Do you have any suggestions for working with recessed fixtures in sloped ceiling environments?
Absolutely. Although there are recessed downlights which
are made specifically for sloped ceilings, I tend not to
use them because they stay in a fixed position. When I
was growing up my parents never moved the furniture. The
living room sofa always stayed in the same position,
flanked by two side tables with a coffee table in front,
holding an ashtray in the northwest corner. Don't even
get me started on plastic slipcovers.
Today's homeowners want their light fixtures to be as
flexible as their environments. We think nothing of
moving the furniture around for a party or the holidays
or just to keep a space looking fresh. I use the same
recessed adjustable low voltage fixtures for sloped
ceilings as I do for flat ceilings. Their 30 degree to
45 degree adjustability (depending on the manufacturer)
compensates for the slope. These trims are flush with
the ceiling plane as opposed to the eyeball type trims
which project down from the ceiling. These will work
too, but they tend to be a bit glarey.
The bigger challenge is when you want to light the art
on the wall where the sloped ceiling faces away from the
wall surface. A standard recessed adjustable low voltage
fixture won't have enough adjustability to hit the wall.
In this case you can use a scoop or mirror reflector
trim that will increase the adjustment up to 70 degrees
or 90 degrees. These trims are made by most of the
lighting manufactures including Capri, Lucifer,
Lightolier, Juno, and Elco.
