Choosing a chandelier for a stretch ceiling: tips and tricks

What is special about suspended ceilings?

To make a stretch ceiling, a special PVC film and polyester fabric are used. In terms of their technical characteristics, these materials sometimes outperform plasterboard and suspended ceiling panels because:

• very thin and light material;
• elastic, can stretch almost 2.5 times;
• does not collapse at low temperatures, withstands down to minus 30º;
• a huge selection of fabric textures: matte, glossy, fabric;
• wide color palette: white, colored, metallic, imitation of Venetian plaster and natural stone and much more.

Despite the large number of advantages, there is one small disadvantage: not every chandelier is suitable for a stretch ceiling. To install the lighting device you need:

• use a special mounting platform on the concrete base of the ceiling, because it is impossible to attach anything to the canvas itself due to its softness;
• the use of lamps with lower power, because heating by more than 60º is impossible to avoid deformation of the canvas and fire;
• There is no need to use lamps with special converters, which can overheat in a space without proper ventilation, or use them where there is access to air.

Briefly about the main thing

Thanks to modern materials and technologies, stretch ceilings allow you to implement a variety of lighting ideas

When organizing lighting, it is important to take into account the design features: its reflective properties and limitations, on the basis of which to choose suitable lamps

In order for lighting to help create a stylish and cozy kitchen, several types of light sources and different layouts are used. Most often, chandeliers and spotlights are purchased for suspended ceilings; they can be used individually or create spectacular combinations. Less commonly, LED strips or track systems are chosen for lighting.

Rules for choosing a chandelier for a stretch ceiling

Based on the features of the tension structure, which we have already considered, we will compile a list of recommendations for choosing the right chandelier.

1. The most successful option would be a chandelier model with shades that point down or to the sides, but not at the ceiling. This way you can avoid excessive heating of the canvas. It is better to choose closed lampshades and lampshades.
2. For the same reason, i.e. overheating of the canvas, pendant chandeliers are considered more suitable because the distance from the ceiling to the light bulb increases significantly. This does not mean that ceiling fixtures will not work at all. They need to pay attention to the base. It shouldn't get very hot, so a metal base is unlikely to work. But the mirror surface will reflect heat.
3. When choosing, take into account the texture of the stretch fabric. Remember that everything is reflected well on a glossy surface, including exposed wiring.
4. The lamp in the chandelier is worthy of separate discussion. What is the power, type, intensity of the glow? All parameters must be taken into account. We'll talk about them in more detail a little later.
5. A few design tricks:

• a small lamp will get lost in the space of a large room;
• a large lighting fixture will visually reduce the area;
• Light directed to the sides, on the contrary, will expand the room.

Chandelier for the kitchen

In the kitchen, the choice of chandelier is influenced by the area and shape of the room. For a small square kitchen (usually in Khrushchev-era buildings), a medium-sized lighting device located in the center of the room is suitable. If desired, it is possible to install lighting in the area where dinners are held or food preparation takes place. For a more spacious kitchen, it is better to place a medium-sized chandelier above the table where meals take place. Local lighting should be installed above the work tables.

If the kitchen is elongated, then the option of lamps of the same size arranged in a row is suitable for it. This method of placing light bulbs is also suitable for a studio.

Shape and size of a chandelier for a stretch ceiling

The shape and design will depend on the style in which the lighting fixture is made. What to choose is up to you. Based on the general interior and design of the room. Let’s share our experience of what goes perfectly with what, how the design of the chandelier will affect the overall lighting and atmosphere of the room.

A wide variety of materials are used for the manufacture of ceiling and hanging chandeliers: glass, metal, fabric, crystal, special paper, plastic, wood. Some materials are more expensive than others, they have different characteristics and illuminate the area differently. Traditional classic chandeliers, which always remain at the peak of popularity, are crystal devices. Crystal itself is considered a symbol of prosperity, chic and brilliance. If you install such a model on a glossy ceiling, dressed in clothes made of crystal pendants, balls, beads, then the room will simply sparkle with reflections of the sun, because the gloss will reflect the light passing through the multifaceted details.

Another version of the classic chandelier is with light bulbs in the form of candles, mounted on original candlesticks. But such models are not suitable for glossy ceilings, because the reflection will not give the desired effect, because... Only incomprehensible points of light will be visible.

Light sources on a long, rigid rod look good on a reflective surface. In an apartment with high ceilings, for example 3 meters, a similar model will create an interesting ceiling design.

The matte ceiling allows the use of any type of chandeliers. Light is not reflected in it, but scattered throughout the room.

Glass goes well with suspended ceilings. The main thing is that individual parts do not damage the canvas.

