How to choose a chandelier for a stretch ceiling in the hall?

The interior of the room is largely dependent on lighting. Living room in this sense is not an exception. This is the main room in the house, which should be good for the owners, guests and casual visitors. Stretch ceilings greatly contribute to the solution of this complex task. But the question always arises of how to choose a chandelier for a stretch ceiling in the hall. Let's talk about it.

to contents ↑

What is a stretch ceiling?

If you need a chandelier for a stretch ceiling - how to choose one that is both beautiful and safe? To begin with, let's figure out what constitutes the stretch ceiling itself. In fact, this is a large banner fixed on a special profile. It can be:

• from a PVC film;
• from fabric.

Advantages and disadvantages of materials

Film is cheaper, so most apartment owners prefer it. But it has several drawbacks, and some of them directly affect the choice of a lamp:

• ability to melt;
• insufficient resistance to mechanical stress.

For the profile, mainly two materials are also used:

• aluminum;
• plastic.

Benefits of Stretch Ceilings

The popularity of suspended ceilings, which were invented in Switzerland, is due to several reasons:

• they are easy to care for;
• they are easy to replace if there is any defect - with a real ceiling there will be much more trouble;
• you can find ceilings of any color and with any texture.

Ceiling surface

Stretch ceilings have their own characteristics that must be considered when choosing:

• they reflect light;
• the room becomes a little lower;
• there is a small space between the panel and the ceiling that can be used;
• the film does not tolerate high temperatures very well.

to contents ↑

Hall Area

Before you pick up the chandelier to the stretch ceiling, evaluate the area of ​​the room. As a rule, the living room is the largest room in the apartment. On average, its area is 18-20 square meters. m, but maybe more and less. So the chandelier should be powerful enough.

Important! You can hang several lamps - the ceiling works very well with both wall and spotlights, which can be located anywhere.

to contents ↑

Ceiling space

There is always a small space between the stretch and the main ceiling. In principle, it can be used to install power supplies, but subject to certain conditions:

• These should be low voltage fixtures.
• It should be borne in mind that any converter, if it works for a long time, begins to heat up, and the film can be deformed from this. Therefore, a special niche with good ventilation is made for the converter.

to contents ↑

What kind of mounts are suitable?

The choice of chandelier for a stretch ceiling is greatly affected by the type of mount. In the catalogs you can see two types of ceiling lights:

• outboard;
• waybills.

To the question which chandelier is better for a stretch ceiling, in this case there is the only answer - of course, suspended. They are mounted on a special hook, and they are ideal for a film surface. It is better to refuse invoices right away - they are placed on a panel fixed to the ceiling.The stretch ceiling simply can not withstand such a load.

Pendant chandelier

When choosing a suspension model, pay particular attention to the length of the suspension itself. It must meet several criteria:

• the highest member of the family should not touch the head of the chandelier;
• the ceiling should be located at least a short distance from the ceiling, with the exception of chandeliers with LEDs.

to contents ↑

Lampshades, horns, plates

When deciding how to choose the right chandelier for a stretch ceiling, consider a few very significant points:

• temperature condition;
• base material;
• light direction;
• kind of plafonds.

Temperature

The chandelier should give a temperature of no higher than 60 ° C. Especially, there is a ceiling made of PVC film. Fabric ceilings are less sensitive to temperature increase, they are not so willing to melt, but they can fade, which is also bad.

Base material

If you like a plate-shaped ceiling, pay attention to what the base is made of. It should be plastic. The metal heats up much faster, respectively - the consequences for the blade can be the most severe.

True, there is a way out. Reflective film is often sold in conjunction with such lamps. Such sets are designed specifically for rooms with stretch ceilings - the film reliably protects the canvas from heating.

Light direction

On sale you can find ceiling lights with a very different direction of the light flux;

• up;
• way down;
• to the sides.

It is better to refuse the first option right away. The luminous flux, constantly directed upwards, is able to melt the film. The direction to the sides is in principle suitable, but it is best to buy a chandelier from which the light goes down.

Important! You can use the horns pointing up, if they are few and the lamps in them do not heat up. This option is suitable for high-gloss glossy panels.

to contents ↑

Type of shades

Thanks to the ceiling, the direction of the light flux is regulated. He can:

• concentrate;
• dissipate.

Important! Closed shades are preferred for suspended ceilings. The reason is the same - they hide heat, and the panel does not overheat. However, this condition is not mandatory - on sale you will find many lamps with low heat transfer.

