DEMO — fictional range. Local brief only, NOT SENT. No personal data is collected or transmitted.
FINISH
On a fitting, the finish is also an optic.
A visible lighting surface reflects, absorbs or scatters. Choosing it for appearance alone is choosing an optical behaviour by accident.
- Brushed brass
- Warm and directional · scatters light rather than reflecting it cleanly
- Polished brass
- Specular · throws a bright image of the source, which is usually unwanted
- Matte white
- Diffuse · returns most light, and the usual interior for a shade
- Matte black
- Absorbs · used on the outside of spotlights to cut stray light
- Powder coated
- Coloured housings · even and durable, and it holds dust on soffits
- Anodised
- Reflectors · the finish is the optical surface, so its grade matters
Illustrative finish reference
| Finish | Typical use | How it behaves |
|---|---|---|
| Matte white | Shade interiors | Diffuse, returns most of the light downwards |
| Polished brass | Decorative trim | Specular, and unkind to a source in view |
| Matte black | Spotlight bodies | Absorbs stray light, which reduces glare |
| Anodised | Reflectors | Reflects specularly by design, and the grade sets how much |
Why bright interiors are usually white and matte.
Because the inside of a shade is seen by the light, not by the eye. A matte white interior scatters the light back out evenly; a polished one sends it in one direction, which is a design decision rather than a default.
The one worth avoiding.
A polished interior on a pendant with an exposed source. It produces a bright image of the lamp on the inner surface, which reads as glare from across the room.