Flushmount what???

Hate them- 1) most are ugly. 2) changing a lightbulb is too difficult with a flush mount

Old joke- How many ppl does it take to change a lightbulb? Two. One to unscrew all and one to standing below to hold shade and hand fresh lightbulb

style a boring hallway with lovely lighting, just as you'd use lighting as the jewelry for a room

Patricia- a flush mount ceiling fixture. You know like those typical lights on the ceiling in the middle of a room.

DK- but how! What are the alternatives?

There are some very pretty flushmounts/semi-flushmounts

Granted the ones I love the most are either vintage(when people made better stuff..you know), or are more costly.

But they do exist.

If I have standard ceilings and the space is not completely utilitarian (a small corridor, kitchen, etc). I'd rather use a cool flushmount or semi flush mount because I do love jewelry for the room. I'[ll use other sources of light too, it won't be lonely.

Sometimes lower ceilings with nothing in them read as opressive, and I grew up used to having a central light..comes handy. Better if on a dimmer.

My favorite source for lights is Etsy but there are several I can think of.

If you're looking for new..I also have several brands I love, they will just cost (for me) too much. There are always exceptions of course.

In general the choice of new flushmounts became better in past several years.

What styles are you looking for?

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I can only speak for myself.

It's usually the quality of the light offered when compared to a semi flush fixture.

I don't see any reason to place a light fixture surface mounted in the center of a bedroom unless there is vast space. Lighting in bedrooms is more appropriately lamps

Laundry room. a semi flush mount is more interesting and provides a better quality of light.

Hallways I often suggest recessed can lights unless there is architecture to illuminate.

Kitchens a combination of recessed lights, hanging fixtures over tables, islands etc & task lighting.

April - I’m not looking for one in particular per se. I have a few that I eventually want to swap out. I’ve just so often read designers scoffing at flush mounts and I never really understood why.

I think ideally I’d like to eventually replace a lot of my ugly flush mounts with other forms of ambient lighting, but I’m not quite sure how I can best go about doing that.

Bev- those lights are by far more attractive.

Are semi-flush mounts separate from the criticism of regular flush mounts?

For some reason lighting is the one concept that really keeps going over my head- I think because it doesn’t seem to be as formulaic as it’s often described. In a bedroom, for example, do lamps count as ambient lighting? Does a lamp need to have a shade in order to count as ambient lighting?

With flush mounts, the ceiling remains dark and the light falls on top of what's below them in pools. Semi-flush will light the ceiling and the light is reflected down more evenly.

Yes, Semi Flush are very different than flush as partim mentioned.

Corrinne, thanks for asking this question. I never considered that there may be a functional difference between flush mount and sem-flush mount.

On the other hand, semi-flush mount collect dust in that "space", on the fixture and on the bulbs. If you love housekeeping, and ladders--semi-flush fixtures are lovely. If you know you won't climb up there every few weeks for cleaning, maybe a flush mount will work just fine.

Flush mounts are for areas that can not take a recessed light, or even the drop of a semi flush. For the most part, they are utilitarian........or ugly, and where they are not ugly or just plain boring?? They are overpriced, low light and not particularly functional.

My favorite exception? Suzanne Kassler ceiling OR walll : )

it really depends on how many lights they can take, where bulbs are directed, etc

what the material, the shade

And ceiling does not neccessarily remains dark. (saying that after checking with one of my flushmount lights yesterday evening). Actually ceiling was very pretty lighted as everything else in the room.

It all depends.

I do agree that they're harder to find than other lights. One does look for exceptions. But one does find them. And yes, I love the versions that can be wall/ceiling too. Have one vintage Austrian light like that..but it has be rewired first..))

I have 8' ceilings in our closet (okay it is huge at 10X11!!!) and use 2 flush mount IKEA lights with 3 bulbs each, in daylight color. I LOVE IT!! I can finally see what colors I am getting out!!

I can get to the suitcases along the ceiling easily and the light fixture is not in the way.

I am seriously considering adding them to my laundry room!!!

Since you asked for alternatives: with few exceptions, my entire house is lit by wall lights/sconces. It's not ideal, but in my situation, ceiling lights don't work.

Jsalzart that seems like a lot of fun actually. Nothing “not ideal” sounding about it to me, but then again I am a layperson. I would love some wall sconces in my home, I just don’t have the time or money to install them!

Kathie you just reminded me that I need to look into the effect of coloring in light bulbs as well. For example I am currently sitting in a room with a flush mount that gives off the most depressey energy ever and I bet it has a lot to do with the bulb!

April- Material and shade type are definitely topics that I need to delve into ASAP. I have a feeling that I would understand more about flush mounts if I had some fundamental knowledge of light diffusion and color

Jan that reminds me. I recently read an article by Laurel Bern about how it’s not smart to put recessed lighting in a home that is old or has short ceilings because they will “stick out like a sore thumb“. Take my rough paraphrase with a gigantic grain of salt, but I think I understand what she means. I don’t think recessed lighting is meant for my house unfortunately!

Chocolate now you have me wondering if semi flush mounts are a fire hazard!

Girlwonder anytime! Sometimes I need this site to break things down for me because most articles I come across don’t lay information out very efficiently. I think it has to do with the constant push to pump out content. I notice this most with Emily Henderson (whose opinions & work I definitely respect). Lately I feel like she hides only tiny half kernels of knowledge inside each of her posts. It seems to me like she’s rationing her ideas.

Partim & Bev I am going to look online now for a visual example of this effect. You have me interested.

