Bulkhead lights have a retro, industrial sort of appeal that can be equally as charming in a new home as in a renovated urban loft. Often described as marine lighting, bulkhead lighting is suitable for both indoor and outdoor use, characterized by robust style and an ability to light up space in unique ways.
Bulkhead Lights: Practical and Appealing
Typically installed on walls, horizontally on ceilings or under eaves, bulkhead lights cast concentrated light downward or outward. In nautical use, and sometimes on airplane fuselages, bulkhead lights are designed to act as signal lights, but they are also used on interior surfaces to light passageways and entire rooms. Because they are commonly simple in form, with or without a protective frame, they are distinctive and durable. They also are available in varying sizes, and sometimes they are half shielded, so that light is directed upwards or downwards only.
This type of bulkhead lighting is a kind of niche market that is enjoying renewed popularity both in the United States and abroad. One British company offers a variety of replica designs in brass and “chunky” glass. They are described as “utilitarian” and authentic in design, and their use is suggested for “inside, outside, and even in your bathroom.”
Bulkhead lighting, true to its derivation and history, is ideally suited for damp, humid conditions, making the fixtures perfect for outdoor use, as well as in bathrooms and kitchens. The designs can also be adapted to hanging lights, and even for lamps, and some modern interpretations make them suitable in contemporary settings. They are widely available also for commercial use, in parking garages and public spaces, even gymnasiums. In powder-coated, colorful versions, they are perfect for children’s bedrooms or for playrooms.
Another Type of Bulkhead: Architecture
Although it can be confusing, there is another type of bulkhead. It is an architectural term used to describe a portion of ceiling that is lowered, sometimes as a way to hide wiring or ductwork, and often just as a design feature. In some parts of the country, this type of bulkhead is known as a “furrdown” and serves in kitchens and bathrooms as a convenient way to mount wall cabinets. Such lowered sections are “furred down,” meaning that the framing is at a different, lower level than the bulk of the ceiling. The lowered section is often used to house recessed cans or other artistic lighting features, such as curved track lights and pendants.
Such bulkheads can be dramatic features, particularly in modern kitchens, but they are not to be confused with bulkhead lighting.
Whatever you envision in terms of bulkhead lighting, Aterra can help make it a reality. When designing your lighting and electrical plans, we do bulkheads beautifully!