Having a sloped ceiling does make the wide range of different types of lighting fixtures a fair bit narrower. After all, not every lighting installation that hangs works with a ceiling that’s at 30o or 45o angle.
Fortunately, there are still a whole lot of light fixtures that can work just fine on a slope. In fact – many can work more than fine and can utilize that slope to further enhance the effects of even just a single bulb. So, what is the best lighting for a sloped ceiling? Well, there is no single right answer, so, here are our 11 suggestions for the various lighting options that can indeed provide fantastic illumination for your ceiling even though it’s at an angle.
What is the best lighting for a sloped ceiling?
Looking at the list below, you may discover that the best lighting options for a sloped ceiling can come in lots of different types and forms. What’s specific about ceiling lighting really are just two things:
- 1) how to place the lighting fixtures safely and securely
- 2) how to arrange them so that the light beams are utilized as best as possible
So, here are 11 suggestions that can all satisfy these requirements when placed right on a sloped ceiling:
1. A chandelier
This may not have been the first thought for a lot of people but chandeliers are actually great for sloped ceiling rooms. As they are hanging fixtures, chandeliers don’t really care if the ceiling is even or sloped – they can hang comfortably either way.
Additionally, if placed at the highest point of the sloped ceiling, the hanging chandelier completes the space very well and it often doesn’t get so low that it’d interfere with people walking about.
The only note here would be that you need to choose the chandelier well – its design should be such that the direction of its light works well with the design of the room, not against it – fortunately, there are many such chandelier designs out there.
2. Pendant lights
Just like chandeliers, pendant lights are generally simpler and with rarely more than one bulb in them. Their designs can vary a bit too but they usually shed light in all directions. What’s key, however, is that, like chandeliers, pendant lights hang – this makes them great for sloped ceilings as the slope doesn’t really matter when the fixture is hanging.
Effectively, pendant lights are more minimalistic and contemporary chandeliers – something that many people would prefer for most of their rooms. The simpler and usually smaller design also helps pendant lights fit more easily in the often narrow space between the ceiling’s two slopes.
The drawback, however, is that with just one bulb, a single pendant light may not be enough to properly illuminate the whole space. In such cases, you can get more than one pendant light, however, as well as other complementary lighting sources.
3. Track lighting
This is one of the easiest types of lighting to install on a sloped ceiling as well as one of the most effective ways to light a space. Track lighting has several lights per track and those can all be pointed and directed separately which gives you a lot of freedom as to which areas of the space get more lighting and which – less.
Furthermore, track lighting sits fairly close to the ceiling which can be great for a sloped ceiling as you can install them lower on the slope and they still won’t interfere with your goings on around the space.
4. Recessed lighting
This type of lighting fixture is often discouraged for sloped ceilings and with good reason – recessed lights can be difficult to install on a sloped ceiling and the direction of their light often isn’t ideal when the slope is too steep.
There is a flip side to that, however – 1) a good electrician should be able to install recessed lighting on any ceiling, it’s just not recommended that you try to DIY it, and 2) some sloped ceiling spaces can be a bit too low which makes hanging a pendant light or a chandelier a bad utilization of your limited spaces.
So, don’t be too quick to dismiss recessed lighting for a sloped ceiling because they can still work great in the right room.
5. Cable lighting
Similar to track lighting, cable lighting fixtures include multiple lamps per cable fixture. This makes them very flexible as you can choose which parts of the room to light more than others. Cable lighting also has the additional benefit of being able to be installed wall to wall and not just parallel to the ceiling – this feature is especially great for sloped ceiling spaces.
Also like track lighting, cable lighting adds a very contemporary feel to the space which a lot of people like. Others don’t find this to be fitting for sloped ceiling rooms, however, but that’s normal as taste is subjective.
6. Flush mount fixtures
Easy to install, flush mount lights rarely need an adapter for a sloped ceiling – they’ll just sit at an angle with the ceiling. This makes flush lights an easier-to-install alternative to recessed lights – it’s just important to make sure that their light will properly illuminate the right areas of the space you want illuminated as they are not as flexible as track or cable lights.
7. Semi-flush lights
A good alternative to flush lights, a semi-flush mount can add more light because it doesn’t sit directly on the ceiling but hang a bit lower. The drawback of this is that semi-flus lights will usually need adapters for a sloped ceiling whereas flush lights don’t. They are still fairly easy to install, however, and they add a nice contemporary feel to the space.
8. Ceiling fans
This can seem like an odd suggestion and it certainly wouldn’t fit every sloped ceiling room. However, ceiling fans with a lighting fixture in them can be a great addition to any room – the only condition here is that there is enough space for the fan blades to rotate freely which isn’t always the case if the slope is too steep.
The ceiling also needs to be high enough for the ceiling fan not to get in the way. Many rooms with sloped ceilings are indeed high enough, however. From there, all you need is a ceiling fan with a lighting fixture installed in it and you’ve got a 2-in-1 pendant light/fan. Also, note that many newer models can have their rotation angles slightly adjusted which is also convenient with a sloped ceiling.
9. Wall sconces
Wall lights are a very simple solution to your lighting difficulties as they are easy to install, add great ambient lighting to any space, and can be controlled separately from the main lighting fixture hanging from the ceiling. A combination of pendant light with a few light bulbs on each wall can be great for both illumination and the home décor.
10. Floor lamps
Similarly to wall scones, floor lamps don’t really care about the ceiling angles as they sit on the floor. The right light can add a great deal of task lighting as well as support the ambient lighting of the space. Another added benefit is that floor lamps are mobile and you can move them around as you please. You don’t even need to install them as they are just floor lamps.
The drawback is that floor lamps are seen as a bit too “simple” if that’s your only source of illumination. They can be combined great with another main lighting source such as track lighting or a pendant light.
11. Table lamps
Lastly, the kings of task lighting are table lamps. Like wall and floor lamps, they provide excellent auxiliary lighting to a room with one main but insufficient ceiling lighting source. They are mobile too and they come in a near-limitless variety of styles which makes them very easy to pick and fit with any room’s look.
In conclusion
All in all, lighting a sloped ceiling space isn’t as daunting and complicated as it may seem. Natural lighting may sometimes be tricky to deal with when you’ve got a sloped ceiling but the lighting fixtures just have to be arranged properly and then they can work even better than they would otherwise.
Granted, installing some lighting fixtures on a sloped ceiling can be extra difficult, with recessed lighting being a prime example. However, every professional electrician worth their salt should be able to do it well. So, even recessed lights aren’t out of the question even though many advise against them.
In short, as long as you’ve found a good electrician, virtually every type of lighting fixture can work on a sloped ceiling – the question is just which type you prefer.