Some styles use chandeliers with wooden lampshades. But, probably, this is not the most correct option for suspended ceilings, because the canvas implies lightness and airiness, and wood can make the entire structure visually heavier. It doesn't always look attractive.

The cheapest option is plastic lamps. But cheaper doesn't mean worse. The lightweight material itself will not add extra weight to the entire suspended or ceiling structure. There is one drawback - the plastic fades and loses its color over time.

Fabric stretch ceilings and chandeliers with fabric lampshades go well together. Due to the materials being similar in texture and texture, the entire ceiling looks very harmonious.

What happened before?

During the Soviet period, there could be no comparison for one simple reason: spots simply did not exist. Chandeliers were almost the only central source of lighting. Of course, table lamps, floor lamps, and wall lamps were purchased, but there was always a chandelier, for everyone and in all rooms. For some time, a chandelier was even considered a symbol of prosperity: the more expensive and luxurious the chandelier, the greater wealth the family had. For the majority of the population, chandeliers were quite simple, uniform and unpretentious. But people with high incomes could see crystal chandeliers in their rooms, cascading, multi-armed, multi-level. It was believed that a chandelier is one of the indicators of one’s position in society.

This continued until suspended and suspended ceilings appeared, and with them a completely different type of lighting. However, initially even then the chandelier did not lose its position, because ordering suspended ceilings with built-in lamps was also not cheap at all.

Gradually, new technologies for installing ceilings and lighting began to spread, and the cost of construction work in this direction became more affordable. Now everyone tried to establish a newfangled trend in themselves in order to be, as they say, in trend.

Over time, spotlights, like suspended ceilings, have become commonplace. Anyone can choose what they want and what they like according to their taste. This is no longer an indicator of unattainable wealth. Quite the contrary, there are elite models of chandeliers, the cost of which is very high. But spots and other point devices are publicly available.

Spots or chandeliers? In order to successfully resolve disputes and doubts, we will tell you about the features of both lighting devices and give recommendations on where to use each of them.

Which lamps to choose for a chandelier

We came to one more nuance related to the installation of a chandelier on a suspended ceiling - a lamp. The following light sources are offered on the lighting market:

• incandescent lamps;
• halogen;
• luminescent;
• LED

All have characteristics that allow them to be used correctly.

1. An incandescent lamp is the cheapest way to provide yourself with light. But they are not recommended for suspended ceilings. Firstly, they can destroy the ceiling canvas, especially if they are too close to it. Secondly, the canvas turns yellow over time. Thirdly, the service life of such light bulbs is very short, and, in addition, they can hardly be called energy-saving. Their disposal also requires special conditions so as not to harm the environment.
2. A halogen lamp is a glass bulb filled with bromine or iodine. When the substance is heated, the brightness of the glow increases. With an external bulb, capsule, with a reflector - any of these types can be used in chandeliers for suspended ceilings. But the light bulb power should not exceed 35 W, otherwise the canvas will suffer.
3. A fluorescent lamp is also a normal choice for suspended ceilings. It consists of a flask with electrodes hidden inside. The only thing to consider is that they are not very bright. If you don't need ball lightning at the top, then you can use these bulbs. They belong to energy-saving models.
4. The most ideal solution would be LED lamps. They have a lot of advantages:

• economical energy consumption;
• do not heat up, which means they are excellent for lighting stretch ceilings in any type of chandeliers;
• With the help of LEDs, the most interesting models of chandeliers are made: from simulating a huge sun to twinkling stars in the sky.

Mounting type

Hanging

• hung on a special hook
• easier installation

Invoices

• suspended from a strip attached to the ceiling with self-tapping screws
• require a wider range of work compared to hanging chandeliers

Built-in

• refract light well and provide soft additional lighting
• can be of different shapes
• provide great opportunities in terms of light zoning of the room

Location

This is an important point, because you need to think about the location of lighting fixtures when installing suspended ceilings in advance, otherwise it will be problematic to install the chandelier itself afterwards. For a square room, one central chandelier is enough, which will be the main lighting. For an elongated room, it is better to provide two identical models. This will illuminate the entire area, leaving no dark corners. In rooms with architectural features, the center of lighting may be shifted depending on the configuration of the room.

Manufacturers also offer the most unusual stretch ceilings, for example, with photo printing. A lighting device in the center of an exotic flower, as if blooming above you, will look very impressive.

Calculation of the number of lamps

To correctly determine the minimum required number of lighting fixtures and select the best scheme, you need to consider the following parameters:

• what lamps will be used (type, power);
• room dimensions;
• multi-level or single-level ceiling in the room;
• presence of windows;
• purpose of the room;
• the need for zoning;
• interior;
• type of stretch ceiling - glossy, matte;
• arrangement of furniture in the room.

