The Domus BF-2014 is a raw ceramic wall uplight made in Italy,350mm wide, 165mm high and 90mm deep, taking2 G9 lamps and designed to be painted to match the wall.

It is meant to disappear. Raw ceramic is supplied unpainted andtakes any water-based paint, so it finishes in the exact colour of the wall and reads asa lit recess rather than a fitting.

Paint it before it goes up, and at the same time as the wall so the sheen matches. Italso means repainting the room later means repainting the fitting a feature if you want itinvisible, a nuisance if you change colours often.

Two G9 lamps are required and are not included. 60W is the fitting’stotal, not each lamp’s see below.

The wattage: 60W per lamp settled across the range

• The datasheet gives 60W for the fitting and requires 2 G9. Our recordagrees.
• 60W is the maximum for each lamp, not for the fitting.Across all 17 G9 fittings in the BF ceramic range the datasheet says 60W whether the fittingtakes one lamp or two, so the figure cannot be a total. The BF-2185 settles it:one G9, and its sheet says 40W the number tracks the lamp. TheBF-2020 states it outright in its own title: 2x60W.
• So the pair here is rated to 120W in total far more headroom thanyou need. We would still not run 120W of halogen in a closed ceramic body.Use LED G9s: 4W each gives roughly what a 40W halogen did, runs cool, and puts the pair at8W.
• Use LED G9s and the question disappears. A 4W LED G9 gives roughly what a40W halogen did, runs cool inside a ceramic shell, and puts the pair at 8W against a 60Wceiling.

“Not dimmable” is not right on a lamp-holder fitting

• Our record says dimmable = No. On a fitting with two replaceable lampholders and no driver, the dimming depends entirely on the globes you fit.
• Fit dimmable LED G9s and a compatible dimmer and it dims. Fit non-dimmable globes andit will not, whatever you put on the wall.
• Two G9s at 4W each is a very small load 8W total will often sitbelow a trailing-edge dimmer’s minimum, which shows as flicker or a dead bottom end.Tell us the dimmer and we will say.
• Elsewhere in this catalogue the ASHLEY pendant records “Yes (Globe Dependent)”, whichis the accurate way to record this. The same field on this fitting says No.

What an uplight of this shape does to a room

• All the light goes up the wall and across the ceiling. You see a soft wash and a brightceiling, and no source at all.
• It makes a low ceiling feel higher, which is why it belongs in a hallway or astairwell rather than a downlight.
• Zero glare nothing to look into, so it works on a wall people walktowards.
• It is not a reading light and will not light a room on its own.
• It shows every flaw in the wall above it. Grazing light is unforgiving; on poorlyfinished plaster it finds every ripple.

Sizing it against the range

• 350mm wide, 165mm high, 90mm deep. Wide and shallow ahorizontal band rather than a tall block.
• The width suits a broad wall: a hallway, a stairwell landing, a wide living-roomwall. A narrow pier would make it look crowded.
• 90mm of projection is modest but real. Check it on a narrow corridor wherepeople pass close.
• Ceramic chips. Handle it before painting, not after.

Choosing the lamps

• Two LED G9s at 4W, matched. Both must be the same colourtemperature two different G9s in one fitting produce a visibly split wash on the wallabove.
• Choose a high-CRI G9 if the wall is a colour. A cheap G9 flattens a painted wall;CRI 90 does not.
• 3000K in a hallway or living space; 2700K if the rest of the room iswarmer.

Where it works

• Hallways, stairwells and landings where a fitting should not be seen.
• Broad walls, where the 350mm width sits comfortably.
• Walls being painted anyway paint the fitting at the same time.
• Not bathrooms or outdoors raw ceramic, indoor rated.
• Not as a room’s only light.
• Not on a poorly finished wall grazing light finds every ripple.

Specifying it

Raw ceramic wall uplight, made in Italy.350mm wide 165mm high 90mm deep.Requires 2 G9 lamps not included. 60W maximum per lamp, 120W acrossthe two ( resolved by measuring the whole BF range, not assumed). Supplied unpainted,finishable with any water-based paint. 240V AC, indoor.50,000hrs fitting life. Warranty 1 year.

Our record says “not dimmable”. On a lamp-holder fitting the dimming depends on the globes youfit dimmable LED G9s and a compatible dimmer will dim it, though 8W of total loadmay sit below a trailing-edge dimmer’s minimum. Tell us the dimmer and we will say.

Supplied and supported by Lights For You.

Questions

How big a lamp can I put in it?

Per lamp 60W each, so 120W across the two. We had this the wrong way round on this page until we measured the whole range, and it is worth saying how it was settled: across all 17 G9 fittings in the BF ceramic range the datasheet says 60W whether the fitting takes one lamp or two, so it cannot be a fitting total; the one-lamp BF-2185 says 40W, which shows the number tracks the lamp; and the BF-2020 states “2x60W” in its own title. None of which means you should run 120W of halogen inside a closed ceramic shell. Two 4W LED G9s are 8W, give roughly what 40W halogens did, and run cool. Ask us before fitting anything above about 20W a lamp.

Can I dim it?

That depends on the globes, not the fitting and our record’s “not dimmable” is not right on a fitting with two replaceable lamp holders and no driver. Fit dimmable LED G9s and a compatible dimmer and it dims. One caution: two G9s at 4W each is 8W of load, which will often sit below a trailing-edge dimmer’s minimum and show as flicker or a dead bottom end. Tell us the dimmer and we will say.

Do I have to paint it?

Not strictly, but it is designed for it. Raw ceramic is supplied unpainted and takes any water-based paint, so it can be finished in the exact colour of the wall and read as a lit recess rather than a fitting. Paint it before it goes up, and ideally at the same time as the wall so the sheen matches.

Will it light a room?

No. It throws all its light up the wall and across the ceiling, giving a soft ambient wash with no visible source which makes a low ceiling feel higher and is why it belongs in a hallway or stairwell. Pair it with something task-oriented if the room needs to be worked in.

Which lamps should I use?

Two LED G9s at 4W, matched and both must be the same colour temperature, because two different G9s in one fitting produce a visibly split wash on the wall above. If the wall is a colour, choose a high-CRI G9: a cheap one flattens a painted wall where CRI 90 does not. 3000K in a hallway, or 2700K if the rest of the room is warmer.

Will it suit a narrow wall?

Probably not. At 350mm wide it is a horizontal band rather than a tall block, and it wants a broad wall a hallway, a stairwell landing, a wide living-room wall. On a narrow pier it will look crowded. Check the 90mm projection too, on a corridor where people pass close.

Can it go in a bathroom?

No. Raw ceramic is porous until painted and the fitting is rated for indoor dry use. For a bathroom wall light, ask us for something with an IP rating suited to the zone.