Spotlights: Ceiling Bars, Plates and Wall Spotlights

A spotlight points. That is what separates it from every other fitting on the site: instead of lighting a room evenly, it puts light on a particular place, and the head turns and tilts so you decide where. Over a worktop, at a mirror, along a run of units or onto a picture, that is worth more than any amount of general brightness.

Bars, Plates and Single Spotlights

A bar carries four heads along a straight arm from one ceiling fixing, which suits a long run — a galley kitchen, a worktop, a landing. A plate holds three or four heads on a round or square mount, spreading them out from a single point rather than along a line, and suits the middle of a square room.

Single spotlights are wall mounted, and they do a different job: one head aimed at a mirror, a picture, an alcove or the head of a bed. Because there is one head and no bar to balance, placement matters more — measure before drilling, since a wall spotlight cannot be nudged along afterwards.

Spotlights for a Kitchen

The commonest use, and the reason is the worktop. Standing at a counter you have your own shadow between the ceiling light and what you are doing, and a spotlight aimed at the surface from in front solves that where a central fitting cannot.

A bar running parallel with the units, with the heads turned towards the worktop rather than straight down, is the arrangement that works. Straight down lights the front edge and leaves the back of the counter dark. More on lighting a kitchen.

Spotlights for a Bathroom

Bathroom spotlights are usually about the mirror. Light from directly overhead casts shadows down a face, which is the worst possible light for shaving or make-up; light from in front and slightly above is what you want, and a turnable head is what makes it possible.

Any fitting in a bathroom has to be rated for the zone it sits in. Some of these carry an IP rating and state it on the product page; others do not and are for other rooms. Where no rating is given, treat the fitting as unsuitable, and if there is any doubt about which zone a position falls into, ask an electrician rather than judging it yourself.

Adjustable Heads

Every spotlight here has heads that turn and tilt, and that is the whole point of the format. It also means the fitting is not finished when it is installed: set the angles with the light on, in the evening, standing where you actually stand. Most people fit them, aim them straight down and never touch them again, which wastes what they are for.

On a bar, angling the heads slightly differently rather than all the same way covers more of a room and looks less like a runway.

Surface Mounted, Not Recessed

These are surface fittings: the plate or bar screws onto the ceiling or wall and the wiring stays behind it. That makes them a straight swap for an existing ceiling fitting, with no cutting into the plasterboard and nothing to consider about loft insulation or fire rating.

Recessed downlights, the kind set flush into the ceiling with only the bezel showing, are a different job and are not part of this range.

LED and Bulbs

The lamps here are replaceable rather than built in, so when one goes you fit a new bulb instead of the whole unit. That also means you choose the light: the same fitting takes a warm bulb or a cool one, and warm suits a living room while a cooler, brighter lamp suits a worktop or a mirror.

Match the bulbs across a bar. Two warm and two cool on the same fitting is the commonest mistake and it shows immediately.

Spotlights FAQs

What is the difference between a spotlight bar and a spotlight plate?

A bar carries its heads in a line along a straight arm, which suits a long run such as a galley kitchen. A plate holds them on a round or square mount, spreading them out from one point, which suits the middle of a square room.

Are these spotlights recessed into the ceiling?

No. These spotlights are surface mounted, screwing onto the ceiling or wall, so they replace an existing fitting without cutting into the plasterboard.

Can spotlights go in a bathroom?

Only spotlights with an IP rating stated on the product page. Where no rating is given, the fitting is not for a bathroom, and an electrician should confirm which zone the position falls into.

Do the heads move?

Yes, the heads on every spotlight here turn and tilt. Set the angles after the fitting is up, with the light on and standing where you normally stand, rather than leaving them all pointing straight down.

Can the bulbs be changed?

Yes. These spotlights take replaceable lamps rather than integrated LED, so a bulb going does not mean replacing the fitting, and you can choose a warmer or cooler light to suit the room.