The number of horns depends on the size of the living room:

• for a room of 10-12 square meters. m - no more than 3-4 shades;
• for the hall more than 12 square meters. m - at least 6 shades;
• for a hall from 18 square meters m - 6 shades plus additional fixtures.

Important! For luminaires that are adjacent to stretch ceilings, it is preferable to shades with reflectors - thin sheets of stainless steel or aluminum.

to contents ↑

Talk about lamps

It is from the lamps that the quality of lighting and the safety of the entire structure depend in many respects. In the living rooms hang a variety of chandeliers - with one powerful light bulb, and with 3-6 horns, and with many small plafonds designed for weak lamps.

A bulky powerful lamp with one ceiling for a room with suspended ceilings is not suitable. The best option is a device with many small shades that give enough lighting, but at the same time they heat up little and weigh a little.

As for the types of lamps, there are several of them now:

• incandescent lamps;
• halogen;
• energy saving;
• LED light.

Incandescent lamps

This is a classic version, which to this day enjoys certain popularity. They do not go out of use mainly due to the low price. However, economical people try not to use them for a number of reasons:

• low profitability;
• ability to overheat very much.

Important! The efficiency of the “Ilyich’s bulb” is only 3%. But it gives off a lot of heat. In addition, it is necessary to change such lamps quite often, so low cost is a deceiving thing.If you already decided to screw such, then those with a power of not more than 60 W will do, the stronger ones will simply burn your ceiling in a few days. But even such bulbs should hang no higher than 25 cm from the panel.

Halogen

They are more economical than incandescent lamps, their efficiency is higher. The principle of its operation is not much different from the previous version, just for the manufacture of other materials are used:

• Current flows through a tungsten spiral.
• The spiral heats up.
• The lamp is on.

These devices also heat the ceiling, so the requirements for them will be exactly the same. But they also have their own unpleasant property - they emit a low-frequency hum. To get rid of it, they use a special device - a dimmer. But the “halogen” has an undoubted advantage over the others - the spectral composition of the light that they emit is very close to natural.

Important! The power of halogen lamps in rooms with suspended ceilings should not exceed 35 watts.

Energy saving

These are fluorescent lamps with integrated ballast. They are heated much less than incandescent or halogen lamps, their efficiency is much higher. However, such devices are used less often in residential premises than in offices or industrial enterprises, for the simple reason that it is dangerous to break them - they contain mercury vapor inside.

Important! After breaking the energy-saving lamp, immediately call the service that will carry out the demercurization, otherwise, you will not be able to live in your apartment until the mercury vapor level returns to normal.

LED

They are more expensive than the others, but the costs more than pay off. LED lamps and tapes have a lot of advantages over the others:

• high efficiency;
• profitability;
• ergonomics;
• variety of species;
• variety of colors.

For a stretch ceiling, such lamps are completely safe, as well as for the inhabitants of the apartment. Moreover - the use of LED strips makes it possible to do without a ceiling lamp with horns at all. They are lightweight, attached directly to the canvas in the form of fancy patterns and at the same time provide very high-quality lighting.

to contents ↑

What to combine with?

When you design a living room, you can hardly do with just one lamp. Most likely, you will want to emphasize some corners or highlight areas, and then how to be without additional lighting? Great additions include:

• sconce;
• floor lamp;
• LED strip on the walls.

If we are talking about sconces, it is better if they are made in the same style with a chandelier. It is possible that you will be able to find a set of two or even several fixtures - many manufacturers are now preparing such sets. This will create a single space in the room.

If we are talking about zoning, it is better to use LED strips - you can even have different colors. In the green corner there is a table with a computer, in the blue corner there is a music center, etc. But other options are also possible - to highlight, for example, the corner where the armchairs and the coffee table are standing, with a floor lamp that differs in style from the main lamp.

to contents ↑

Some tips from the designer

The ceiling and the chandelier must complement each other. The canvas itself looks beautiful, but its quality can be emphasized. For example:

• If you have a glossy film, a lamp that gently diffuses light will look very good. Chandeliers with bizarre horns are also great - fantastic luminous paintings will appear on the canvas, and the ceiling itself will seem higher.
• An interesting option is a dark glossy film in combination with a chandelier with many small LED bulbs of different colors. The effect of the starry sky is created, and before your eyes - the depth of the universe.

to contents ↑

Stock footage

In a word, there are enough options, and most importantly - so that the chandelier is beautiful, comfortable and safe.