This is a question we often receive from clients. How high should we mount our wall lights? Often architectural plans won’t make mention of the height of wall lights, rather just a symbol on the plan of their location.
If the plans do have the height mentioned, often the designer will include the height followed by AFFL. So what does AFFL actually mean? AFFL means “Above Finished Floor Level”, which is the uppermost surface of a floor once construction has been completed but before any finishes have been applied. So, in concrete construction it may be the uppermost surface of a screeded finish, or in timber construction, AFFL will denote the top level of the floorboards.
For general wall lights inside or outside the home, we suggest these be mounted 1.8M (1800mm) AFFL.
There’s another type of wall mounted light to consider and that is an indirect wall light, which illuminates the ceiling and provides reflected light into a space. These wall lights are often used when ceilings are higher than normal (in excess of 3M high). These wall lights will be mounted higher than general wall lights; typically around 2M – 2.4M AFFL. The WEDGE and the BLOK are ideal solutions for this type of application.
We should also consider the mounting position of low level lights. These are an important element of an interior for both steps and pathway lighting inside and outside the home. For low level lighting, we suggest a height of 200mm – 300mm AFFL. Here are some low level wall light options to consider for your project; SIERA, NICHE, STRIPE.
For external low level lighting, take a look at TOMMY, KIRRA, SERGIE, and SMILE.
Explore some of Caribou’s other popular wall lights; Harvard, Nova, Boxster, and Swifty.