So, you’ve been blessed with a beautiful soaring ceilings in your home. Those ceilings were probably one of the selling features of your home, right? They give any room a feeling of grandeur and space, airiness and can give the illusion of a room being larger than it really is. But now that you actually have the task of decorating, you may find that high ceilings do pose some challenges. For example, how do you add lighting for high ceilings? That’s what we’ll discuss here.
The right lighting can make a room feel bright and airy but also cozy and intimate at the same time. Striking that balance can be a bit tricky, particularly in a room with high ceilings. One trick is to follow the Rule of Thirds. Commonly used in photography as a way to draw the eye to the part of a photo that is the most important, the Rule of Thirds can be used when it comes to lighting a room effectively as well. Divide your wall into three equal parts – the top, the middle, and the bottom. Your furniture “lives” in the bottom third, artwork in the second, and lighting in all three. By lighting each of these “layers” of the room, you will not only achieve a well-lit room, you’ll will also fill up the space with light in an effective way.
On the bottom level, think of using things that rest on the floor or on tables. For example, this is the third in which to strategically place task lighting like floor lamps, table lamps, and under-cabinet lighting. Low-hanging pendant lights, wall sconces, pot lights, etc. can go in the middle third. The top section – which includes the ceiling – should include pendants, chandeliers, hanging fixtures, flood lights, etc. Anything that shines from or onto the ceiling can be considered “top third” lighting.
By lighting a room in this divided way, you solve many of the issues that can arise from having high ceilings, namely how to adequately light the space without casting shadows or without using too many fixtures and making the space look cluttered. Large rooms with high ceilings can be challenging to decorate, including choosing appropriate lighting. However, with the right approach and the right fixtures, you can achieve a stunning look that beautifully accentuates those high ceilings that are the envy of so many of your neighbours.
Often, high ceilings will also feature stunning architectural features, such as ornate moldings, vaulted ceiling design, decorative ceiling tiles and other features. Whereas the right lighting can accentuate these features and draw the eye up toward them, the wrong lighting can cast these beautiful features in shadows. Don’t let that happen to your beautiful space. Take the time to light your room using this method and you’ll be shocked at the difference it makes in your space.
