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Linear pendant light fixtures are an easy way to incorporate stylish, contemporary illumination into your home. In this article, we will explore the benefits of linear LED ceiling light fixtures and how to incorporate them into your home.
What Are Linear Ceiling-Mounted Lights?
Surface mounted linear ceiling light fixtures are long lights that attach to the ceiling. They can either be mounted directly to the ceiling, or attached by way of hanging linear pendant lights.
Surface mounted lights provide a low profile lighting choice for smaller rooms or rooms with lower ceilings. They provide an even spread of lighting that is more subtle than other styles of lighting in this style of space.
Hanging pendant lights, on the other hand, are ideal for more spacious rooms, or those that have vaulted ceilings. They can make great statement lights in contemporary spaces that need a lot of illumination.
Benefits of LED Linear Ceiling Lights
Using LED bulbs in Long ceiling light fixtures have benefits that traditional bulbs don’t provide. Perhaps the most famous feature of a pendant light is its energy efficiency. LED lights use 80 percent less energy than halogen or incandescent lights. Since they are more energy efficient, they last longer; LEDs offer tens of thousands of usable hours as opposed to the 1,000 hours or so that halogen bulbs offer.
Not having to buy replacements often, as well as having less of a drain on your electricity, will lower your spending on lights in general. This is especially important if you are using these lights in a commercial setting, such as a hotel, that has lights on 24/7.
LEDs are also versatile in their many colour temperature options and their lumen counts. You can customise the lights to suit the needs of any room in the house. For example, having warmer illumination in living rooms and bedrooms, and cooler lights in kitchens and offices.
Great Applications in the Home for Linear Ceiling Lighting
Long pendant light fixtures can be used in various rooms of the house for different purposes. Check out our room-by-room breakdown to see the many options you have for incorporation.
Kitchen Lighting
Install surface mounted linear lights over islands and countertops for food prep and cooking. They also work in kitchens that have a low ceiling to save headroom. Linear pendant lights work well over kitchen islands hanging between 30 and 36 inches from the counter. Installing pendants in odd numbers can create a modern looking space that is well-balanced and evenly lit.
Dining Room Lighting
Dining tables offer a great focal point for your contemporary linear pendant lights to hang. Turn it into a statement piece with a large, single hanging light. You can also keep things simpler by installing the light directly on the ceiling, making it even more minimalist and modern.
Hallway Lighting
Long corridors work well with surface mounted lighting as it saves on headroom. It also eliminates the need for any floor or table lamps that would also take up precious space. Hanging pendant lights work as statement fixtures in entryways and foyers with tall, soaring ceilings.
How to Use Linear Ceiling Lights in Commercial Applications
Commercial linear pendant light fixtures bring a modern look to your office, hotel, warehouse or restaurant, depending on the atmosphere. They can offer a dramatic flair when used as statement lights, helping to communicate the brand personality of retail shops and boutique hotels.
Read on to see how commercial linear ceiling light fixtures can be incorporated into various commercial settings.
Office and Workspace Lighting
- linear lights give glare-free and uniform illumination in offices and conference rooms
- linear pendant lights can be suspended at desk height to give ample illumination across the cubicle space
Retail and Showroom Lighting
- hang pendant lights over checkout counters and certain displays to draw attention to them. It is recommended you use lights with a high CRI.
- long surface mounted ceiling light fixtures can be placed over aisles to help guide guests through the shop
Hospitality Lighting
- install a simple black linear pendant light over hotel restaurant tables and bar areas for subtle and even lighting
- attach surface mounted lights in hotel hallways or along the perimeter of a restaurant
Industrial and Warehouse
- place surface mounted lights in large storage areas to spread light into all corners, increasing workplace safety
- linear pendant lights work well in break rooms and back offices
How to Pair Linear LED Ceiling & Pendant Lighting with Other Lighting in the Home
Sleek linear ceiling light fixtures can easily be worked into your existing lighting scheme just by layering it in. Layered lighting refers to using ambient, accent and task lights in conjunction with one another.
Ambient light makes up the main foundational lighting of a room. Most commonly, this is incorporated in the form of ceiling lights. Black linear ceiling light fixtures are a good choice in a layered lighting scheme as they almost universally work with any style of decor in the room.
Task lighting is focused illumination designed to make completing activities and tasks simpler. For example, long kitchen island linear ceiling light fixtures provide direct and plentiful illumination for food prep and cooking. In an office, this might look like a light hanging over a desk.
Accent lighting is responsible for setting a mood and creating focal points. Picture lights, wall sconces and other such lights pull the layered lighting scheme together seamlessly.
Be sure that the finish of the linear light matches the finishes of the rest of the fixtures for a streamlined look. You also want to be sure that the lights all have the same colour temperature to prevent unsightly clashing.
Tips on Maintaining LED Ceiling Lighting
LEDs are quite convenient in the way that they do not need constant maintenance. They are more durable than many traditional lights, so you won’t have to worry about wear and tear as often.
