How to light walls evenly.
Ever thought of the right light situation on your walls?
Well, I have to tell this is a often overlooked in the interior design of private homes.
Done right it´s a gamechanger for your walls and artworks to glow.
What is a wall washer?
A wall washer A wall washer is a luminaire that illuminates a wall from top to bottom in the same intensity. It can appear in a Spot or LED strip form. A wall washer is used to brighten the surface, without any shadows from objects in front of the wall. Perfect for artworks that you want to draw attention to. Like an obvious use for this type of luminaire.
But it is also often used in office spaces. It is important to have an evenness in an office. The light level all over should be quite even. If in the room there is a big difference, for example, between your screen and the background, it is more exhausting for our eyes to watch. A wall washer brings the light in the back on the wall, then projects the light directly down, which would have the opposite effect.
The main differences between a wall washer and a regular tiltable spot are that the spot draws a roundish shape on the wall. Compared to a regular LED line, the wall washer projects an overall similar lux level on the wall, instead of a gradient of an LED strip.
As the eye is always led to the brightest point in the room, a wall washer is very useful if you want to guide people to a specific picture or highlight. Often it is used for signs or wall menus in restaurants and cafes. See the difference in luminaires in the pictures below:
regular spot
regular LEDline
regular spot
regular LEDline
Wall Washer
Nestes visualizações 3D do Dialux, é claramente visível a diferença que diferentes tipos de luminárias criam.
Types of wall washers.
In general, I would define 4 types of wall washer:
Spot wall washer
Ledline wall washer
Upshine Spot
Upshine Linear light
And all of them are available for indoor and outdoor. Especially at facades, a wall washer is often in use for monuments or other public buildings to stand out at night.
Here are some references from luminaire factories that produce wall washers:
In the downlight is a special reflector built in, which leads to an asymmetrical light beam. The beam directs towards one site. The distance from the wall is critical for the light effect. It has to be in the perfect spot; otherwise, it makes stripes on the wall. If the spot is positioned too far from the wall, the brightness is not as strong. It is recommended to put the spot around 1/5-1/3 of the room height away from the wall.
In all projects, there are different conditions, like ceilings, room heights, or various artwork sizes – so the best is to simulate before choosing a light fixture. One example you see in the Picture on the right side of an asymmetrical inbuilt spot.
The wall washer effect in Ledline form is very nice for us. I love to work with lit walls and the reflection of it to lighten the room, through this indirect light. It is very pleasant to look at and gives a cozy feeling.
And with a continuous ledline, it is perfect to brighten a structured wall or a curtain. These ledlines are often available for outdoor use. In general, the wall washer, as an uplight or linear light, is mainly used in outdoor lighting.
Companies that sell wall washers
There are many wall washers available on the market from many different brands. It´s definitely a technical or architectural luminaire which is most often used in commercial buildings, but it’s really interesting for many cases. A
A wall washer can be found as well in the stage lighting. Philips hue releases wall washers for the wall behind your TV or screen. “This technic expands your viewing experience by synchronizing smart lights with the colors and effects on your screen, creating an immersive atmosphere that makes movies, shows, and games feel more vivid and engaging.” Defently another funcion but lighting wise a similar effect as regualr wall washers convencionais.
Portuguese & international brands:
- ARON Light
- XAL
- Bega
- Leds4C
- iGuzzini
- Artemide
- Erco
- 2F Leuchten
