Uplighters

An uplighter casts light upwards onto the ceiling, which then reflects back down across the room as a soft, even ambient glow – a different lighting effect from any directional or pendant fitting. Our collection covers floor-standing and wall-mounted uplighters from leading lighting houses, in finishes (brass, blackened steel, white) sized for both intimate and substantial spaces.

  • By Heal's
    From £340

Uplighters create indirect ambient light – the ceiling becomes the light source, which gives soft even illumination without glare or harsh shadows. Regular floor lamps cast directional light and are better for reading or task work. Uplighters are the right answer when you want to fill a room with soft warmth rather than direct a beam at a specific spot.

Living rooms and bedrooms (where ambient softness matters more than task light), corners that need filling without a pendant, and rooms with high ceilings that benefit from drawing the eye upward. They work less well in low-ceilinged rooms where the bounce distance is too short, and in rooms with dark or textured ceilings that absorb rather than reflect the light.

A pair of dimmable uplighters (around 1,200-1,800 lumens each) provides comfortable ambient lighting for a typical 25-30 square metre living room. Pair with task lighting (table lamps, reading lamps) for activities that need direct light. Single uplighters work in smaller rooms; larger rooms generally need a pair to give even coverage.

Yes, particularly in stairwells and double-height rooms where the ceiling is the focus of the space. The bounce distance gives the light a soft, diffused quality that pendant fittings can't match in tall volumes. Choose uplighters with higher output (1,500+ lumens) for tall rooms; lower-output fittings get lost in the volume.