitting and how far down it will come from the ceiling. The height of each light is given from the top of the fitting to the bottom. Fittings that come with chain suspension are measured in the same way, but the length of chain is generally not included in the measurement and this has to be added. Chain lengths vary from manufacture to manufacture it may be a good idea to check the chain length before making your final decision.
Generally speaking how much light you need in a particular room is a matter of personal choice. Some may want the room in question to be particularly bright; some may require a soft ambient light for the room. Many other factors come into play, for instance, does the room have wall lights, do they come on with the main light or are they switched independently? Are there table lamps and floor lamps in the room?
We hope this information page has helped you feel more confident in making your final choice. We understand how important it is to choose the right type of light fitting for your home.
If you needed any further information on any of our products, please call 0151 650 2138 or use the contact us page and we will be extremely happy to assist you.
© 2010: Jan Foster. Universal Lighting Services Ltd: 0151-650-2138 All rights reserved.
