Hallway Lighting

Hallway Lighting Ideas

Of all the places in your home that needs illumination, the hallway may be one of the most overlooked. While you might think of the hallway as the passage to get from one room to another, the truth is that effective hallway lighting offers numerous benefits. From making visible that piece of furniture that you otherwise might trip over to enhancing your home décor, hallway lights are an essential part of the interior design.

House Sort Provide different types of hallway light fixtures that you can choose to provide illumination, compliment your home décor, and create a unique style that bring a decorative touch to your residence. What follows are some excellent hallway light ideas that you can use for your home.

If you are looking to improve the illumination in your hallway, then investing in new ceiling lights, track lights, or even a hallway chandelier will add vibrancy to your home. Check out all the selections before making your decision about how to improve your hallway lighting.  

Recessed

This form of hallway lighting is arguably the most common. Recessed lighting is where the lights are built-in or recessed into the ceiling. This makes them perfect for low ceilings when most other forms of hallway lighting would not work. This form of lighting is well suited to light the entire hallway or to highlight a particular area.

One noticeable advantage of recessed lighting is that it makes the hallway seem bigger compared to other forms of lighting where you can see the associated hardware. If there is a downside, too many recessed lights may make the hallway seem more like an office than a home. You will need to space them evenly and not use too many to create a warm, appealing appearance.

Changing out the lights is no issue but getting at the hardware is somewhat more difficult compared to other forms of lighting. This means hiring an experienced electrician to do any repair work is highly recommended. 

Sconces

If you are not into hallway ceiling lights, then the next best selection is arguably sconces. These are wall lights that provide an excellent touch to your hallway. Sconces work in both traditional and modern home designs. Plus, they work well in narrow or wide hallways.

Sconces are best suited for long hallways as they are normally placed about five feet apart. This means for shorter hallways you can have the sconces at either end. You’ll also want them placed high enough so that they clear the head of the tallest person in your home.

Another use for sconces is to highlight something set on your wall, such as artwork or perhaps a framed photograph. You can focus the sconces on specific areas to create an interesting lighting effect if you desire.

Track Lighting

One of the most common forms of lighting in the home, many think of track lighting as being primarily for the kitchen. However, they work quite well as hallway light fixtures. Track lights not only bring plenty of illumination they can be pointed individually at specific areas to illuminate a dark area or highlight artwork or framed photographs.

Track lights are best suited for long hallways where the lighting can fill the entire area. Plus, if a light should go out, the rest will continue to work as it is being replaced. What makes track lighting so desirable is the ability to customize the flow of light through the space.

You can augment your track lighting with dimmer options, so you can set the right amount of light to illuminate a particular area. Plus, you can keep the lights on a dim setting to provide just enough illumination in case you need to go out into the hallway.

Chandelier

If you have a large hallway with a high ceiling, then a chandelier may be a great choice. While mostly associated with entrances and dining areas, the hallway chandelier offers opulence and beautiful light to illuminate the space. This is usually perfect for hallways in homes that act in some ways as entrances, particularly if they are near a staircase.

Of course, a hallway chandelier is not for every home. In addition to taking up a considerable amount of space, you need a tall ceiling to make it work. Also, a good chandelier normally comes attached with a big price. However, you can find good prices on high-quality chandeliers if you take the time to look around.

How to Make the Right Lighting Choice for Your Hallway?

Everything should start with the measurements. This means from floor to ceiling and wall to wall. This will provide a baseline for what type of lighting works best.

Eliminate the Obvious: In other words, if your hallway has a low ceiling then a chandelier is probably out of the question. This may also eliminate sconces and perhaps track lighting as well.

Recessed lighting will work in virtually any hallway because it located above the ceiling with no hardware present. However, if you have limitations in how lighting can be installed above the ceiling, then this may eliminate recessed lighting options.

So, start by eliminating lighting options that are not practical for you hallway.

Highlight: If you are looking to highlight a certain area of your hallway, perhaps some artwork, framed photographs, or to illuminate a darkened area, then sconces and track lighting are excellent options. You can even use recessed lighting if the ceiling is low.

Style: If you have a specific home décor idea in mind, then the lighting option you choose can compliment it beautifully. In fact, many home décor ideas are based on specific choices in lighting. So, be sure to think about the entire home before you make the final decision.

Choosing the right hallway lights does take some research, but it also means that you must find out what you want. The hallway lighting option you choose will be in your home for quite some time. So, narrow down the choices, go over what you want, and choose the lighting that best suits your home décor.