Each room has its own lighting standards. For a bathroom and toilet this value is 2 W/sq.m., for the living room – 3 W/sq.m., in the hallway – 1 W/sq.m., bedroom – 2 W/sq.m., children’s room – 8 W/sq.m.

Taking these parameters into account, the number of light sources is selected. First you need to multiply the area of ​​the room (sq.m.) by the lighting rate (W/sq.m.) and get the power. The found value should be divided by the power of one light bulb. The result is a number of LED sources that will create optimal illumination.

Ceiling color and chandelier color

There is a wide choice of colors for stretch fabric. If it is also beneficial to choose a chandelier, then the ceiling will sparkle with new colors. We're sharing design secrets again.

1. Light or completely white ceilings would be well decorated with a contrasting chandelier. If this is a classic option, then lampshades or bases trimmed with gilding will do a great job.
2. On dark canvases, use the same contrast: white or silver shades, crystal elements, or gold again in the lamp design.
3. The ceiling in the form of a blue sky with clouds is a ceiling chandelier with a closed white shade.
4. Canvas with photo printing? Here you need to choose a chandelier to match the main pattern, then there will be no dissonance and unnecessary diversity.
5. Blue and pink shades look great on a black or chocolate background. Depending on this, select the design of the chandelier.

Optimal solutions

Stretch fabric has great decorative potential, which is realized with the help of lamps.
There are many ideas for placing ceiling lighting fixtures. They are based on the uniformity of lighting, but take into account the features of the interior or the shape of the room. If there are decorative plasterboard structures, then the placement of lamps follows their shape, decorating and emphasizing the design elements. Spot devices are installed around the perimeter of the room, or grouped in the center. In the latter case, the distance between them may be significantly less than the recommended values, but the overall brightness is compensated by a decrease in the power of individual point elements. A method of decorating a canvas that imitates a starry sky is often used, when the entire surface is filled in a chaotic manner with small lamps.

Before starting work, you should carefully consider and draw up a diagram of the location of point devices with the obligatory indication of the distances between them. This will help you find them after installing the tension fabric.

Photos of chandeliers on suspended ceilings in the interior

A designer chandelier consisting of many metal rods with LED bulbs at the end of each of them. It resembles a dandelion that is about to fly apart into small parachutes. The composition is complemented by lighting along the entire perimeter of the ceiling.

The following lamp model on a black background of a glossy stretch ceiling will evoke unique emotions. Thanks to the design of the crystal lampshade, an exotic flower literally blooms on the ceiling. Such a chandelier will undoubtedly become an interior decoration.

A classic chandelier made of crystal in the form of numerous pendants that convey unique glare from the light bulbs. All of them are reflected on the glossy chocolate-colored surface and create a very tasty picture.

The unusual design of the lamp creates a fantastic visual effect. Long rods topped with small rectangular shades. The arrangement of the elements is repeated on the ceiling, creating a 3D picture.

Here is a version of a colored stretch ceiling in the form of a sky, and in the center there is a luminous circle from a crystal ceiling chandelier. It represents either the sun or a whirlpool of water.

Chandelier with candles in sconces instead of shades. Contrary to the opinion that candle lamps are inappropriate on a glossy ceiling, we see the opposite option. But the peculiarity lies elsewhere - in the color of the canvas. The heterogeneous sand color scheme does not allow light bulbs to be reflected in the form of boring dots.

Original ceiling chandelier on the matte surface of the ceiling. A fairytale butterfly has taken up residence in the children's room. The main body is made of lightweight plastic. Light breaks through the opaque frosted glass and softly illuminates the room.

Rooms for different purposes and zoning with light

In many cases, the use of two types of lighting at once is absolutely not redundant, but necessary. So in a studio apartment, a large chandelier above the dining table does not necessarily have to be combined with spotlights on the ceiling behind the sofa.

By the way, there doesn’t have to be only one chandelier. Today it is fashionable to hang a whole bunch of long-legged lamps nearby. Lighting devices of the same model or different ones, directed at different angles and installed at different levels, perfectly delimit the apartment into areas for relaxation, sleep, work, etc.

In the hall, the use of complex lighting also allows you to functionally divide the space, highlight the working part with mini-lamps, and the guest part with a chandelier. The same is true with a spacious kitchen.

For the lighting decor of the living room, you can use an original composition of a chandelier and spots of the same shape (or a spot is an element of the chandelier’s shape). These can be flowers, geometric shapes, drops, etc.

LED spots above the stove and work tables will allow you to cook efficiently, and a romantic lampshade above the dining table and kitchen corner will create coziness and comfort for family communication and get-togethers.

In a children's room, the chandelier can be turned on only for games and guests, and on a regular evening before bed, several spotlights located in a circle around the main light source are enough.