Kristel - Author
Here we share our cove light ideas including what it is, differences from indirect lighting, types of ceiling cove lights, and where they are used for interior designs.
In addition to this, their general appearance is clouded and subdued. You can easily include them in your ceiling design. Two of the most remarkable things about cove lighting, are that they are simple to clean and they provide visual interest.
The use of cove lighting has the potential to revitalize an otherwise uninteresting space. When combined with other types of lighting, cove lights may provide your room or home with the highest quality illumination that is currently available.
What Is Cove Lighting?
Every type of house requires at least some form of illumination. Adding lights to your home gives it more personality, whether you consider them primarily in terms of their aesthetic value or overall practicality.
These days, many people who own their own houses understand how important it is to choose the perfect lighting for their properties. In particular, cove lighting has gained popularity for all the right reasons. Not only do cove lighting designs can completely change a room’s atmosphere, but they also blend nicely and require less physical room.
Accentuating walls, ceilings, and other architectural elements in your house or place of business with cove lighting, a specialized form of lighting, is an excellent idea. It gives off a warm, comforting glow that you can employ in the home or commercial settings. It can transform any area into one that is more appealing.
You can use techniques like cove lighting to create an ambient or accent effect. In many cases, the lighting is indirect; its purpose is to wash a wall or ceiling. In contrast, the lighting fixture itself can nestle into a built-in cove.
Walls usually incorporate coves. There is also the option of constructing the coves into the ceiling. Lighting designers and architects generally utilize cove lighting to highlight an architectural element such as a wall, crown molding, or ceiling. Since there is no apparent light source, you can employ cove lighting.
Where to Use Cove Lighting
Have you considered installing false ceilings in your house? Recessed lighting will blend in perfectly. Cove lighting is a popular choice even though it is a relatively simple kind of illumination because of the visual edge that it provides to the rooms.
Cove lighting should be one of the alternatives you must explore if you want soft, diffused lighting across your living room, hallways, porch, or bedroom. All you need to do is to position them correctly with the assistance of moldings or valances.
You can be confident that cove lights, which come in various forms and dimensions, will lend an air of luxuriousness to any area around your home. In light of this, consider some of the options for installing cove lighting.
Use it in the living room: It would help if you had a well-considered combination of the many lighting levels in the living room, which should combine aesthetic value with functional applicability. Cove fixtures can enhance the mood lighting in a living room design.
Not only may cove lighting be in the ceiling, but it can also be employed to draw attention to a specific architectural element in the room. It could be on the wall, such as a statement stone relief feature, or even at floor level, such as an invisible light behind a cabinet hanging on the wall.
Use it to set a relaxing mood in the bedroom: Your bedroom ought to be a haven of peace and stillness. After a hard day of work, you should take time to unwind and relax.
Bedroom lighting with diffused light and moderate intensity levels will significantly assist this endeavor. Always remember that white lights have a cooling impact, while yellow lights give a warmer feeling.
Because they can adjust brightness according to requirements, LED lights with transformers and dimmer switches built in are perfect for providing this kind of illumination. In addition, this degree of illumination is easier on the eyes than the lighting provided by a table lamp would be.
Use it in the dining area to keep things interesting: For instance, a dropped ceiling and cove lights can provide your dining room with added dimension and depth, bringing a sense of coziness to a primarily white space. Light reflecting off ceilings tends to make rooms appear more open and lighter and brighter.
Turn your kitchen into an aesthetic yet still functional space: When attempting to get some work done at the kitchen counter, shadows cast by the overhead lights might be distracting and difficult to avoid.
An additional strip of lights installed beneath the cabinets can do wonders when it comes to lighting. The addition of cozy recessed lighting below the upper row of cabinets will lend a vibe of sophistication to your kitchen. It is aesthetically pleasing and functional, as it illuminates the worktop in the process.
Create some magic in the bathroom: The perfect bathroom lighting can help you achieve Zen oblivion when unwinding in a steamy bath with your favorite aromatherapy essential oils.
A glow is produced all around the mirror by strip lights that wrap around it. The mirror reflects and bounces the light, creating a low-key effect that is as quiet as a whisper.
Cove Lighting Vs Indirect Lighting
In conclusion, when it comes down to it, every single style of cove lighting produces indirect light. On the other hand, not all forms of indirect lighting are cove lighting.
Cove Light Ceiling
Light-emitting diodes, or LEDs, which have a low environmental impact and a long lifespan, are growing in popularity.
Because they are available in various colors, you may utilize them to create virtually any effect. On the other hand, lighting that uses fluorescent bulbs is inexpensive and consumes very little energy. Because they come in many different shapes and sizes, you may easily modify them for use in many cove systems.
