Cove lighting is a lighting method that can change the appearance of a room in a way that isnt immediate obvious to the viewers of the room. Cove lighting can add a soft glow to a room, it can lift the ceiling, it can make a space feel larger, and it can make a space feel more calmer. Cove lighting is similar to a well-tailored jacket (it is quiet), flattering to the features of the room, and powerful once one understands how it work.
Not all cove lighting is, however, the same. There are several different methods for achieving cove lighting, each with its own feature and benefits. By understanding each of these types of lighting, a room’s challenges can be addressed rather than creating new challenges through poor lighting choices.
Understanding the differences between types of cove lighting is important because in most cases, cove lighting will not be added to a room as an afterthought. Once the drywall is installed and the paint has dried, it will be very expensive to make changes to the lighting in that space. Instead, the designer considers the challenges and need of a space before the construction of the spaces features.
For these reason, there are several primary types of cove lighting to consider when planning for a space. These types of lighting are arranged from the most common to the more specialized lighting options. Recessed cove lighting is the most common form of cove lighting.
Different Types Of Cove Lighting To Consider
1. Recessed Cove Lighting
This lighting type sit within an architectural shelf that is typically built near the top of the walls of a space. The light source for this type of lighting hide within the shelf, and the light reflects off of the shelf to light the area above the ceiling. Building contractors have used this type of lighting for many decade, and it continues to be popular in both traditional and contemporary home.
It is often found in living rooms, dinning rooms, and master bedrooms of a home. The benefit of recessed lighting is that it is permanent; once the cove lighting is constructed in the desired manner, there is little that must be done to the lighting besides changing of the bulbs. LED tape has largely replaced fluorescent and incandescent lighting choices for recessed lighting choices.
The main tradeoff with recessed lighting, though, is that the lighting must be planned during the framing of the home or otherwise it can become an expensive remodeling project.
2. Surface Mounted Lighting
Surface-mounted lighting is another common form of lighting. The lighting for this method is mounted directly to the wall or ceiling.
The manufacturer makes these lights available in preformed channel or fixtures that can be installed into a constructed home. This choice in lighting is one of the reason recessed lighting is not often chosen for finished homes or rental properties. This type of lighting is visible from certain angle, but the fixtures have become thinner over time, particularly in comparison to the older form of this type of lighting.
Because this lighting is visible, it is more easily possible to change the type of light that is projected into the ceiling. Many of these lights now use tunable white LEDs or RGB LEDs, allowing those who control the lights with a smartphone application to change from warm lighting to cool lighting in the space. The downside to the use of this lighting is that the lighting will be most effective with a good design of the lighting fixture.
3. Indirect Pendant Lighting
Indirect pendant lighting is another common form of cove lighting. The features of this lighting system is suspended from the architectural features of the space. For instance, the lights can be hung from the beam of a ceiling, or they can be placed within a dropped soffit.
This lighting is used in modern offices, hotel lobbies, and high-end kitchen. The pendant lighting of these spaces is visible to the occupant of the area. The manufacturers place consideration into creating visually pleasing pendants for these lighting systems.
Pendants are available in brushed nickel, matte black, and wood-wrap designs. This type of lighting is controlled to allow for the aiming of the lights, the dimming of different area of the lights, and the integration of sensor that react to daylight. While more expensive than simple wall lighting choices, it offers a control of the lighting that cannot be replicated by the other types of cove lighting.
Furthermore, because the lenses for these lights may accumulate dust, these lights may need to be cleaned every six month.
4. Cornice Lighting
Cornice lighting is another type of lighting that is used in homes and other space. This type of lighting is installed into a decorative molding or plaster cornice that is created along the junction between the wall and ceiling of the space.
Such cornices are often used in Victorian, Edwardian, and neoclassical homes. The cornicing is part of the ornamentation of the space. Cornicing can use stock molding or it can use molding that is specifically ordered for the home.
Furthermore, the molding can be painted to coordinate with the ceiling or the molding can stand out against the remainder of the space. More delicate molding with bright LED strip lighting may be seen as cheap in comparison to one that uses a more substantial molding with less bright lighting. Furthermore, because cornices both reflect off of the ceiling and the wall of the space, the lighting of this feature is another type of lighting that highlight the textures and the crown molding in the room.
One downside of this lighting is the same as with other hanging lighting choices: it may accumulate dust and may require periodic repainting.
5. Step Lighting
Step lighting, like cornice lighting, is one that use architectural features to highlight them. Step lighting can be used in homes that have tray or multilevel ceiling.
Furthermore, lighting can be set up on one step of the ceiling that highlights the next step in the ceiling. Step lighting is among the most common lighting choice for contemporary homes. Furthermore, lighting can be arranged to highlight specific area of a ceiling; some homes have only subtle steps in their ceilings while others go for a more dramatic highlight.
This form of lighting allow for each step of the ceiling to have its own lighting color or intensity. For instance, a home theater can use cool light for the outer steps of the ceiling while using warm light for the area of the ceiling that is closest to the screen. This type of lighting, though, requires that the angles of the ceiling steps be correct when the lighting is constructed.
Otherwise, the lighting may create dark area in the ceiling and highlight the wrong feature.
6. Asymmetric Lighting
Asymmetric lighting is used to highlight features of walls or other areas within a space. The lighting for these area may use specially designed reflector that direct the light in only one direction, for instance.
Furthermore, asymmetric lighting choices may use LED array that emphasize the lights in only one direction. This lighting is less common in homes, but common in art gallery, retail stores, and corporate headquarters. The engineering behind asymmetric lighting have improved over time.
The lights can now be specifically engineered to illuminate certain feature of an art gallery’s painting, for instance, instead of washing the painting in overly-broad lighting. Furthermore, the cost of asymmetric lighting is higher than other form of lighting, however, and the lighting must be aimed precisely during installation. Any inaccuracies to the angles of the lighting will cause the lighting to fail to highlight the targeted feature.
For these reason, asymmetric lighting is another form of lighting that must be specifically considered when decorating homes.
7. Hidden Linear LED Lighting Systems
Hidden linear LED lighting systems are the current state of the art in lighting systems that use the cove lighting method. These lighting systems use LEDs that are nearly invisible to the occupants of the space.
The lighting systems can be installed into spaces as narrow as half an inch. Furthermore, because the lighting system is invisible to the occupants of the space, success in installing the lighting system relies upon the choice of paint for the ceiling. Matte paint will create the smoothest lighting while minimizing the chance of highlighting the imperfection in the ceiling.
Furthermore, hidden linear LED lighting is common in small apartment, lofts, and other spaces that require a calm lighting system. Furthermore, these lighting systems can be integrated into a smart home system that allows for the control of the lighting throughout the day. The downside to this lighting is that the LEDs generate heat in the confined space created by the thin LED lighting strips.
If there is no way to allow the heat to escape the strip, the LED’s lifespan will be shortened and there color may shift from its original color. Proper installation of this type of lighting will yield some of the most ethereal lighting that can be found in the market for cove lighting system. Regardless of the type of lighting of interest, the key to successful installation of cove lighting is to consider the type of lighting as architecture rather than decoration.
Cove lighting can be used to solve specific problem in a space. The type of lighting that is desired can be selected based off a variety of factor, such as architectural features, the mood that should be created within the space, and the amount of maintenance that is required of the lighting. When these factor are considered, there will be a much better understanding of which type of lighting will best suit the area of interest.
The glow that you ultimately live with will reveal more about your choices than you ever realize. If you get the cove lighting right, the lighting will seem to belong to the space and will appear as natural as sunlight in the afternoon.
