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Surface mounted downlight fixtures are a type of ceiling light designed for use with solid ceilings where recessed lights are incompatible. Below, you can learn about surface mounted downlights for retail and domestic settings alike.
What Are Surface Mounted Ceiling Downlights?
Surface mounted downlights are a fixture style that attaches to the ceiling and shines light downwards. They are used with ceilings that are not hollow and cannot have lights recessed into them, while achieving a similar visual effect.
LED downlights for solid ceilings provide a similar style of illumination and modern aesthetic. They are easy to install and are compact, making them ideal and practical for quick renovations without having to disrupt existing structures.
Modern surface downlights come in a number of styles, making it easy to find lights that suit your existing decor. These versatile downlights tend to be compact as well, so they are well-suited for smaller rooms or rooms with low ceilings.
How to Use Surface Mount Downlights in the Home
Ceiling mounted lights are versatile and can be used in any room of the house. From living rooms to kitchens and every room in between, see how you can incorporate this style of light into your house.
Kitchen Ceiling Lights
Kitchens are task-heavy spaces that need plenty of illumination to perform tasks like food prep safely. Surface mounted lights provide ample general illumination from overhead that you can then supplement with other task lights, such as under cabinet lighting.
Living Room Ceiling Lights
In the living room, you can use compact surface downlighters as a part of your layered lighting scheme. The downlights can be evenly spaced across the ceiling to create ambient lighting or focused in one area for task lighting instead.
Adjustable surface mounted ceiling downlights can be positioned in such a way as to highlight artwork, architecture and other details, making them good as accent lighting as well.
Bathroom Ceiling Lights
Similar to a kitchen, bathrooms are task-heavy spaces with potential risks for falls and accidents due to the presence of water. Bright, safe lighting is key here. You can use appropriately IP rated surface mounted lights for general illumination, and install downlights in shower areas for task lighting.
Dining Room Ceiling Lights
In the dining room, you need to be able to see clearly to eat without the illumination being too bright and glaring. Linear surface mounted ceiling lights over the dining table can spread light along the surface evenly and effectively.
Hallway Ceiling Lights
As hallways are a transitional space, you need to ensure they are clearly lit for easy navigation. Evenly spacing the ceiling lights down the hallway ensures there are no dark, shadowy spots. This makes for safer movement through the space from start to end.
How to Use Surface Mounted Ceiling Downlighters in Commercial Applications
Commercial surface mounted downlights are an integral part of your professional lighting design. There are many ways to incorporate them into your space, no matter the business you run.
Hotel Lighting
Lighting plays a huge role in the atmosphere and comfort of your hotel. From the start, have hotel ceiling lights in your lobby so guests can clearly see when checking into their rooms.
Lighting up hotel hallways is equally as important, so guests can easily find their way to their rooms. In the rooms themselves, they provide ambient light that you can then supplement with reading lights and desk lamps.
Retail Lighting
In a retail environment, lighting can make a difference in your sales. By ensuring your shop display surface downlights are well-placed, you can better illuminate the items you have on sale. Clearer visibility may make customers feel more comfortable making the decision to purchase from you.
Having surface mounted ceiling lights in dressing rooms serves as a good source of task lighting. Customers can accurately see how they look in the clothes, making them feel more confident in the potential purchase. For these lights, it’s good to choose a bulb with a high CRI.
Office Lighting
In industrial buildings like offices and warehouses, downlights for concrete ceilings are important. Recessed lights cannot fit into solid ceilings like that, but you can get a similar result with ceiling mounted lights.
Proper lighting may increase worker productivity and ensure their comfort while completing tasks. They can also help with focus and concentration, making ample overhead lighting especially important in meeting and conference rooms.
Advice on What to Look for When Buying Surface Downlights
As you begin shopping for your new downlights, there are a few things to keep in mind when making your decisions.
- LED LIGHTS. Energy efficient ceiling lights are especially crucial in commercial environments where the lights will be running for long periods of time. Since they use 80 percent less energy than traditional bulbs, they put less of a strain on your electricity bill and on the environment.
- APPROPRIATE STYLE. Consider the room that you will be adding the downlights to. Take note of the style and aesthetic and choose your lights accordingly.
For example, round surface mounted ceiling lights are ideal for those who like subtle looks. Geometric or boxy surface lights are better for those who like hyper-modern design styles. Ensure that the light you choose matches the scale of the room so it isn’t too big or too small.
The material and finish of the light also comes into consideration. Choose finishes that match your decor, like white, black, chrome or brushed metal.
- LUMEN COUNT. Your brightness needs may change depending on the size of your room and the mood you want to set. Check the lumen counts on the light fixtures to guage how bright or dim they may be. You may need more than one light to get the necessary illumination levels.
- COLOUR TEMPERATURE. Colour temperature plays a huge role in determining the atmosphere of a space. Warm lights between 2700K and 3000K are ideal for use in hotel suites and home bedrooms. Such colour temperature creates a soft, inviting glow while still providing plenty of visibility.
For offices, kitchens and bathrooms, neutral white between 3500K and 4000K tends to be preferred. In showrooms and warehouses, cool white lights between 5000K and 6500K are ideal.
