Lighting for a low ceiling

With a ceiling of 2.40 metres or lower you have less room to play with, but more options than you think. The mistake made most often: choosing a large pendant lamp because it looks beautiful, and then ducking your head every day.

Keep 2.10 metres clear

Under every lamp that someone walks beneath, you want at least 2.10 metres of clear height. With a 2.40 metre ceiling that leaves thirty centimetres for the fitting.

That does not apply above a table: nobody walks there. There the lamp can come down to 75 centimetres above the top, even with a low ceiling. That actually makes the table cosier.

Choose flat or very slim

Two types work well with little height. A sleek ceiling light that projects only a few centimetres, or a slim pendant lamp with a narrow shape that takes up little visual space.

What you want to avoid is a wide, solid fitting flat against the ceiling. That visually pushes the room down.

Work with wall lights

The best trick with a low ceiling is to let light come from the wall rather than from above. Wall lights that cast light up and down make the wall look higher and draw attention away from the ceiling.

Combine them with a floor lamp by the seating area, and you have a room that feels much higher than it is.

Choose warm and dimmable

Bright light straight from above makes a low room feel cramped. Warm white of 2700 kelvin and a dimmer help more than any fitting. See which light colour for which room.

Measure before you order

Measure the distance from floor to ceiling and subtract the stated height of the fitting. For our lamps that height is in the specifications, and for adjustable pendants the minimum length too.

If you cannot work it out, email us the measurements and we will help you look.

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