Spotlights in trophy rooms-yes or no?
General Topic
Lots of interesting and helpful threads on trophy rooms over the years. Thoughts on spotlights??? I recently completed a trophy room and did not install any. I don't like the shadowing they create. (Both on the wall and on the trophy itself.) We utilized a lot of indirect lighting and it turned out well. Thought it might be beneficial for guys considering building trophy rooms to hear pros and cons. I know I got a lot of good ideas from this site and appreciate all of examples/advice posted over the years.
I don't have a trophy room. My mounts are on the living room wall with can lights in the vaulted ceiling. That said, I think I need another light in the corner, because I have two shoulder mounts and two euros there that don't get much light. Still pondering this one.
I have several tracks with mini spots and it really helps.
I have a combination of can lights with floods, track lights with floods and other room lighting (chandelier, and lamps). The mounts are lit from various angles without spotlights aimed at any particular animal.
very topical for me - I am considering indoor flood lights as well, or at least another recess light or two aiming down high above the mounts...
I did lots of can lights on dimmers. works well without shadows.
I work in a lot of trophy rooms... a lot. Mostly dealing with lighting issues. Track lights are the way to go.
If you are worried about shadows, I suggest a very soft bulb. Tungsten works well too. I cant suggest one over the other because sll walls are different, especially when working with murals like do. The lighting can ruin the effect in a heartbeat.
Offset rather than strait overhead will help on shaddows. Two is better than one is a good rule to follow. I will see if I can find some examples.
Darker or more neutral tones (good example 64indian64) will help too, as opposed to ligher tones.
Personally I like all the shadows on the wall behind the deer. I have several lights shining at different angles and the shadows overlap making the wall look like a bunch of antlers. I can turn off the track lights and turn on the center light and they go away.
Since lighting is in my line of work,I'd like to make a suggestion on the "type" of light source.
I have a few areas with mono track heads in my room and it's great that your able to aim the light source. One thing to consider is using LED lamps which operate at a much cooler temprature than halogen light sources. Halogen lamps get very warm and can actually damage your mounts.
I have track lighting with a variety of lights depending on the mount location. It really makes the mounts "pop", especially the pedestal mounts or floor mounts.
first u need to fill the space with light, recessed lighting is my choice. Then u can install recessed cans with trim kits on dimmers !
I too did the track lighting and really enjoy the option to adjust the angle of light as I increase mounts in my TR.
Good luck, Robb
As you can see in this room - just two eyeballs up high. I am debating some form of track lighting. I could also see about a new ceiling fan that has good spot lights. (fan not shown, but its highest center point of room). I need bigger fan anyway because that fireplace insert throws a lot of heat and it's hard to keep it down. I have decided to go with a suede finish behind the mounts. Will probably get the painting done first then work on lighting
I have about 10 mounts throughout my basement and the lighting is less than adequate and I can't access the ceiling to install additional lighting w/o screwing up the wood and replacing it. There is currently can lighting. I am in the process of replacing the can lighting with these 3 way lights (in the same hole) that move 360, they have made a big diff thus far.
Jack I am also painting my boring white walls and paying particular attention to your wall color thread.
jack that is a nice space to work with , builder skimped on recessed lighting for sure I would add more lighting in the form of recessed lighting . When i do reno work i always try and stick with what is in the owners home,adding trac lighting can be a eye sore !!! Jack lighting first then paint, plus wall mount the TV !!!!
Jack, what you could also do is pull a feed off those existing recessed lights ( same switch leg) the Install track to the ridge and use stem mounted track lights or as mono points, elevating damage.
Heck , Id take a ride to jersey and help you lay it out, here is a couple of photos to give you an idea. -R
more recessed would work, track lighting would work, and I still want to see what my fan options are. The way the fan is positioned a few spot lights off that in direction of the mounts may broadcast the perfect lighting. Probably the most practical and least intrusive solution, and like I said - should get a bigger fan in there anyway to keep the heat down.
It's good to see so many options and so much knowledge out there.
Yes for me. Lighting can make a huge difference if done correctly whether it I'd taxidermy, landscaping, tasks, sports, etc. If not done well though, it can also detract from the image.
Just be careful not to put the lights to close to the fan or your game room will be a disco :)
Use track lighting instead of ceiling embedded spot lighting. It's a lot more flexible, allowing for 360 degree movement with each light.
You want to draw attention to your trophies and track lighting allows you to do just that.
We have low voltage track lighting and it works great. It's expensive as all get out and I'd caution against putting too many lights on a single section. That can cause it to get HOT and might eventually melt the connection. But other than that, it works very well.
We have them. If you have high ceilings and mounts that are relatively high up, I think they are almost mandatory.
NvaGvUp - wow very nice... It presents very well.
I agree with the track lighting, it is a great flexible lighting that is easy to adjust to fit your needs. It is also a lot easier to install.
Good lighting yes, bad lighting can really detract from your mounts. I try and take photos of mounts for my website. I have the backgrounds umbrellas and lights. My son comes in and with proper lighting makes my pictures look like cell phone pictures. If you've ever been in an art gallery or museum you can see what proper lighting can do.
Thanks, Jack.
One thing that makes a huge difference in being able to display your trophies well are high ceilings.
The ceiling in the room I showed a few posts above runs from ~ 12' to a bit over 15.' That really helps deer display better and is essential for something like an elk or a moose. It also means your critters will be above head height and not eat into your usable living space.
