How to light post and beam - dark wood ceiling

16 years ago

I am at a loss at how to light the interior of my post and beam house - the entire first floor has wood ceilings - I want to keep the dark color of the wood but somehow need to add lighting. Walls are all plaster. With post and beam - there is only a few inches between the first & second story so there is no room for recessed lighting. And there is no electrical wiring currently in the ceiling. Floors upstairs and down are hardwood - there is no access to the ceiling.

Some have suggested to me carving out some of the wood to hide lighting - but all the beams are structural - doesn't seem like a good idea.

I would like to avoid an ugly conduit across the ceiling. Not sure if wire molds can be done in an attractive way or soffits. Wall Sconces - would they have enough light and again the wire mold wiring issues. If I just use floor & table lamps I'll have a network of cords to deal with an no outlets remaining.

I'm looking for suggestions...thank you!

http://photos.gardenweb.com/home/galleries/2007/07/post_beam_home_wood_ceiling.html

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Comments (7)

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BeverlyFLADeziner
16 years ago
It seems that you might want to consider a lighting source that would highlight the beauty of the ceiling. Why not try wall mounted sconces that focus the light up and bounce the light off the ceiling to illuminate the room? I'm not referring to the small sconces that would be used in a bathroom, or just for accent lighting. They now make uplights that have reflectors inside the bowl of the light that will magnify the light and project it out from the wall and towards the ceiling center of the room.
eliotvale
Original Author
16 years ago
Thank you very much for the suggestion - I will look on the web to see if I can find the wall sconces with uplights that you suggest. Maybe Lowe's has this kind of lighting...
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eliotvale
Original Author
16 years ago
My husband has shown me that "down lighting" brightens up the room more than "up lighting" or bouncing light off the ceiling would do. So I'm again at square one - since even down-lighting only brightens up a limited area. Maybe I should go back to thinking about track lighting with a lot of wire & wire molds to hide.
Jon1270
16 years ago
Well, yes. You can shine a light on the ceiling and, because it's such a dark color, most of the light is absorbed rather than bouncing off of it. With such large, dark surfaces, these rooms will never be so full of light as they would if they were all whites and beiges. On the other hand, an all-beige room is never going to have the depth and intimacy and charm that your rooms have. I'd be inclined to make the best of what they are rather than trying to make them into something they're not. I'd try lighting wall surfaces with sconces or track lighting, to provide indirect ambient light and keep it from feeling like a cave, and use pendants, table and floor lamps to light other areas as needed.
eliotvale
Original Author
16 years ago
Thank you for your comments. I appreciate it a lot and will "do the best I can" as you state. It really can be a cave at night particularly in the winter. But I'm not going to paint the ceiling a lighter color.
lalithar
12 years ago
Eliotvale,

If you still read these boards, I would love to know what you decided and how it turned out. We have the same dilemma in our kitchen with lovely Beams that make it feel like a cave at night.
efiladeeni_msn_com
12 years ago
spray paint the wire mold before installing and install it directly next to a beam. The wire mold will be barely noticeable and you'll be able to install the lighting of your choice. As far as having no wiring available in the ceiling a good electrician can run some without disturbing your plaster or flooring upstairs. I paid $150 a room for a post and beam home (western maine)

How to light post and beam - dark wood ceiling

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How to light post and beam - dark wood ceiling

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BeverlyFLADeziner

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