Lighting ideas for 26 ft ceiling

last year

last modified: last year

I have an open concept space that is long and narrow. 14ft wide by 40 long. the ceiling has 45 degree slope that goes from a height of 12 ft to 26 ft. I am struggling with how to light the room in the upper area. I don't want it to feel cave like up there but I"m concerned that recessed cans at that height would be a pain to change. I will be dropping lights down such as pendants over kitchen islands and chandelier over dining room etc. there are skylights and lots of window for natural light. At night though i think i need ambient light up high?. Anybody ever deal with this issue?

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Comments (10)

privateprivateprivate
last year
Lights mounted on the beams pointed up.
shaunana55
Original Author
last year
Sorry should have mentioned those beams aren't staying there. The contractor put them there for temporary access.
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3onthetree
last year
The concept of lighting upwards into the vaulted ceiling is what is important, even if you do not have a structure to place lights on.

Your space with the vertical wall, that appears to not have any openings, would be a better candidate than the sloped ceiling with skylight openings, to wash the wall with light. I don't know your aesthetic, but you can accomplish this with either spaced fixtures or use a continuous light in a built cove.

Another option might appear though. The ridge of the vault is a little bit of an odd proportion being "cut off" with the vertical wall being offset. I do not see any visual ridge beam, so I would suggest creating a lower flat ceiling somewhere at the height close to the temporary purlin that you see there. This would open opportunity for recessed gimbals that could wash the wall, or even work with a hidden downlight cove.

Speaking of ridge beam, if there is no structural ridge beam, what I see with the vertical wall being the bearing of the vault rafters looks a little on the light side. Hopefully they are not finished blocking between studs, putting in collar straps, and that is a beam not a rim board under the 2nd floor.

One thing to address are the hanging pendants and chandelier you plan, as a haphazard placement of ceiling boxes and long downrods will be very noticeable in such a large, long, stark space.
shaunana55 thanked 3onthetree
la_la Girl
last year
It is an unusual room - I would be tempted to get a lighting designer to help - it would be money well spent so you don't end up with a dark tunnel or tons of spotty fixtures that don't light the room attractively
shaunana55
Original Author
last year
@3onthetree So you think instead of cans on the sloped ceiling if would be more effective to have wall sconces that aim light upwards? Can i drop them down like 10 ft from the ceiling at still get enough light up there you think? What lumen output would you recommend to get enough light to the top?
PRO
RL Relocation LLC
last year
Do you have a rendering of the final space or a floor plan so we can see what the layout is.

I will say a chandelier will light up, but ceiling finish matters too.
3onthetree
last year
The lumen output just depends on the fixture and spacing you choose. For uplights, I would place the height in relation to something, like the opposite rafter heel, or the header between the gable window/doors, whatever else the space has that I cannot see without plans and knowing the aesthetic. I probably only come across a situation like this in non-residential, where the vault proportion is this large and there is such a long blank wall. Usually a residential vault is at a much smaller scale and not as long so there is enough lighting bleed, but most often they are full cathedrals when at this scale.

And recessed in the sloped ceiling would point down if you desired that, unless you put a flat ceilng up high then you could have some wall wash with that if you don't want to uplight.
PRO
BeverlyFLADeziner
last year
Don't forget about the possibility of a ceiling fan or two.

Every room requires three levels of light.

Ambient Lighting

Accent Lighting

Task Lighting

If you install cylinder downlights on stems from the ceiling which take a standard base light bulb, you can install an LED PAR bulb and probably not worry about changing the bulb for 15+ years.
ladybug A 9a Houston area
last year
Not sure if can lights are appropriate, but theLED ones last forever. May not be relevant in this case, but they work great in our high ceiling rooms.
PRO
BeverlyFLADeziner
last year
Can lights or Down lights on stems brings the lights down to a more reasonable height in the space and places the light closer to where you require it.