- IP RATING. If you intend to install your lights in the bathroom or other humid environment, be sure you choose lights with an appropriate IP rating. IP65 rated lights and above are recommended for shower and bath areas.
How to Create Mood Lighting With Surface Ceiling Downlights
Mood lighting is important if you want to create a certain atmosphere in a space. With surface mounted ceiling lights, you can accomplish this easily.
Mood lighting is designed to evoke a certain aesthetic and emotional ambiance in a space. Oftentimes, it is used to make a space more visually interesting, dramatic or cosy.
To this effect, it is good to choose lights that have a warmer colour temperature. Aim for warm to warm white lights, within the range of 2700K and 3300K depending on your preferences.
In a layered lighting scheme, accent lighting can double as mood lighting when used on its own. The ceiling lights that shine down on artwork or architectural elements can be turned on on their own to cast a soft, indirect glow for you to relax by.
If you have dimmable lighting, you can adjust the brightness of the light with the twist of a dial. Being able to dim and brighten the lights according to your needs can keep you in control of the mood of the space at all points during the day.
How to Use Surface Ceiling Downlights in Modern Open Plan Spaces
In modern homes, open floor plans are common. They provide an airy, spacious feel that provides a fluid transition from one room to the next.
Open plans do present a challenge when it comes to effectively lighting the interior space, however. Surface mounted downlights can help you skirt some of those issues.
Define the Zones
Using ceiling lighting, you can create distinct zones in the floor plan. For example, using downlights with wide beam angles in living rooms will denote the space as one of relaxation and comfort. More focused overhead lighting in dining rooms will set the dining space apart visually.
Use Dimmable Lights
Another way to visually differentiate the spaces with lights is to have a dimmer switch. You can make some rooms brighter and some dimmer, making them stand as separate from one another. The brightness can be altered depending on the tasks happening at various points in the day as well.
Create a Border
By installing the ceiling lights in a sort of linear pattern or grid, you can more overtly mark where the borders of the different “zones” are. Lining the different spaces with lights will also ensure that each zone is well lit, while the fixtures themselves serve as a sort of separator.
Layer the Lighting
By ensuring the light is well-balanced throughout the space, you can create distinct visual focal points. Use surface mounted lighting to provide the general ambient illumination and supplement them with more focused task lighting.
Highlight areas that deserve a little extra attention, such as architectural elements or textured walls in each room. This will create visual interest while attracting the eye to these points of separation.
How to Select the Correct LED Wattage for the Space
Unlike halogen bulbs, LED lights do not communicate their brightnesses in wattage. Instead, they use lumens. Understanding what “wattage” different lumen counts offer can help you get a better idea of the illumination levels you can expect from different lights.
You will notice that LED lights produce much more illumination at a reduced cost of energy usage. This makes the lights more energy efficient, allowing you to get more lighting for less.
For instance, an average 60 watt incandescent bulb affords the same brightness as a 600 lumen LED light. Brighter still are 1000 lumen lights, that generally produce the same level of light as a 75 or 100 watt bulb.
Different rooms of the house have their own lumen requirements. General recommendations are as follows:
- Living rooms need 100 to 200 lumens per square feet
- Kitchens need 300 to 400 lumens per square feet
- Bathrooms need 200 to 300 lumens per square feet
- Offices need 300 to 500 lumens per square feet
- Bedrooms need 150 to 200 lumens per square feet
- Dining rooms need 200 to 300 lumens per square feet
Conclusion
Surface mounted downlights are a versatile way to add illumination to domestic and commercial areas alike. Above, we’ve discussed different ways to incorporate these fixtures in efficient and stylish ways.
Modern Surface Mounted Ceiling Downlight Ideas
Take control over your ambient lighting with the LSP705 5 Watt Adjustable Surface Mounted LED Downlight. This downlight features a movable head that can be twisted and tilted in the direction you prefer, making it ideal as accent lighting. It generates 430 lumens of 3000K warm white light that shines at a 24 degree beam angle. The light is built to last out of high quality aluminum with your choice of a black or white finish.
With their geometric shape, the LBL252 10 Watt Hexagonal Surface Mounted LED Downlight is an ultra modern ceiling light that adds contemporary charm to any space. It shines 800 lumens of 3000K warm white light at a 30 degree beam angle. This durable light is fashioned out of high quality aluminium with a black, white or silver finish. It measures 110 millimeters by 180 millimeters by 104 millimeters in size.
Perfect as ambient lighting, the LBL713 15 Watt Surface Mounted Anti Glare LED Downlight is a high powered linear ceiling light designed to reduce glare while shining brightly. It generates 600 lumens of 3000K warm white light that spreads at a 24 degree beam angle. This light measures 194 millimeters by 43 millimeters by 66 millimeters and works well over busy areas thanks to its anti-glare design.
Well-suited for larger rooms, the LBL116 20 Watt Black Surface Mounted 1200mm Long LED Downlight Fitting is a long light fixture designed to spread illumination over a wider area of space. This light measures 1200 millimeters in length, perfect for hanging over dining tables and other such furnishings. It shines 1600 lumens of 3000K warm white light for a nice blend of eye comfort and visibility. It comes finished in black with a frosted acrylic diffuser.
