TOP TIPS FOR FITTING LIGHTS TO SLOPED CEILINGS

CONSIDER HANGING PENDANT LIGHTS

Single pendant lights are ideal for lighting up sloped or vaulted ceilings as they will hang straight regardless of the angle of the ceiling rose on which they are fitted, as long as they are far enough away from the wall so there is room for the shade.

If you have a sloped ceiling and are fitting more than one pendant, you will need to vary the length of the cables to account for the variation in height, and in some cases - if your sloped ceiling is particularly steep, or you are installing lights in a small space - or if you want them to hang at the apex of your ceiling (where the slopes meet at the top) - you may need to make adjustments to the ceiling fitting to account for the slope.

We don't recommend fitting our multi-pendant roses on sloped ceilings as the cables will hang closer together and may interfere with the shades below so you loose the shape.

KEEP LIGHTS 3FT AWAY FROM WALLS

If you have enough space for your pendants to hang them at least 3ft away from a wall, to minimise any harsh shadows, they should be fine.

ALLOW ADEQUATE HEAD CLEARANCE

As standard, rooms have a ceiling height of 8ft. When fitting ceiling pendants you need to leave at least a 7ft space between the base of your ceiling light and the floor.

If you are installing more than one pendant, you will need to account for the difference in height by varying the pendant lengths accordingly to keep them at the same height.

VARY PENDANT LENGTHS

A general rule of thumb is to adjust the pendant’s length by 3” per foot of ceiling height to keep them at the same base height.

Eg, if you are installing your lights from the top of the slope down, decrease the pendant length by 3” per foot of height as you come down and visa versa if you are installing them from the bottom up

A top tip is to experiment with balloons, paper templates and pieces of strings the same size & length as your pendants to get an idea of how they will fit in the space.

USE A PENDANT FLEX CEILING HOOK

Fitting lights at the apex of your vaulted ceiling or along metal struts or in small or awkward spaces where the slope is on one side supported by a beam or archway can be is tricky. The best option is to use our clever pendant flex ceiling hook to hang and drop your pendants where you need them.

Fit your ceiling rose wherever you can close to the point where you would like your pendant to hang, and then position the hook at the exact point you would like your pendant to drop. Loop the chain and cable around the hook and your pendant will be positioned perfectly.

Shop our Pendant Flex Ceiling Hooks >

CONSIDER TRACK LIGHTING

Track or bar lights that incorporate several lights in a single strip that is fitted into, or suspended from, the bar is a popular solution for sloped ceilings.

Fit tracks horitontally to beams, joists or directly onto the ceiling. Do not fit them vertically as the pendant shades will group together. If you want to fit a track to the apex it may need to be adapted so that the bar can be suspended from each end and fitted either side of the apex.

Image courtesy of Beth at Oak Home Interiors >

USE SPOT LIGHTS

Spot lights are a great lighting solution for sloped ceilings, especially in kitchens as they are directional so can be angled to throw light where you need it.

Spot light tracks can be fitted to walls or ceilings with some spots angled upwards to create ambience and others downwards for tasking.

Rembember to keep them at least 3ft away from walls to avoid harsh shadows and if using single spots, keep them 4-6ft apart to achieve an even flow of light.

THINK ABOUT BULBS

It is important to consider how you are going to change the bulbs if you have a pendant hanging from a high vaulted ceiling as it will become very expensive if you need to hire a scaffold tower every time a bulb requires changing!

Firstly, we recommend investing in LED bulbs as they have a very long life – usually around 25,000 hours – so will not need changing often.

A light that can be accessed by a ladder will make changing the bulbs a lot easier, as would be one that could be reached by the upper floors if you have a galleried landing.

If your light is totally out of reach, consider installing a specialist winch or hoist to enable you to lower your light fittings to the desired level for maintenance to be carried out in total safety.