6 Ways to Light Up Stone and Brick Indoors and Out

Graze, Wash and Uplighting

There are a number of creative ways to highlight stone and brick to accentuate texture, color, style and beauty. Three techniques that require recessing light fixtures include: graze lighting to show off the texture of stone and brick; wash lighting to spread light and lessen cracks and shadows; and uplighting to dramatically showcase texture while reflecting light back into a room.

1. Graze lighting. The most effective way to highlight the texture of natural stone or brick is to graze the wall with light. Grazing refers to a light placed directly above the face of the stone or brick that then grazes, or glances, down the wall. The light must be placed in just the right place, and that can vary based on the texture of your wall. If you have irregular stone, for instance, you may need to move your light source out from the wall a few inches more to lessen some of the deeper shadows.

In this Los Angeles dining room, the feature wall of stacked stone wouldn’t be nearly as dramatic without the graze lights hidden in a ceiling soffit. The type of bulb you choose is also important; for graze lighting, spot bulbs are typically much better than linear LEDs or fluorescents because the light will “carry” farther down the wall.

Browse spot bulb lighting

2. Wash lighting. If you want a smoother look that hides imperfections in stone and brick, consider moving the light source farther from the wall. As you move fixtures or bulbs away from your wall, the light will spread out more evenly, filling in the cracks and mortar joints and lessening shadows. This technique is called wall washing, and it can be used on many surfaces besides stone and brick.

One trick is to get the spacing just right. If your light fixtures are too far apart, you may end up with distracting bright spots and dark spots on the wall. Test out lights in various arrangements before affixing them to the ceiling.

3. Uplighting. Light rarely comes from the ground in nature; we are used to seeing it come from the sky. That makes lighting a stone wall from below even more dramatic and unexpected than from above. Essentially, uplighting is grazing in reverse, and it will also bring out the texture in masonry. This type of lighting also will help reflect light into the whole room. Extra light spills onto the ceiling and is bounced back into the room as indirect light, which should add to the comfort of your space.

Uplights can be placed on the floor, on shelves or, better still, recessed into the floor. Recessed uplights are generally more expensive than their ceiling cousins, because they have to withstand being walked on. But once installed they can elevate a space like little else.

Sconces, Reveals and Pendants

Recessing lights into the floor or ceiling is not the only way to get more out of your brick or stone walls. Sconces, reveals and pendants (glow lighting) can also help showcase your home’s masonry features.

4. Sconces. Cylinder wall sconces that push light up and down the face of a stone or brick wall can provide a bit of grazing and uplighting out of a single sconce. Sconces like these can be great when you want a little light on the floor or ceiling or under the eaves of your home. They also might be the easiest of all options to install, typically just requiring a junction box in the right place.

Wall sconces can also bring the light closer to your eye height, which is where you will see the stone and brick the most. If you have a tall fireplace, for example, grazing from the top might leave the stone dark down near the seating area. A pair of sconces just above the mantel, on the other hand, will put great light where it’s most needed.

5. Reveals. If you are in the planning stages of a new stone or brick feature and want a more modern look, consider building a reveal, or fold, into the masonry. Tiny niches or reveals can be cleverly illuminated with linear LED strips that essentially graze the stone from within. This can be a surprisingly beautiful effect and has the added bonus of completely eliminating visible lighting fixtures.

6. Glow lights. A pendant in front of a stone or brick wall, especially one that directs light back at the masonry, can add a lovely glow without recessing any lights or drilling any holes in the stone or brick. The effect can be similar to the wall sconces mentioned above, but pendants are often easier to add after the fact than wall-mounted fixtures.

For this approach, choose pendants that resemble up/down cylinders for a grazing effect, or pendants that emit a soft glow in all directions for more of a wall wash effect.

More
3 Reasons to Love Recessed Lights and 3 Things to Watch Out For
How to Choose the Right Color Temperature of LED Lightbulb
Find lighting designers near you