Maintaining the lights is as simple as occasionally wiping them down with a soft rag to get off dust and debris. As you make your rounds, check on the electrical elements of the lights and ensure the bulbs are not flickering or out of place.
If you notice damages to the housing of the light itself, make sure to quickly have it repaired. This will ensure that your lights last as long as possible.
Installation Advice for Linear Ceiling Lights
Generally speaking, we recommend that you hire a professional electrician to install your lights for you in order to prevent injuries. That said, if you feel confident in handling your own light installations, you can do so in no time at all.
Before anything else, do a voltage test after turning off the electricity just to be extra sure there is no risk of electric shock. Check wattage limits so that you aren’t overloading the circuits. After that, you are ready to begin.
- Begin by marking where you want to mount the lights using a pencil and a level.
- Secure the mounting bracket to the ceiling using a drill.
- Connect the wiring to the fixture area.
- Attach the fixture to the bracket using screws and install any panels that you may want.
- Restore the power, test the lights and adjust as needed.
How to Choose the Right Wattage and Lumens for Your Space
Wattage is to halogen bulbs as lumens are to LED lights. That is to say, wattage is how you can tell how bright a traditional bulb is, and lumens are how you do the same with LEDs.
The main difference is that wattage indicates how much electricity the light itself uses. Modern LEDs require much fewer watts to run, so their brightness is discussed in lumens instead.
Lumens directly indicate the actual brightness of a light. Different areas will need different lumen levels depending on square footage.
- Kitchens need task lights between 300 and 400 lumens per square feet
- Living rooms need ambient lights between 300 and 500 lumens per square feet
- Bedrooms need soft lights between 100 and 200 lumens per square feet
- Bathrooms need slightly brighter task light between 200 and 300 lumens per square feet
This may vary depending on things like ceiling height, number of reflective surfaces and other elements. Be sure to play around to find the best lumen count for your unique spaces.
How to Choose the Correct LED Colour Temperature for Your Linear Ceiling and Pendant Lights
Colour temperature, also known as colour correlated temperature, is a way to discuss the warmth or coolness of a light. They exist on a spectrum of Kelvin units between 1,000 and 10,000. The warmer the light, the lower the number. The cooler the light, the higher the rating.
Bedrooms, living rooms, and hallways need warm white light between 3000K and 3300K. This gives you enough light to see by while still being pleasant on the eyes.
Bathrooms with a cosy atmosphere also need 3000K to 3300K warm white light. That said, brighter, more energetic bathroom styles are better suited for cool white light around 4000K. Offices and kitchens usually have cooler lights as well due to the fact that they are task-heavy spaces.
Ideas for Linear Ceiling Lights
The LBL115 10 Watt White 600mm long Surface mounted LED Downlight Fitting is a sleek ceiling light that is attached right to the ceiling. It has a long 600-millimeter body that spreads light across a larger area of space. The light outputs 800 lumens of 3000k warm white light through its opal acrylic diffuser. It is finished in a clean white hue.
The LBL116 20 Watt Black Surface Mounted 1200mm Long LED Downlight Fitting is a black linear pendant light that works well in any room. This linear light measures an impressive 1200 millimeters in length and covers a larger area of space with its 1600 lumens of 3000k warm white light. The sleek black finish is applied across its exterior, with a frosted acrylic diffuser softening the light that shines through it.
Enjoy all of the appeal of overhead linear lighting without any of the glare when you choose the LBL714 30 Watt Surface Mounted Anti Glare LED Downlight. This downlight features a row of LED bulbs that output a total of 1200 lumens of 3000k warm white light. The bulbs are deeply recessed into the aluminium fixture, so they won’t cause glare when you look up at them. Instead, a nice pool of light will shine below onto any surface. The product comes in your choice of black or white finishes.
The LPL142A 20 Watt Black LED Pendant Ceiling Light is a contemporary linear pendant light that hangs from the ceiling. It comes with a 1,000 millimeter long drop cable so you can decide how high or low you want to hang the lighting. This light measures 1170 millimeters in length and outputs 2000 lumens of 3000k warm white light along the length of it. It comes with a stylish brushed black finish.
Create visual interest in your home or office by hanging the LPL159 20 Watt Brushed Black LED Pendant Ceiling Light. This sleek brushed black pendant light measures 1200 millimeters long and sits on a 1,000-millimeter drop cable to give you control over its hanging height. It is manufactured out of hardwearing aluminium and features an equally as durable opal acrylic diffuser through which the light shines.
Sleek, modern and stylish, the LPL373 17 Watt LED 1300mm Linear Uplighter Pendant Light is an elegant way to light your space. This light features a half moon-shaped body that shines light upward, creating nice indirect lighting. It outputs 1700 lumens of 3000k warm white light, making it a great choice for ambient lighting. Thanks to its 1200-millimeter drop cable, you can choose the perfect height at which to hang the fixture. The fixture is crafted out of premium aluminium that comes finished in your choice of black or white.
