Art Deco Ceiling Lights

How an art deco ceiling light reads from below

You see a ceiling fitting almost entirely from underneath, so its deco character has to live in the face and rim. Look for the details the style was built on: rings stepping in towards the centre, fans and sunbursts, ribbing and strict symmetry. A plain underside reads from the floor as a round light, whatever the name. A semi-flush drop also lets stepped or tiered glass show in profile.

Most of our range leans traditional, at home in an interwar house whose ceiling rose and picture rail speak the same language. Many pieces take a more modern line, often better in a plain room where the fitting is the only ornament.

Which glass suits an art deco ceiling light?

Most of our art deco ceiling lights use glass, and the glass decides how the design reads. Ribbed glass, in a few designs, is the truest to the period: its ribs catch lines of light, so the pattern shows by day too. Opal glass gives an even glow that hides the lamp and softens the pattern. Crystal, which many designs carry, adds sparkle; where the lamp is on show, choose a warm, low-glare bulb. Alabaster, in a few, gives a soft, stony glow, and many pieces use resin, which is lighter overhead than glass.

Choosing the metal for an art deco ceiling light

The metal sets the warmth, so follow what the room already holds: switch plates, door handles, a mirror frame. Bronze, on many of our designs, is dark and warm and forgives fingerprints; it sits well with earthy colours. Brass and gold are the bright side of deco and look richest against deep green, navy or plum walls. Nickel, silver and chrome give the cooler, streamlined version of the style, at home beside white paintwork and grey walls. Black, in a few designs, recalls period lacquer and stands out sharply against a pale ceiling.

What the room needs from an art deco ceiling light

Most of the range suits a living room, where the fitting can afford width and a multi-lamp design spreads light across the seating. Many suit hallways; on a landing you also look down on the fitting from the stairs, so a neat canopy matters. Many suit bedrooms, where opal or, on a few, alabaster spares your eyes as you lie looking up. Over a dining table, centre the fitting on the table, not the room. A bathroom needs a fitting rated for its zone, IP44 or above near water; some of ours carry IP44, so check the rating before you choose.

Getting the lamp right in an art deco ceiling light

Most of the range takes an E27 screw lamp, the cap with the widest choice of LED bulbs, including globe and filament shapes that suit clear glass. Many use small G9 capsules and many take E14 lamps; a few take a flat GX53 lamp, and there is a fitting with an integrated LED module. Choose warm white: it keeps brass and gold golden, where a cool lamp drains them, and it stops opal glass looking clinical. Many are dimmable, and deco turned low is the style at its best; pair a dimmable lamp with an LED-rated dimmer.

Fixing an art deco ceiling light square, and keeping it clean

Deco is built on symmetry, and the eye spots a fan or ring sitting askew far sooner than a crooked plain disc. Check the ceiling is level where the plate will sit; in an older house a deeper canopy hides an uneven patch. Screw the plate into a joist or a batten rather than bare plasterboard, and have a qualified electrician do the wiring, working to Part P in England and Wales.

To clean, switch off, let the glass cool and wipe it with a barely damp cloth, drying ribbed grooves at once. Dust metal with a dry cloth, and keep metal polish off lacquered brass, which it strips.