False Ceiling Cove Lighting
A fake ceiling designed in a minimalist style often consists of a rectangular drop with a cove space to house the lights. It breaks up the monotony of the ceiling’s otherwise simple design.
Curved Cove Ceiling Lighting
Both of these options are available to you. This kind of architecture is common in commercial and public places like shopping malls, restaurants, coffee shops, and other similar establishments.
When your guests enter the space, they will feel a sense of grandeur and elegance thanks to a curved cove lighting design that you have implemented. This design is guaranteed to grab attention.
Geometric Drop
Carve out unique geometric lines, curves, and patterns on your ceiling, and then use that space to install your cove lights.
Classic Cove
Intricate moldings and sculpted design features are on them, sometimes in the form of florals and wavy patterns. The recessed area has cove lighting installed on it so that it emits a gentle, warm glow and illuminates the fine details of the room.
Modern Or Contemporary
Look for something that has a ceiling element that is uncomplicated and streamlined if you want to create a lighting design composition that is both classic and versatile.
Wood details act as visual accents in contemporary ceiling designs. After that, cove lighting highlights these characteristics while giving the room a gentle and calming glow.
Warm Cove Ceiling Lighting
In addition, warm light helps relax us. It helps facilitate the process of winding down from the day and getting ready for sleep as part of the natural human circadian cycle.
Because of this, the warm light is perfect for use in bedrooms. Choose warm light to install in your cove ceiling to bring a soft and warm glow to your space, which will help you create an inviting and cozy atmosphere.
Custom Ceiling
There are some rooms that are either too large or too extravagant to have a ceiling design that is fundamental or conventional.
You should seek the assistance of a qualified interior designer to assist you in designing the ceiling of these areas. There are, however, rooms that are inadequate in size, and a drop cove ceiling would make these rooms appear even more congested.
Again, seeking the assistance of an interior designer will enable you to receive expert guidance on the most effective ways to utilize such areas in your home.
Recessed Light Cove
LED Cove Light: Construction industry specialists, designers, and architects agree that LED strips are ideal for cove lighting in the modern day. It is because using LED strips is a means to fine-tune a traditional technique while giving it a contemporary vibe.
LED strips, manufactured with the most recent technology, produce stunning lines of light that imitate the attraction of natural light but do so without the harsh glare of older lighting fixtures.
Not only are LED light strips exceptionally bendable, but they are also straightforward for individuals to set up on their own. It is possible to peel and adhere to the strips wherever you like, and you can even trim them to any certain length without using any big tools. There has never been a simpler time to do LED cove lighting yourself.
Fluorescent Cove Lights: Fluorescent lighting is both inexpensive and good for the environment. It can come in various forms and dimensions, enabling a wide range of applications within the cove system.
The best lighting style for cove systems is according to your requirements and tastes. You may construct an attractive and fashionable cove system that will improve the appearance of your home with the assistance of the appropriate lighting.
Linear: Linear or track cover lighting is more expensive than fluorescent fixtures. Still, it has a lower voltage requirement and creates a stunning look in a space. They are effective for lighting up surfaces such as worktops, kitchen islands, bars, and other locations requiring task lighting.
Tungsten Lights: Tungsten lights are an old-fashioned form of illumination that have been widely used even in modern times. They create a natural and warm light that can come at a reasonable price. They are mostly being phased out in many states due to their energy inefficiencies.
Living Room Cove Light Ceiling
Cove lighting allows you to create depth and height, cozy wall nooks and crannies, and it draws attention to the most spectacular parts of your space. It’s all about striking the right balance between light and shadow and infusing an environment with fresh vitality.
Cove Light In Kitchen
However, most traditional kitchens only have direct lighting sources, such as lights mounted or hanging from the ceiling. In an existing kitchen or when building a new one, installing indirect or recessed cove lighting is an easy way to lend it a more modern appearance.
Ceiling tray light: Incorporate indirect illumination created by coves into your false ceiling. These tray ceiling lights contribute to the kitchen’s overall lighting and produce a more diffused kind of illumination by directing light upwards toward the ceiling.
Downlighting: Putting LED downlights on the skirting of the lower cabinets is another way to make the kitchen’s atmosphere feel more upscale.
In the same way, as in this illustration, the indirect lighting source is aimed downwards to make the ceiling appear to float while also providing a warm glow in the kitchen.
In the kitchen shelves: Cove lighting positioned advantageously within the shelves of the kitchen can be installed. You can see how recessed lighting adds sparkle to these types of shelves and highlights the items displayed by referring to this example.
Under-cabinets: You can bring a plain room to life with the help of indirect lighting placed under the cabinets. Not only does it provide a fashionable touch, but it also produces directional lighting on the kitchen surface. This kind of illumination makes the operations in the kitchen, such as preparing and cooking food, go faster.