Also Bev your suggestions are changing my once negative opinion of fabric shades

I think people really dislike a boob light. I like the semi-flush mount and so many are really pretty

I've just never liked a light to be coming from the middle ceiling of any room. it's unflattering and hard on the eyes. the room gets flooded evenly with dim light -- which somehow seems worse than a room that's too dark.

I like to convert a ceiling light into a swag, with the pendant hanging in one corner. I fill the rest of the space with floor lamps, sconces, etc.

I have a couple of rooms with a middle ceiling light for utilitarian reasons. I literally only turn it on when I need to find something, and it gets turned off as soon as I can.

Love flush mount lights! They bring personality, style, texture, whimsey and of course light into the space... what I hate??? Recessed lights ( although I am warming to the square ones! lol

BF- I’m glad you posted because now that I think about it, I’ve seen a lot of criticism of center room ceiling lights in general. This is the exact type of “depressey” lighting that I tried to describe!

Id love to see your swag pendants if you happen to have photos. How do you balance having a single pendant light that isn’t meant to be a center room focus? How far do you have to swag?

Debbie I dislike recessed lighting too! I actually had no idea that it was a sought after look until I bought my house.

melusin that is my husband’s exact argument. I tend to think a bit differently as I generally prioritize look over function which is definitely not always a great thing lol

I think of this as a question of function. Some ceilings are low and a recessed light may not work aesthetically. Good news is there are a lot of options beyond the boob light!

Ok, somebody called it a boob light, and suddenly "everyone" HATED them. Flush mount can be very functional when ceilings are too low for semi-flush, and too old for recessed, or for several other reasons. There are several flush mount options available today that are lovely--including several LED options. If flush mount makes sense to you--do a little research and find something you love.

Corinne Masterson, my swags were crafted on a budget, but sometimes doing stuff like this can be a pain in the butt.

the first one I cut/split a thick lamp cord from ikea (not easy) and hard wired it into the ceiling. I searched forever for a small canopy for that beam, and a different source for cord grips thick enough to accommodate a thick braided cord. I made the cord long enough to reach the corner and also have a nice deep swag. the placement is weird going across the skylight, but it's an old house. not everything can be perfect!

for the dining room, that's a plug-in swag. luckily, that outlet is operated by a switch. it has a twisty braided fabric cord, ordered online. the shade is Ikea. having the cord trail down the corner like that is not ideal, but hard wiring that ceiling was prohibitively expensive. for christmas one day, I might replace that lamp with one of these.

that lamp being in the middle of the table is nice because I hung it relatively low and put a soft bulb in it. the tall lamp in the corner makes that space brighter w/o being obnoxious.

BF Now I understand lol. You have beautiful ceilings to pull it all together. What’s it like to feel like a whole plane could fly over your head in your living room? All of my sad thoughts would just waft upward out of my brain and disappear into the layers of atmosphere above me.

My teeny 1940s cape is the exact opposite. If I swagged my lamps like that, I’d have cords dangling in my face lol. High ceilings is on my “must have” list if I ever move. Until then I can only admire swagged pendants from the caverns of my vertically challenged home!

Also you guys the appropriate term is “breast lamp”.

Hmm, how about "globe" lights, or "ta-tas" torchiere?

Tata torch is reasonable.

Corinne Masterson oh, we loooove our ceilings. (only downside was zero insulation up there. getting it requires removing the roof or covering up the ceilings, so that was an eye opener.) but yes, they're beautiful and they make the space. they were practically the entire reason why we bought this house!

if you do a google image search for "modern flush mounts" there are some really cute ones. so many "non boob lights" to be had. if you're worried about light quality, keep the bulbs super dim and actually light the space with other sources - floor / table lamps, etc. so, basically the ceiling light would mostly be decorative.

I have a cute ceiling light in my TV room that I never turn on unless I need bright light. but honestly, I think it still looks cute when it's off. it doesn't bother me (and I can get weirdly picky about some details).

I have replaced many old 6” recessed lights with decorative surface mount, usually in a series in a hallway or entrance. Recently put 2 surface mount fixtures on a bathroom ceiling (with recessed in the shower obviously).

I have super low ceilings and don’t like my “boob lights,” but semi-flush lights hang lower, which can be problematic in my space. I recently learned about flush mounts with crystal diffusers, which bounce some light off the ceiling, like (although presumably somewhat less than) semi-flush mounts do.

I initially took more of an issue with flush mounts than our designer, but didn’t eliminate all of them because I didn’t want our ceilings to look like an airport runway. After thinking about it, I realized I like flush mounts in certain rooms and I think they can add visual interest when selected as part of the overall design. Still really hate boob lights though; they strike me as builder grade and not fitting for any design style in particular. We’re using the lights pictured below for the entry hallway in our in progress build. I liked that it was minimal since our ceilings are only 8’. The options for flush mounts are endless, so I’m surprised a designer would discount them all.

No designer discounts "them ALL".

You have to do something more interesting than a standard builder BOOB light : ) unless a kiddie closet is the destination for that light

haha Jan, even in that case I would still not like a boob light (AKA "mushroom"). that's how much I hate them!

The central ceiling lights in my sisters' bedrooms (which were semi-flush), still had the original lightbulbs from 1969, 45 years later, when they were removed from the house before selling it. That's how infrequently they were turned on. We knew the buyers would probably trash the fixtures because they were "dated". So we replaced them with boob lights.

I like all fixtures. It just depends on the shape, size and application.