Illumination from above is one of the most basic ways to light a room, and depending on how they are installed and the intensity of the bulbs, ceiling fixtures can provide background or general illumination in a room as well as task and accent lighting. There are many ways to mount light fixtures on the ceiling, and basic ceiling fixtures are usually made of translucent glass, sport simple curved or geometric shapes, and are attached to, rather than hung from, the ceiling. Either one or several light fixture are used to provide general illumination in a room. They are also usually used in high-traffic areas, such as hallways, kitchens, and bathrooms, especially when ceiling heights are low. There are a total of five types of ceiling fixtures which offer specialized and directed lighting options: pendants, chandeliers, downlights, spotlights, and tracks lighting.
Pendants light fixtures hang from the ceiling can be used to provide general or task illumination, depending on how they are finished off. The bulb can be covered with translucent globes for diffused ambient illumination that radiates throughout the room, or trained in a specific direction with shaped shades for task lighting. Small pendants can be used at various points in a room, or even grouped together, for more illumination and for their combined decorative effect. They can be all the same or related in terms of color or styling.
Chandeliers light fixtures, which are pendants with branches that hold bulbs (or in some cases, candles) as well as decorative ornamentation, are the most dramatic type of ceiling fixtures. The quality of light produced varies with the number, type , and strength of the bulbs, the style of the fixture (some have many branches or sport individual shades over each bulb), and whether or not the fixture is equipped with a dimmer. A chandelier is the focal point of the space or room it occupies and must be chosen accordingly.
Downlights are minimal ceiling light fixtures that are inconspicuously mounted on or in the ceiling to cast light directly down on a surface. They can be surface mounted, recessed, partially recessed, and used to provide all three types of lighting, but are particularly effective at focal illumination. The beam of light downlights emit can vary in width, depending on the shape of the fixture and type of bulb that is used; recessed lighting produces the narrowest beam. Downlights are often used over work counters for task lighting, or to accent or emphasize a particular area or feature of a room. While they are ideal for low ceilings where pendant lights would be unsuitable, fully recessed lighting requires a half-foot of space above the ceiling to accommodate the fixture and provide proper ventilation.
Spotlights, like downlights, are minimal fixtures that are available in a wide variety of shapes and styles, but they are extremely adjustable and are used to focus on, or emphasize, specific spots in a space. They can be installed or mounted on walls, floors, ceilings, or standing polls, set in tracks, or used individually with clips for greatest flexibility. They are best for accent lighting, as the bulb and fixture are designed to work together to give a precise, controlled beam of light that can be tilted, swiveled, or angled to wherever it is needed. However, in large, open spaces, spotlights can be used for general illumination by positioning them to create overlapping pools of light. This technique produces ambient lighting that is a bit more interesting than the uniform level of illumination provided by basic ceiling and pendant light fixtures.
Track lighting is often referred to as its own type of lighting, but it is actually a combination of spotlighs and downlights installed in a flexible arrangement on a ceiling-mounted track. Track lighting can be used for general, task, and accent lighting because it is possible to swivel, rotate, or point the individual lighting fixtures in any direction; often, the same track incorporates all three types of illumination. Track lighting comes in two forms. Some tracks are fixed and come with specific light fixtures already attached, while others are merely free-form power lines that can be used to anchor a number of types of fixtures along its length.
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