Architectural lighting is the integration of light sources into the structure of a building rather than adding decorative fittings to a finished room. It typically uses LED tape concealed inside aluminium extrusion profiles, trimless downlights set flush with the plaster ceiling, or recessed track systems hidden inside ceiling voids. The goal is to make the light source invisible — so attention falls on the spaces and surfaces being lit, not on the fittings themselves.

A standard recessed downlight sits inside a visible bezel or trim ring that sits proud of or flush with the ceiling. A plaster-in (or trimless) downlight is designed to be set into the ceiling void before plastering, so the plasterer can skim directly up to and over the housing — leaving only the aperture visible. The result is a downlight that appears as a clean hole in the plaster with no visible frame. They require more careful installation coordination but the visual result is significantly cleaner.

An LED profile (also called an LED extrusion or LED channel) is an aluminium housing into which LED tape is installed. The profile serves two purposes: it dissipates heat to extend the life of the LED tape, and it shapes and diffuses the light output. Profiles are available in recessed, surface-mounted, corner and cove configurations — and are used wherever you want a continuous linear line of light. Common applications include cove lighting in ceiling recesses, under-cabinet lighting in kitchens, shelf and joinery lighting, staircase handrails, and bathroom mirror surrounds.

Cove lighting is concealed linear lighting installed inside an architectural recess — typically a cove, ledge or shadow gap built into the ceiling perimeter or above a bulkhead. LED tape inside an aluminium profile is installed facing upward or outward, so the light washes the ceiling without the source ever being visible. The effect is a soft, diffused ambient glow that makes a room feel significantly taller and more considered. It requires a cove to be built during first fix (before plastering), which is why a lighting plan at the design stage is essential.

Yes — in most cases, architectural lighting cannot be added retrospectively without significant disruption. Plaster-in downlights, cove lighting, recessed profiles and recessed track all need to be built in before the room is plastered and finished. A lighting plan produced before first fix ensures your electrician, plasterer and joiner all know what they're building — and that every fitting, driver and circuit is in the right place before walls go up. It is significantly cheaper to invest in a lighting plan than to cut finished ceilings open after the fact.

Yes, provided the correct IP-rated product is specified. LED tape is rated by its ingress protection (IP) rating — IP20 is suitable for dry areas only, IP44 for humid environments such as bathrooms, and IP65 or above for areas with direct water contact such as shower niches and wet rooms. The aluminium profile housing the tape also needs to be rated appropriately. We specify the correct IP rating for every location on your lighting plan as standard.

CRI (Colour Rendering Index) measures how accurately a light source renders colours compared to natural daylight, on a scale of 0 to 100. For residential architectural lighting, we recommend a minimum of CRI 90. Below CRI 90, subtle colours — particularly in soft furnishings, artwork and natural materials — can appear muted or slightly off. CRI 95+ produces a noticeably more natural, flattering result and is worth specifying wherever budget allows. We only recommend CRI 90+ products for residential projects.

Dim-to-warm LED tape shifts its colour temperature as it dims — mimicking the behaviour of a traditional incandescent or halogen lamp, which glows warmer as it dims. Typically shifting from around 3000K at full output to 1800K when dimmed low, it creates a naturally warm, intimate atmosphere in the evening. Tunable white (also called CCT adjustable) LED tape uses two separate LED channels to allow the colour temperature to be set independently of the brightness level — so you can have bright, cool light for tasks and warm, low light for evenings, from the same product. Both require a compatible DALI or 2-channel driver.

LED tape is dimmed via its driver — the power supply that converts mains voltage to the low voltage (typically 12V or 24V) the tape requires. The driver must be compatible with the dimming protocol used in your control system: TRIAC dimming works with most leading-edge and trailing-edge dimmers, DALI (Digital Addressable Lighting Interface) allows individual zone control and scene setting, and 0–10V dimming is common in commercial environments. Specifying the wrong driver for your dimmer is the most common cause of LED dimming problems — flickering, minimum brightness limits, and buzzing. Our lighting specification includes driver compatibility as standard.

You need an electrician who is comfortable working from a lighting specification and who understands LED driver installation, low-voltage systems, and DALI or smart lighting control if specified. Not all domestic electricians have this experience — particularly with trimless downlight installation (which requires tight coordination with the plasterer), LED tape in profiles, and multi-zone dimming systems. We're happy to recommend installers we've worked with, and our lighting schedule is written to be clear enough that a competent electrician can follow it without prior experience of the specific products.