I have not been a big fan of track lighting but it does have its place and time. In an effort to provide more light in the kitchen here at the lodge, the previous owners had installed track lights on the log trusses overhead. As if Ethel Merman stepped in to sing Ave Maria the two were not a good mix.
The white plastic tracks and large white canister lights screamed out in their stark contrast to everything and immediately drew your attention upwards, not to the cathedral ceilings but to the lights and tracks themselves. It was one of the first thing noticed in the kitchen.
My idea of track lights is to cast light on that which you want noticed – a sort of interior lightscaping. Any such effort fails when the lights themselves become the focus.
Not wanting to remove the lights but to redirect attention I got out my paints and stains in an effort to camouflage the rigging.
With basic flat house paints in hand I first laid down a cinnamon like color to match the lighter tones of the surrounding logs.
Once dry I used gradually darker colors and layered wood graining on each canister and along the track. To finish things off I used a combination of various shades of wood stain to enhance the grain and give depth to the wood tone I had laid down. This also gave them a sheen matching the finish on the logs.
Once done the lights now blend into the background of the Pecky Cypress ceilings and American Chestnut trusses and purlins. No longer is attention drawn to the track lights but rather to that which they illuminate. This was a simple fix that took about two hours including dry time to complete.
