"Jenny" wrote | I was wondering if someone here may be able to help me. I'd like to | fix some square panels to a wall with some kind of light fitting | concealed behind them. The idea is to create some soft ambient light | in the room. I don't want to mount the panels too far away from the | wall so ordinary light fittings probably won't do the trick. Does | anyone have any ideas as to how I could achieve this effect and what | kind of fittings I would need?
Are the panels to be translucent with light coming through them, or translucent or opaque with light around the edges?
Translucent with light coming through is more problematic; to get an even spread of light across the panel you need either more depth behind the panel (distance between the light source and the diffuser) or a more diffuse diffuser (and so the more light that will be required).
For a simple solution with opaque panels you could use ready made rope lights wound round the panel supports:
panel ========================= rope light 8| |8 | void | support | | wall #######################################################
You could take the termination of the rope light into the void inside the panel where it would connect to a wall mounted socket or FCU.
The other way is with fluorescent tubes mounted round the perimiter. As well as mains fluorescents, you can get small battery-powered fluorescent strip 'torches' which have a socket for a mains adapter. They might be useful for smaller panels.
panel ========================= flouro O| fluoro control |O | gear in void | support | | wall #######################################################
You can get skeleton fluro tube holders with separate control gear from some electrical places and also firms that do shopfitting supplies.
Owain