How To Utilise Downlights In Your Home
When downlights first came to prominence, we marvelled at their beautiful recessed design and the amount of light you could get from one little spot in the ceiling. Homes across Australia started showcasing the grid-like patterns of downlights.
Experts now know that LED downlights can combine practicality with beautiful colours, shapes and atmospheres. They’re a brilliant way to create layered lighting and, of course are perfect for general lighting and task lighting.
Here, now, is your chance to explore the mind of Robert, Urban Lighting’s in-house lighting guru, who understands how to play with light and the best ways to apply LED lighting to your home.
Use in the Bathroom
Often seen as a room for performing a practical function and moving on, we see the bathroom as a place where tasks can still be done while keeping the mood in mind. Take the bathroom mirror: place LED lighting above the basin, and not behind it, to enhance the space for shaving, make-up etc. and to avoid shadows that prevent you from seeing your face clearly.
When you were planning for a bath, we bet you were so fixated on the day you could draw the first bath that you forgot to think about the mood lighting once you were steamy and dreamy. You can still fix it now. Install some dimmable LED downlights to create an instantly soft, dusky mood.
Light Up the Kitchen
Planning really pays off with kitchen lighting so think about it long and hard. Here you’ll be working with sharp objects. You’ll be reading recipes. You’ll be grabbing a cuppa with a friend who needs to chat. This room has to be all things to all people and the mood has to be flexible.
LED lighting is ideal for task lighting above kitchen benches and accented lighting under them. Over the bench, LED downlights are very directional and can be set to a high luminescence for homework and food prep. Under the bench, they create that layered effect we spoke of so your kitchen immediately has a new creative dimension.
Dimmable lighting is especially valuable in the kitchen. Robert suggests putting it on separate switches so you have ultimate control over your LED downlights.
Highlight Important Features
Most homes have a treasured family photo or a piece of art that would benefit from its own light. This is a particular area where LED downlights have broadened their appeal. You don’t want to blow the piece away with a blazing spotlight. You want to bring out the faces, the brush strokes and the detail using an LED downlight with just the right intensity. It is a highly effective and beautiful result when done right. Even shelving can become more like an art installation with clever use of LED downlights.
Downlight Options
Surface-mounted tracks are the perfect answer to a home that has a concrete ceiling, or any situation that prevents recessed LED lighting. It allows you to mount a number of adjustable LED downlights for any configuration – opening up a world of absolute adaptability.
Showing again how to think outside the box, Robert from Urban Lighting stresses that recessed LED downlights are perfect when used in floors and walls too. Urban Lighting’s range can be fixed, adjustable, round or square so every home’s design can be accommodated from top to bottom and from one of the biggest range of LED downlights in Australia.
Bathroom
Safety around bathroom electricals is of paramount importance. That’s why Urban Lighting only stocks LED downlights that have the correct Ingress Protection (IP) rating. These lights are water friendly, meaning they don’t allow water or solid objects to penetrate the light fitting.
As you can see, LED downlights have come a long way since the grid formation. At Urban Lighting, our designer uses the latest techniques and his own ingenuity to dispel the myths and shadows around lighting design.
If you think your home could do with some LED lighting brilliance, come and meet with the lovers of light – Urban Lighting – where our incredible array of lighting is waiting to dazzle at both our Willoughby and Annandale showrooms.