Features of attic lighting, choice of lamps and options for placement
In order to beautifully decorate the design of the attic and make it more comfortable, it is necessary to seriously approach the organization of lighting in the attic. Before buying light fixtures, you should carefully consider all the lighting details inside the building.
Content
Main features of the organization of lighting in the attic
The organization of high-quality lighting directly depends on the type of attic room.
With sloping walls
Most often, the attic walls have a small angle of inclination. To illuminate such rooms, observe the following recommendations:
- The lighting must be of high quality, and therefore more lamps are installed. In this case, you can use both wall-mounted fixtures and suspended ceiling fixtures.
- If the attic room seems small, then the light is directed to the surface of the walls. Thanks to this, the area of the room will visually increase.
- Both LED and halogen lamps are suitable for the attic with sloping walls. They shine in different ways, and therefore, when choosing, they are guided by the preferences of the owner.
- When choosing lighting fixtures, you should pay attention to style.They should fit into the design of the room.
Sloped ceiling
Some people find these pieces attractive due to their unusual appearance. It is more difficult to arrange lighting in them than in ordinary rooms with straight ceilings. Sometimes chandeliers are installed in such attics. However, they will have to be abandoned, as they will take up a lot of free space and can ruin the interior. The ideal option is the installation of spotlights. It is not worth using lamps for general lighting, as they can visually reduce the area of the room. Experts recommend installing 5-6 compact lamps, evenly distributed around the perimeter.
For a better realization of the light board, all the lamps must be fixed on inclined surfaces. If there is a working space in the attic, additional lamps are placed there.
There are several recommendations that will help illuminate an attic with a sloped ceiling:
- if there are few windows in the room, lighting devices will have to be installed on the walls;
- for ceiling installation, special lamps with a hinged bracket are selected;
- when choosing lamps for the attic, you should pay attention to their shape so that it matches the overall interior.
Selection of luminaires
All fixtures that can be installed in the attic are divided into two categories.
Local
So that the light is only in one part of the room, lamps of a local type are installed. However, if desired, they can be used to completely illuminate the room. To do this, you will need to install several lighting devices around the perimeter.
Common local fixtures include:
- Candlestick.This lamp is used if the room is decorated in a classic style. The main feature of the sconces is that they can only be installed on the walls.
- Spots.Such devices are installed when you need to illuminate the working area or focus on interior items. The spotlights are installed both on the ceiling and on the walls.
- Floor lamps. Placed next to sofas, armchairs or a desk. Floor lamps are used not only to illuminate rooms, but also to decorate them.
are common
A chandelier is considered a popular device for organizing general lighting. Depending on the style, there are three types of such lamps:
- Classic. These chandeliers have many decorative elements. It is customary to install them in the hall or living room.
- Vintage. In metal, glass or crystal. They are housed in large lofts, which are decorated in a classic style.
- Modern. Original models of chandeliers that have a non-standard shape with strict geometry.
Chandeliers are considered a versatile lighting fixture because they can accommodate different types of lamps:
- Energy saving. Used to reduce energy consumption. They differ from incandescent lamps by having a brighter and "cooler" light.
- Halogen. A subtype of energy-saving light bulbs used in large-area rooms.
- Luminescent. Installed to illuminate dark rooms without windows.
Carry out the electrical wiring
Having chosen a lighting device for illuminating the attic of a wooden or brick house, it is necessary to start carrying out electrical wiring. Most attics are insulated with highly flammable heat-insulating materials. Therefore, the wiring should be taken seriously so that in the future there are no problems with heating the wires. For people who have never been involved in electrical wiring, it is best to seek the help of a professional electrician.
It is inconvenient to lay the wiring in the upper part of the attic, and therefore it is placed at the bottom of the walls. It should be located at a distance of 15-25 centimeters from the floor surface. The vertical route along which the wires are laid is carried out near the seams of walls or doors. The wires that are on the surface of the walls are hidden in plastic boxes. For greater reliability, the wiring is equipped with double insulation, which will prevent short circuits.
The final stage of electrical wiring is the installation of switches. They should be spaced 125 to 135 centimeters apart. You cannot set them too low, especially if there are children in the house.
Location options
Before proceeding with the installation of lighting devices, you should familiarize yourself with three options for their location.
Suspended structure
Some people who want to organize their attic lighting use rigid base chandeliers. However, such fixtures are not suitable for beveled surfaces. Instead, it is better to use flexible suspension structures that are suitable for all surfaces. If the attic has a ceiling in the form of a triangle, it is better to use structures with an elongated suspension. The distance between the floor and the suspended device should be at least one and a half meters.
Suspended products are easy to install. To do this, they are attached to the sloping ceiling, and the foot is adjusted so that the ceiling lamp is parallel to the floor.
Fixing on the flat part
If only one part of the attic has a slope, you will need to fix the lamp on the flat part.This method of attachment is easy to use because it is no different from installing a chandelier in a normal room.
It is good if the horizontal surface is in the center of the room. In this case, a light fixture is installed. However, if the flat part of the ceiling is in one of the corners of the room, additional lamps will have to be installed around the perimeter.
Beam support
Some attics have an additional ceiling to the ceiling made of wooden beams. Most often they are located in the central part of the roof and consist of two slopes. Such beams are strong and able to withstand severe loads. Therefore, if necessary, you can attach a chandelier to it or install other devices to organize general or local lighting.
interesting ideas
There are several ideas and recommendations that will help you properly organize the lighting in the attic, depending on the features of its use:
- Work zone. Some people use this room as an office. With insufficient light, a person gets tired faster. Therefore, in order to work more comfortably, powerful lighting devices are installed.
- The Children's Room. Sometimes a spacious children's room is made in the attic. For such premises, lamps made of unbreakable materials are chosen. For example, you can choose fabric or metal products. The lights are installed in the children's room higher so that the child does not grab them with his hands and cannot damage them.
- Movie theater. The attic is an ideal place to set up a home theater. In such rooms there should be a dark, dim light that will not illuminate the screen with the image.Therefore, it is recommended to install spot lighting devices for local illumination of the room. They are placed at the location of the work equipment. It is contraindicated to install them above the screen, as they will illuminate it.
Conclusion
Lighting in attic rooms is a difficult problem that has several solutions. To create comfortable lighting, you need to familiarize yourself with the types of lamps, the peculiarities of their location and the recommendations for conducting electrical wiring for connecting lighting equipment.