Signature Lighting and Fans, Calgary, Alberta

Designing with Light

Hallways and stairways

HALLWAYS MAY BE slim passageways, art galleries, or even glassed-in open areas. But as routes for human traffic, they should be neither much dimmer nor much brighter than adjoining rooms so that your eyes don’t have to make big adjustments as you move from room to room.

When planning hall lighting, keep it simple. Downlights are popular here, as are tracks and opaque pendants. If the hall is wide enough, consider spaced wall sconces. A hallway can make an exciting gallery for art, but be sure the light is dimmable – or consider a second set of fixtures for soft illumination, or night-lights for late-night
path lighting.

If you have a full staircase – or even just two steps to another level – it’s important to provide adequate light for safety. The edge of each tread and the depth of each step should be clearly defined. One way to achieve this is to combine a downlight over the stairway (to light edges) with a softer light projected from the landing below (to define depth). Another option is to build low-voltage fixtures into the wall just above every third or fourth step. Lights hidden in a handrail can also illuminate treads. For a main landing or entry stairways, consider decorative and accent options as well.

For either halls or stairways, plan to install three- or four-way switches at each end or hallway opening; a dimmer can replace one switch for decorative lighting control.

Lighting Tips from Signature Lighting & Fans Part warehouse, part nautical in mood, these recessed wall lights help mark the way down concrete stair risers. Downlights fill in from overhead.

Lighting a nonlinear central hallway required something new in tracks: a curved, custom statement. The elegant pewter track blends well with the softly faux-painted walls, while the "lily" shades, each with its own MR-16 spot, accent ranks of framed prints.

Lighting Tips from Signature Lighting & Fans Glowing mini-lights on a remote transformer light the display niche in the foreground, while an MR-16 monospot illuminates the stair-side niche. Adjustable downlights wash the walls with light.

A curving, low-voltage cable system follows the ins and outs of an upstaris art collection. All that accent light adds ambient hallway light, too, as it bounces off the art and the white walls. A track-mounted globe pendant dives down the stair-well, brightening the space below.

Translucent glass stair treads, shown here from below, seem to glow. The light really comes from MR-16 bulbs tucked inside the built-in, recessed wall rectangles.