No ceiling lights?

[PastaBeeandCheese]

Does anyone know if there is any reason other than personal taste why a house would be lit purely by wall lights. There are no ceiling lights at all.

It's a 60's house and I did read on Internet that it could be a fashion of the time but I've never come across this before.

Is it expensive to have them removed and ceiling lights installed instead?

Thanks very much!

I hate this... we have one room in our house with no ceiling lights or wall lights, just lamps. They've obviously had the lights taken out at some point because the light switch is still there.

I remember helping a friend move into a new house and it was only as night fell that we realised the only lights in the whole place were in the bathroom and kitchen - no wall or ceiling lights in any of the other rooms. We had to find a 24hr Tesco and buy a bunch of lamps.

Anyway - none of this is very helpful to you... I don't know why it is, and I don't like it... but it does happen! Having it changed will be annoying, they'll have to rewire in, digging channels into the walls from the switch to the ceiling, then filling them and redecorating. Get a couple of sparkies in to give you a quote.

I absolutely hate this in hotels, too.

It might be that it was hard to get into the ceiling space but I would guess it's more likely that it was for personal taste reasons. Do you have low/sloping ceilings? That's another reason for wall lights.
As to cost - it will depend on how much of a job it's going to be to reroute cabling, then don't forget the cost of new lights & decorating. You need to get an electrician out to give you an idea of how much the labour will be then you can look at lights etc and add a sum for decorating.
We've just had a lot of electrical work done & the biggest thing is the mess. Even with tidy electricians you will still be left with chasings in the wall requiring plastering & redecoration. Plus you will be forever cleaning up brick and plaster dust as it gets everywhere !!!
Despite all the mess I love my new lights, sockets that can actually be used and all the other stuff, now I now just need to get on with all the other work Inc decorating the whole house as random patches of bare plaster everywhere is not a good look.

I have no ceiling lights only wall lights. The reason is because we had the ceiling skimmed by a plasterer due to vile artex and seeing as the ceiling is low anyway I didn't wasn't to spoil the look of gorgeous new plaster it works, it would look odd here to have ceiling lights.

I'd go as well, rather than instead of.

We're busy having extra plug sockets put in for side lighting in anticipation of the day we're too old to get up ladders and change the trendy fecking downlighters. For me, an overhead light is only useful as it guides me to a side light. They're OK in bathrooms and kitchens.

Is the ceiling concrete? Mine is and any rewiring would have to be chased into that or in ducting that would be visible. Maybe someone wanted to avoid the expense of the first and visibility of the second.

Thank you for the replies!

Yes, we will get a quote. Sounds as though it's a 'just because' thing rather than there being a reason why there couldn't be ceiling lights.

I've just never come across this before!

New house is 60s built and wall lights are because of the wood panel ceiling equaling expense and inconvenience of work necessary. Thankfully stupid choice of word as it is costing a bomb house needs partial rewiring so getting dozens of track lighting for ceilings and LED makes me happy. And no ugly wall lights anywhere!