Interior Lighting for Designers

Uplights are especially suitable for high-
ceilinged rooms, which permit the luminaires
to be positioned far enough below the ceiling
to avoid “hot spots.” If they are mounted too
close to the ceiling surface, the variations in
light and dark will often be unpleasant and
disturbing; the ceiling surface will become a
series of hot spots and dark shadows
instead of an evenly illuminated plane.
Researchers have demonstrated that
people perceive a greater quantity of light in
a given area when they can see the source of
illumination. Pendant-mounted fluorescent
uprights that provide a source of brightness
from below give an impression of increased
illuminance. Uplights that are completely
opaque (dark) from below yield an impres-
sion of lower illuminance.
Furniture-mounted uplight luminaires
incorporate an indirect lighting element onto

the top of furniture or freestanding partitions

(figure 12.36). They are usually mounted

with their apertures slightly above average

eye height at 5 ft 6 in AFF in order to avoid

glare. Furniture and partition layouts must

accommodate the luminaire’s spacing crite-

rion to achieve uniform ceiling luminance.

Wall- or ceiling-mounted uplight lumi-

naires are mounted to walls and columns

(figure 12.37). Like wall-washers, they have

an asymmetric light distribution that pro-

duces a sweep of light across the ceiling and

avoids hot spots and “spill light” on adjacent

surfaces.

Architectural coves.Coves are another

method of providing general ambient light in

high-ceilinged rooms (figure 12.38). Their

luminaires direct light toward the ceiling

plane, which—like a washed wall—becomes

INTERIOR LIGHTING FOR DESIGNERS

Figure 12.36Furniture-mounted indirect luminaire.