Indirect Lighting for Commercial Display Spaces: Are You Doing It Right?

The following article is sourced from Lighting Talk, authored by Han Junchang

Author / Han Junchang

在商业展示空间中，展架空间占据了我们正常视线三分之二以上的区域，因此做好展架照明尤为重要，下面通过几个节点给大家分享展架照明设计：

1 Luminaire Installation Node Above Display Rack

Casual stores need to create a bright and open atmosphere by installing luminaires above display racks to uplight the ceiling, which then reflects the light down to the floor, filling the entire space with illumination;

The figure below shows a common lighting method: high-power wall washers are installed directly above the display rack and centered. The luminaires illuminate the ceiling vertically, which seems fine at first glance. Is there still room for improvement?

After properly adjusting the luminaire angle outward, we found that the illuminated area on the ceiling significantly increased, making the entire space brighter. As the saying goes: "30% lighting, 70% commissioning." It’s not enough to just install the lights; proper commissioning is essential!

2 Display Rack Shelf + Baffle Luminaire Installation Detail

When lighting display racks, luminaires are typically installed as shown in the figure below. The baffles effectively conceal the luminaires and provide good lighting results. Is there still room for improvement?

Add the cover plate as shown in the figure below. Most of the spill light from the luminaire will be reflected by the cover plate into the display rack, thereby better highlighting the merchandise.

3 Downlight luminaire installation detail for the front side of display shelf

The method of directly slotting the display shelf boards to conceal the luminaire, as shown in the figure below, is frequently adopted by many designers. However, this approach creates dark areas on the upper part of the wall, which is unfavorable for product display.

If the shelf strength is sufficient, we can completely remove the rear section, as shown in the figure below. This makes the light distribution more uniform front-to-back, better illuminating the merchandise;

4 Downlight luminaire installation detail for the rear side of display shelf

When installing lights on the rear side of display shelf panels, the light trough dimensions are often minimized to the point where most of the light is trapped inside the trough and cannot escape. In the image below, the excessively small light outlet of the trough creates an overly strong and obvious contrast on the wall, which is unfavorable for product display.

If the light outlet size of the light trough is increased, as shown in the figure below, the transition between light and dark on the wall becomes much more comfortable, and the Modeling of the displayed products will be more prominent;

5 Upward lighting installation node for the luminaire on the front side of the display shelf

For uplighting on the front side of display shelf panels, it is best to position them above the horizontal line of a normal person's eye level to prevent direct view of the luminaire's light-emitting surface; this method also illuminates the ceiling. However, due to obstruction by the upper shelf panel, light may be blocked, creating dark zones. Design should consider actual conditions to avoid such dark zones.

If the displayed products are opaque, it will emphasize the front area beneath the products.

6 Rear side of display shelf + baffle installation node

这种方式灯具隐蔽效果相对要好一些，不太容易看到灯具发光面；如果展品是不透明的可以形成剪影效果，增强立体感；如果展品是透明的，效果会更加晶莹剔透。

Regarding display rack lighting, feel free to leave comments and exchange ideas in the comment section!