How to Combat the Cave Effect: Don’t Depend Solely on Downlights
When Plato wrote his allegory of the cave, I am pretty sure he was not considering the effect that lighting could have on the space, but the lighting professionals of today should. When selecting the lighting for a space, it is not enough to consider only the direct, or downlight. A space such as an open office or a classroom—lit exclusively by direct downlights only—would most likely look like something Plato was envisioning when he wrote his seminal work.
The cave effect as it is known, occurs when there is too little light illuminating the ceiling. The effect of this phenomenon is a claustrophobic experience and a space that will most likely elicit negative reactions from people in it. The effect is even more pronounced in spaces decorated with dark colors and dark floors. The good news about the cave effect is that it is a very easy problem to solve—just layer in some indirect lighting.
Ceiling Suspension
Canned or recessed lights offer very little opportunity to illuminate the ceiling, although a few canned lights do have an illuminated trim ring that will produce a small amount of light for the ceiling. A better choice is a fixture that is suspended from the ceiling, which provides bidirectional light, also known as indirect/direct light. These fixtures not only produce and distribute light directly to the space below, but also indirectly back up to the ceiling. A perfect lighting solution that offers the direct and indirect lighting that suspends from the ceiling, beautifully combating the cave effect, is the PLT Premium Spec Architectural LED Linear Fixture. With a variety of sizes, this fixture is an ideal choice to overcome the cave effect in spaces such as offices, retail stores, schools, or other commercial locations where high design equals high value.
Even Lighting
It is also important to consider how far a fixture is from the ceiling when employing any kind of indirect lighting. If the fixture is too close, you will end up with a “hot spot,” or a very bright spot where most of the light is focused causing the space to be unevenly lit. If your fixtures are going to be suspended close to the ceiling, or really anytime you want to make sure the ceiling is lit as evenly as possible, look for a wide-light distribution, also called a batwing. Fixtures that spread indirect light this way use a specialized optic to distribute the light in a very wide pattern that helps to eliminate hot spots, and ensures the ceiling is evenly lit. A brilliant choice to evenly light up a larger industrial space is the 4’ PLT Premium Spec linear fixture enabled with both the up and down lighting, 60,000 life hours of use, and tremendous efficacy at 123 lumens per watt, all at an incredible value.
Lighten Up
Replacing your existing fixtures with these bidirectional fixtures is the easiest way to eliminate the cave effect, but what if replacement is not an option? You can always add some indirect lights, which will help to decrease the cave effect and without impacting your current lighting design. Additional solutions include wall-mounted fixtures that are angled up towards the ceiling, floor lamps that produce a large distribution of light towards the ceiling, and possibly rethinking the interior design. Changing out dark colors for lighter colors will help to reflect more of the existing light upwards, illuminating the ceiling and reducing the cave effect.
If you are looking to reproduce a philosophical work that harkens back to a dark, dingy, claustrophobic space, then have no fear of caves. However, if you are lighting a space to be occupied by people—and you care about the happiness and productivity of said people—then make sure to plan for ample light to illuminate the ceiling. For help defining the best practices to brighten up your , connect with our lighting specialists by calling 1-800-624-4488 or trying our convenient “pop-up chat feature” at the bottom right corner of our web pages.
