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Lighting Design Dilemma Bedroom

How should I light my very high cathedral ceiling?

last month

last modified: last month

Hi all,

I have a lighting dilemma - I have an extremely high ceilinged bedroom, with rafters and collar ties that I need to light somehow. Please see photos below.

As you walk into the bed room, there is a wall on the right, with a bathroom door. There is two layers of ceiling/room - on is about 7m high, the other is a more reasonable 4m.

I'm looking to light the 7/8m high ceiling with rafters and collar ties.

My style is very minimal and basic - this is a farm property and I want to keep the bedroom subtle as the bathroom has a lot going on. I really like trapeze lighting, and see that as being a good option, however when it comes down to the specifics - I get lost. Option to other suggestions as well.

Photos attached:

Two ceilings as described, entran

ce doorway behind me

Entrance door way - can't see bathroom doorway on right behind door

Looking straight up - that is the bathroom doorway in shot.

I was thinking of running the trapeze lighting along the top ridge - however this is a really long way for light to travel. Any thoughts would be SO appreciated :)

Cheers

Featured Answer

Mikaela O'Shea
Original Author

last month

Thanks all - not a church conversion actually, just a big mudbrick house in the Otways in Victoria that was hand built, and then abandoned as a shell. We have been lucky enough to be handed the reins on turning it into a family house for years to come! I will put up some more photos as we keep progressing

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Comments (14)

bigreader
last month
What a wonderful space? Have you planned out lamps and other task lighting? This will impact your choice. With that height in a bedroom I’d go with a large country style chandelier. You have the space for drama.
siriuskey
last month
last modified: last month
Track lighting would be great and easy to install with multiple directional lights. I'am still waiting for my son to install my black track lighting as suspended lighting over my kitchen bench
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Leigh James
last month
No ideas for lighting, but just wanted to say wow, what a space. Church conversion? Love to see other photos as you progress. :)
Leigh James
last month
Wow really interesting, will look forward to the progress.
mcgri0
last month
We are currently building a house which has raked ceilings throughout. I worked with a lighting consultant and we are going to mainly have simple pendant lights and where the rake allowed surface mounted can lights but I think your angles are too steep. Best to get professional advice that you have proper lighting for the space.
fianou luca
last month
I know beacon lighting does light consultations and they can be free. Then you'd get the best advice and the technical info you need.
bhp19
last month
We have just finished owner building our new home that has 20 degree cathedral ceilings which we have lit with wall mounted spotlights. It wasn’t something I had considered until I spoke to Adele from Mint Lighting, she has such amazing ideas of how to get so much more out of your lighting than simple downlights everywhere.
I’ll post a photo shortly.
pottsy99
last month
last modified: last month
I'd make sure I had probably 3 'zones' or options .

It is just crying out for a big industrial style centrepiece on 3 or 4 heavy chains , maybe even with 15 or 20 candles . Just as I'm writing this , I'm even wondering how difficult it would be to get 15 shorter stubbier candles and drill out the middles , and thread a cheap 12 volt LED through each one ? The local electrical supplier charges something like $12 for 10 -- you'd have to wire them , but its low voltage so a soldering iron and heatshrink tubing would do wonders . look way more authentic than those cheesy ones with flickering 240 volt bulbs and fake melted wax on shiny plastic bases !

Anyway , that would be my centrepiece , even if you had to use a transformer etc -- drop it to the ceiling line height .

Then I'd do a seperate zone -- probably single LED spotlights ( prob in black ) . at least one each beam , some pointing up , some across to the other 'slope' , but also some pointing downwards , because you'll need to look for dropped coins or handkerchiefs or phone chargers every now and then haha .

And the 3rd zone would be wall uplights and downlights , because I can almost guarantee there will be times you want light , but you don't want or need to emphasis the height . If its not too late , I'd have them maybe 1.5mtrs from the floor , and the covers in an aged copper or similar panels , and that would match the style of the centrepiece light too . I'd have the spotlights a completely seperate style though -- more modern and plainer , but not ultra-modern , if that makes sense .
Melissa Sinclair
last month

We have a cathedral ceiling, and took forever to decide on a replacement light. We happened upon this great Etsy store, Inscape Design, who sells custom lights. The owner gave us great advice, and they custom make each light, so we could get the extra long drop that we needed (& a chain to link it back to the old fitting location in our case)

I recommend seeing what she suggests for you.
silperk
last month
Hi, the space looks incredible! We have a very high ceiling in our kitchen and have put pendants on long wires (about 3 metre drop, ceiling height about 5-6metres). A good lighting store can give you lights on extra long drop on request. I would supplement this with wall lighting as well for mood lighting. Look forward to seeing the end result!
julie herbert
last month
Wow!! Incredible space, I love trapeze lighting, you could also add an iron rustic chandelier that will highlight the ceiling and look modern or rustic in whichever style you are after , again fabulous space.
bhp19
last month
Here’s a shot of how we have used wall mounted spot lights to highlight our ceiling, so glad we chose to add these lights instead of just having downlights.
julie herbert
last month
Gorgeous.

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