Hanging your pictures and artwork on your wall can give it some fantastic decoration and adds your personal style to your walls. How do you make a picture or painting stand out more? With a picture wall light, you can use specialised lighting to accentuate your display to highlight different properties of the picture or give it a more dramatic look. Let's take a look at picture lights and how to use them effectively.
What is a picture wall light?
The most common method of highlighting your favourite painting or collection of photos is with a picture light fixed to the wall. A painting can truly make a space come to life, but for it to have the greatest impact, it needs to be well-lit - and this is why picture lights were invented.
Picture lights aren't just for museums and galleries; you can add a wonderful sense of drama to a space by using a picture light to illuminate a favourite painting or image. Any eye-catching print or photo will appear even more stunning under a picture light, but if you've invested in an expensive piece of art, you'll naturally want to accentuate the picture whilst still keeping it safe. You will want to shield the original artwork from light damage so there are some dos and don'ts to consider.
When placing a picture light over a piece of art, the objective is to disperse light evenly across the entire picture, avoiding "hot spots" as much as possible. A hot spot is when the light source hits a part of the image and it produces glare, making the picture look washed out. To minimise glare, position the picture light so that it is centred above the image and at a 30-35-degree angle.
Consider the type of picture you are hanging - the orientation of the picture can have a big impact on picture lights. Choose a picture light for portrait photography that is around half the width of the image. Select a picture light for landscape photography that is between one-third and one-half the width of the image.
Placing art pieces too high when hanging them in their homes is a common error and can't be improved with a picture light so it's important to get the correct height to hang the picture on your wall first. In a sitting area where you spend the majority of your time seated low on sofas, the centre of a picture should be at eye level or even lower. Always make sure there is enough space for your picture lights on the wall when hanging your artwork.
A picture light can also be used to light a room instead of using a lamp to create some ambience.
Exposing artwork to UV and infrared light will cause it to fade when it is displayed in direct sunlight. To prevent damage, make sure that the furniture is placed far from sources of intense natural light to also make full use of the picture light's source of light.
Picture Lighting with LED Picture Lights
Modern picture lights come with LED bulbs. LED picture lights are frequently used in museums and galleries, and for good cause - They don't produce heat. The heat produced by traditional light bulbs can cause damage to a painting so using picture light bulbs that do not produce heat is a big bonus. LED picture lights are also incredibly inexpensive to run and have a long lifespan. LED picture lights can create a clear, bright, or warm white light that is ideal for displaying images on a wall.
Illuminate your Artwork with Picture Wall Lights
Because picture lights are fixed to the wall or to the frames of particular pieces of art, there needs to be enough space for the painting and the picture light without it looking too crowded. A picture light places the light source very close to the artwork and as mentioned before using LED picture lights will ensure you do not damage the picture. The picture light creates a feeling of closeness with a work of art and beckons you to approach for a closer look. A lot of picture lights are adjustable so you can be confident that you do not need to buy lots of different picture lights for different angles.
These traditional picture lights can improve the appearance of a room. There are many styles of picture lights available but it's crucial to keep in mind that even though you don't need to drill holes in the ceiling or wall, picture lights will require power.
Changing the angle of the light source can lessen glare if your artwork is framed behind glass. Paintings in oil or acrylic that have texture can make use of a wall light to either diminish or enhance the shadows cast on the surface.
Why choose Eyevolution for a wall-mounted picture light?
We have one main type of wall light on offer in our store, the Combi Rail Pro Wall Light. This cutting-edge wall light comes in a white finish that combines a wall light with a picture hanging system in one unit. This wall-mounted rail system is sturdy and dependable, providing years of durability without sacrificing elegance or style. Its appealing and neutral style makes it ideal for any room, including your home, workplace, corridor, and exhibition of your favourite artwork. Thanks to its ideal and movable picture light fixture, it really brings everything into the light whether it is artwork, wall decorations, or picture hanging. The picture light comes in 20cm, 50cm and 70cm lengths which are the perfect lengths for pictures displayed on a wall. A 2-year warranty also comes with this picture light system and is very simple to install. Light bulbs are sold separately for this wall picture light kit.
For more information on light bulbs, fixtures and hanging kits, contact Eyevolution today and one of our team members will be happy to assist you.