In between the ceiling and the upper cabinets: It is possible to conceal thin spools of rope lighting by positioning them in the space between the top of your kitchen cabinets and your ceiling.
You will adore how the lights accentuate the space’s sense of lightness and contemporary chic, making the full-height cabinets appear to be less dominant than they are.
Cove Light Bathroom
Many bathrooms lack exterior windows, which may be due to privacy concerns. Mirror-mounted task illumination is standard. Accent lighting in a bathroom is usually a nightlight or candles. Cove lighting is preferable for bathroom accent lighting.
Uplighting: Cove lighting warms your bathroom. Ledges, crown molding, ceiling nooks or tray ceilings, and skylights light beautifully. Turn off the overhead light and luxuriate in a sandalwood vanilla-scented bubble bath under cove lights. A dimmer switch helps manage cove light brightness.
Under-cabinets: Install cove lighting under bathroom cabinets for a sophisticated look. It’s like kitchens. It works on bottom cabinets, illuminating the floor. Illuminate any surface.
Bathroom cabinets above counters enhance the counter decor. Cove lighting under a mirror over the sink gives hand-washing illumination.
Shelving, arches, and alcoves: Bathroom built-ins are ideal for cove accent lighting. Add a soft focus to upmarket bathroom plants, art glass, flowers, bath linens, soaps, seashells, sculptures, etc.
Try different colored lights. Cove lighting replaces bathroom nightlights. LED lights produce less heat and consume less energy than incandescent bulbs. Cove lighting can be left day and night to maximize its ornamental potential.
Cove Light Cost
No matter what your budget is, there will surely be a type of cove lighting that can make your home or business look more attractive. It is not true that you have to get the most expensive ones; instead, you should choose the ones that are the least expensive if you want the added value to your property.
However, the architectural designs of your house will determine the type of cove lighting you will install. Further revealing the cost of the cove lighting you will install. Here are some variables that might affect the cost:
Size: The size of the lighting fixture determines the price of cove lighting. There are both short and long variations of the cove lighting. The price paid for purchasing a short cove lighting differs from the price paid for a long one.
Brand: When looking for premium and low-cost cove lighting, another element to take into consideration is the brand. There are a variety of manufacturers of cove lighting that set their prices according to cost.
Because of the one-of-a-kind quality that they provide, the price that they charge is unusual. There is a huge variation in the cost of production from one region to the next. Additionally, the raw materials used help determine the cost.
Energy efficiency: Energy efficiency affects cove lighting costs. Some cove lighting brands aren’t energy-efficient, while others are. Without watts and lumens, you can discuss light bulb efficiency.
Bigger wattage bulbs use more electricity. Smaller wattages take more energy to provide the required brightness. Cove lighting cost also considers energy efficiency. Energy-efficient cove lighting is more expensive.
What Type Of Light Is Best For Cove Lighting?
LED lights, fluorescent lights, and tungsten lights are some of the lighting solutions that are currently the most often used.
As a result of their low energy use and extended lifespan, LED lights are quickly gaining a significant market share. They are also available in a wide selection of hues, which enables them to be in the production of any effect.
Which among them is best for cove lighting? Here’s the straight answer. LED llighting is the most effective technology for applications requiring cove lighting. LED linear types of lighting fixtures offer flexibility and mold to fit snugly into virtually any cove design because of their low heat output and solid-state construction.
LED cove lights can provide warm or cold lighting for residential and commercial applications. These lights come in various color temperatures and produce light with a high color rendering index (CRI).
How Many Lumens To Use With Cove Lights
If you use a light with too many lumens, you can wind up with too much light, which can be uncomfortable and even blinding. So, how many lumens should you use for the proper quantity of cove lighting?
It depends on several aspects, including the size of the cove and the amount of light you want it to emit. The lumens required for cove lighting are typically between 300 and 500 per square foot.
On the other hand, you could need more than 500 lumens if the cove is vast or if you want the light to be brilliant. On the other hand, if your cove is somewhat tiny or you want it to be moderately sized, you may find 300 lumens is plenty.
The question now is, how can you determine how many lumens your cove lighting requires? Consultation with an experienced lighting professional is the most effective way to find this information.
They will assist you in locating the appropriate cove lighting and check to ensure that it has the required quantity of lumens. Suppose you are searching for cove lighting that produces the ideal quantity of light. In that case, you will want to ensure that you get one with the appropriate number of lumens.
How Far From Ceiling Should Cove Lighting Be?
The ideal distance from the ceiling to the top edge of the cove is between 12 and 24 inches; this will ensure the best performance and the highest possible light output at the work plane.
See more related content in our article about recessed lighting alternatives on this page.
