The importance of good lighting can be best understood when you compare a room with unpleasant lighting and functional, aesthetic lights. It wouldn’t matter how expensive the furnishings are, how well decorated the space is, and how much time and energy you’ve put into designing that space. At the end of the day, lighting can make or break your living space. 

Ceiling lights are ceiling mounted lighting fixtures that come in two broad types; flush lighting and semi-flush lighting. Flush lights have minimum to no clearance between them and the ceiling whereas semi-flush lights have reasonable clearance. 

Having understood the difference good lighting can make and being introduced to the idea of ceiling lights, it’s time to talk about ceiling lights that match your aesthetic. 

Finding Your Aesthetic

Item in The Image: Gundersen Spider Leg Styled Industrial Rustic Chandelier

Simply put, your aesthetic showcases your personality – what you want people to perceive of you when they walk into your home. There are several different kinds of aesthetics each more variable than the next. We have mid-century modern designs on one end with golden or brass finishing and contemporary designs on the other with geometric shapes and bold colors. 

Your aesthetic is not bounded by your preferred color palettes and themes, it encompasses designs and elements that fit well into that aesthetic. For example, modern aesthetic designs for living spaces have minimal, bare-legged furnishings. Scandinavian designs are somewhat similar, but with more recent vibes to them.

Finding your aesthetic isn’t as easy as you probably thought it was. With an extensive list of aesthetics to choose from, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. However, a few important considerations to make are:

• Your preferred aesthetic doesn’t have to be limited to one form. You can choose fusion styles as well.
• Choose an aesthetic that best showcases what you like and avoids what you don’t.
• Consider the longevity of every item in terms of how long you’d want to keep it for.
• Look for inspiration on Pinterest and design a mood board.

Ceiling Lights For Variable Aesthetics

• Semi-Flush Lights for Vintage Aesthetic

Shown in Image: Arild Modern Scandinavian Angular Wooden Ceiling Lamp

Semi-flush and flush lighting solutions work best in spaces that have lower ceilings. Flush lights are installed directly onto the ceiling, and semi-flush lights hang about four to eight inches off of the ceiling.

Vintage aesthetics feature a lot of wood, some gold, and some brass elements. Everything has a certain degree of simplicity to it with a lot of elegance. Ideal ceiling lights for vintage aesthetics would therefore be drum or candle semi-flush lighting.

• Ceiling Contemporary Pendant Lights

Product in Image: Unna Artistic Circular Wave Pendant Lights

There are several different varieties for ceiling pendant lights. There are catalogs upon catalogs of ceiling lights in various shapes, sizes, and designs. Added to this is the fact that they’re highly versatile in use.

Ceiling pendant lights can be used best for contemporary designs. Contemporary aesthetics feature a wide range of geometric patterns and bold colors. This is understandably not something track lights or most flush lights can achieve.

You’ll find multiple types of ceiling pendant lights. Some with multiple fixtures on the same framework and some with solitary bulbs. In any case, you have a plethora of options to choose from when it comes to ceiling pendant lights.

• Ceiling Cluster Lights

Credits: Pexels, Vincent Tartidini

People typically associate ceiling lights with chandeliers. Chandeliers are usually crystal (but they are not limited to this design) fixtures that hang over higher ceilings. A cluster light is somewhat of a chandelier, but less expensive.

Ceiling cluster lights are therefore best utilized for modern aesthetics. Contrary to popular belief, modern aesthetics are not the same as contemporary ones. The name is basically a misnomer. Modern designs feature designs from the 1960’s and 70’s.

Basically, clear cut designs with sharp finishes and plain colors. Cluster drum lights or cluster crystal ceiling lights with wooden bases and minimal designs are ideal for modern aesthetics.

• Track Lights

Item in the Image: Mogens Industrial Metal Caged Pendant Light

Track lights are found most often above vanities for task lighting and sometimes for accent lighting. However, manufacturers are constantly coming up with better versions of traditional track lights. 

Newer versions of track lights can function as ambient lighting as well. These track lights with wooden bars and metallic lamp shades for each bulb fit well in rustic and more country aesthetics. 

Basically, if something features natural elements like wood and metal, it fits a more rustic aesthetic. Bonus points for track lighting that features darker colors and varnished wood finishes.

• Indirect Lighting

Item in the Image: Haralda Sunrise and Sunset Wall Lamp

Indirect lighting works as accent lighting and ambient lighting. Although more the former than the latter. Basically, indirect lighting surrounds the periphery of your room for a more dimmed down and subtle glow of the room. 

Indirect lighting can work well in any aesthetic, but would work best in contemporary settings. This is because the design style features contemporary artwork that needs to be showcased. Every item in a contemporary setting has a unique identity of its’ own that should be placed center stage. 

The best way to accomplish this without overpowering one thing over the other would be with indirect lighting.

• Lamp Shades for Every Aesthetic

Item in the Image: Kelsey Wooden Cone Pendant Light

When all else fails, lamp shades save the day. There’s nothing in the world of lighting and illumination that’s as versatile and useful as a good lampshade. Lampshades can be switched out to meet any aesthetic. 

If you’re looking for a modern lampshade, go with something made out of fabric in lighter color themes. Tall lamps in the corner of your living room or bedroom would be best suited for this. 

Contemporary lampshades are usually made out of metal and function as task lights. These shades are also designed peculiarly or more creatively. Rustic lampshades are often made of either fabric or metal, but with sharper finishes. 

Vintage aesthetics can also feature lampshades made out of wrought iron with brass finishes or golden touch-ups. Bottom line is that there’s a lampshade that suits each and every aesthetic perfectly.

Conclusion

Finding the perfect ceiling light for your aesthetic can be somewhat overwhelming especially when you don’t necessarily know what it is you’re looking for. Step one is to identify your aesthetic and step two is to go over to Light Vault and browse through their exhaustive list of lighting solutions!