The Domus BF-2020 is a 500mm raw ceramic wall uplight takingtwo G9 lamps, supplied unpainted so it can be finished in the wall colour.At half a metre wide it is a band of light across a wall rather than a point on it.

This listing answers a question the rest of the range leaves open

Its title says 2x60W. That is the only place in the entire BFceramic range where Domus states whether the recorded 60W is per lamp or for the wholefitting and it says per lamp.

• We checked it against all 30 BF listings rather than take one title at its word.The datasheets say 60W whether the fitting takes one lamp or two, so the numbercannot be a fitting total.
• The BF-2185 is the clincher one G9, and its sheet says40W. The figure tracks the lamp.
• We had this the wrong way round on three earlier pages and have corrected them.It is a rare thing to be able to fix from a product title.
• So this fitting is rated to 120W in total and you should not use it.Two 60W halogens inside a closed ceramic body is a great deal of heat. Two4W LED G9s come to 8W and give roughly what two 40W halogens did.

It is the BF-2018 stretched

Both are 70mm deep and 70mm high; this one is 500mmagainst the BF-2018s 200mm, and carries a second lamp to light the extra length evenly. Neither listing mentions the other. If 500mm overruns your wall, the BF-2018 isthe same fitting short.

Choosing the lamps not supplied

• Two LED G9s, 34W, 27003000K, rated for enclosedfixtures.
• Both lamps identical, bought together. Two different G9s in one 500mm bodyproduce a visibly split wash on the wall above and over half a metre it is obvious.
• CRI 90 if the wall is a colour.

Where it works

• A broad hallway wall, where 500mm reads as deliberate and a small fitting readsas an afterthought.
• Above a bedhead a wide, soft ceiling wash with no lamp in view from thebed.
• A living-room chimney breast or a stairwell landing, where the wall is wide enough tocarry the length.
• Not on a narrow pier. At half a metre it will overrun and look crowded; use theBF-2018.
• Not on a poorly finished wall over 500mm of grazing light, everyripple in the plaster above shows.

Specifying it

Raw ceramic wall uplight, made in Italy. 500mm wide 70mm high 70mm deep. Requires 2 G9 not included; 60W maximum per lamp,120W across the two ( stated in this products own title and confirmed across therange). Supplied unpainted, finishable with any water-based paint.220240V AC, hard-wired, indoor dry areas.50,000hrs fitting life. Warranty 1 year.

Supplied and supported by Lights For You.

Questions

Is 60 watts per lamp or across both?

Per lamp 60W each, 120W the pair. This product is the reason we can say so plainly: its own title reads “2x60W”, which is the only place in the whole BF ceramic range that states it. We then checked it across all 30 BF listings and it holds the sheets say 60W whether a fitting takes one lamp or two, and the one-lamp BF-2185 says 40W, so the figure tracks the lamp rather than the fitting.

So can I put two 60W halogens in it?

It is rated for them, and we would not. That is 120W of halogen inside a closed ceramic body, and the shell has no ventilation to speak of. Two 4W LED G9s come to 8W, give roughly what two 40W halogens did, and run cool. Ask us before fitting anything above about 20W a lamp.

Should I get this or the BF-2018?

Wall width. They are the same fitting identical 70 70mm section in two lengths: this one is 500mm with two lamps, the BF-2018 is 200mm with one. On a broad hallway or living-room wall this reads as deliberate. On a narrow pier it overruns, and the BF-2018 is the right call.

Do both lamps have to match?

Yes, and it matters more here than on a smaller fitting. Two G9s of different colour temperature in one 500mm body throw a visibly split wash up the wall warm at one end, cooler at the other. Buy them together, same brand, same temperature, and keep a spare.

Do I have to paint it?

No many are left raw, and the unfinished ceramic is a deliberate look. But it is porous until painted or sealed, so it marks more easily. If it sits where hands reach, finish it.

Can it go in a bathroom?

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

Why is the warranty only one year?

That is the term Domus gives its imported ceramic range, not an error on this listing most of this catalogue is three years. In practice a ceramic shell with replaceable lamps has very little in it to fail; what it will not survive is being chipped.