Fittings that are mounted on the surface of the ceiling, or even recessed into it are a comparatively modern development. They can be spotlights, or more conventional fittings with diffusing glass or louvres which are excellent for general lighting. Spots are ideal for reading because they provide beamed, concentrated light; the light shines directly onto the book and the reader is not sitting in his own shadow. These lights can be grouped to provide high light intensity where it is needed, giving reflected light throughout the rest of the room. Not many people will want to start cutting holes in their ceilings to accommodate recessed light fittings.
A less messy and inconvenient alternative would be the installation of a false ceiling beneath the existing one. This may be worth considering if your present ceiling is either badly cracked or very high (more than 2.5m). Tackling a whole ceiling can be an ambitious project, but you may be able to fit a false ceiling across part of a room. This is particularly easy in a house that has a reinforcing beam in some of its ground floor ceilings, supporting a bay or ground floor extension. This would enable you to fit a false ceiling to the depth of the beam. With two or three concealed lights built into your new ceiling, there would be no ugly cables showing and there would be the effect of softly diffused light. Try to forget about the traditional habit of placing a light in the centre of the ceiling. Several lights dotted all over the room are more interesting than a single fitting, although an off centre ceiling light can only be really efficient if other lights are available to illuminate the rest of the room. Greater flexibility can also be achieved with ceiling lights if they are fitted with a dimmer switch. These simply replace your present switch and enable you to raise or lower the level of lighting by simply turning a dial. In this way, you can, for example, tone down powerful reading lights for relaxing.
New ideas
Even in the more conventional lighting fields such as ceiling mounted or suspended fittings, there is a wide range of choice and something to suit every taste. The bayonet-type fitting, remains the most popular. Designs are available to suit the mood of every room and they have the advantage of being extremely diverse.
Rise and fall units ceiling suspended lights which are height adjustable-are also useful and versatile. When used in the ‘up’ position they provide general lighting. In the ‘down’ position they throw a pool of light into a limited area, creating an intimate atmosphere. They are most commonly used for dining table fittings and are particularly suitable for this, although they could also be used over a desk top or sewing machine, for example. Many people choose a standard lamp for a reading light or to cut down glare when watching television. These will be more efficient if fitted with a large shade, which gives a wide pool of light. Small shades also tend to make bulbs overheat, thus shortening their lives, because they prevent the free circulation of air around the bulb.