Indirect ceiling lighting hides an LED strip in a recess or cove so the light washes the ceiling or walls without visible sources. It needs a plasterboard ceiling or bulkhead designed around it, smooth walls and ceilings because grazing light reveals every flaw, accessible drivers, and electrical work carried out by an authorised installation company. In our jobs the ceiling is ours and the electrical installation is done by authorised partner installers under our coordination.
What is indirect ceiling lighting?
Indirect lighting means the light source is hidden and you see only its effect: a glow on the ceiling, a wash down a wall or a halo around a lowered ceiling section. In homes this is usually achieved with LED strips set into a cove (a foseado) at the edge of a suspended ceiling, or in a recess along one wall. The result is soft, even light that makes ceilings look higher and rooms calmer.
It rarely works as the only light in a room. Most schemes combine indirect light for atmosphere with downlights or pendants for tasks such as cooking, reading or working. The cove gives the room its character; the other lights make it practical.
Indirect light can also be built into furniture-like elements made in plasterboard: lit shelves in a niche, a glow behind a headboard wall or a strip under a floating shelf. These details are planned with the ceiling so that all the lighting in the room feels like one design.
Why does the ceiling design come first?
The cove is part of the ceiling, so its size, depth and position must be planned before the framing is built. The recess must be deep enough to hide the strip from normal viewing positions and wide enough for the light to spread evenly. The distance between the strip and the surface it lights affects whether you see a smooth glow or a band of hotspots.
The shape of the room matters too. In a hallway, a cove along both sides can make a narrow space feel wider. In a living room, a cove around a lowered central section defines the space. Our suspended ceilings service covers this work, and you can see built examples in our project photos.
Why do walls and ceilings need to be smooth?
Light travelling along a surface at a low angle exaggerates every imperfection. A cove that grazes light across a ceiling with gotelé, poorly finished joints or a slight wave makes all of it visible, and the effect is the opposite of what you wanted. This is one of the most common disappointments with indirect lighting.
For that reason, coves are usually combined with skimming the surfaces they light. If your walls or ceiling carry gotelé, it should be removed or skimmed first; see our gotelé removal and wall skimming pages. The final check under raking light becomes even more important when a room will be lit this way.
Who carries out the electrical work?
The LED strips, their power supplies (drivers), new circuits, switches and dimmers form part of the low-voltage electrical installation. In our jobs this work is carried out by authorised partner installers under our coordination, while we build the ceiling and finishes around it. You still deal with a single contact person.
In Andalusia, the installation company that carries out a low-voltage installation issues an installation certificate (certificado de instalación eléctrica, CIE), signed by one of its qualified installers, following the official model approved by the regional government. Whether a given lighting change requires a new certificate depends on its scope (to be verified by the partner installer for each job).
Where do the drivers go?
LED strips run on low voltage supplied by drivers that convert mains power. Drivers produce some heat and may eventually need replacing, so they must stay accessible. Hiding them permanently inside a closed ceiling is a classic mistake. They are usually placed above an access panel, in a cupboard or in a purpose-made hatch that sits flush with the ceiling and can be painted to match.
The positions of drivers, junctions and cable routes are agreed between us and the partner installer before the ceiling is closed. This coordination is one of the main advantages of having one contractor responsible for the ceiling and the scheduling of the electrical work.
The same thinking applies to the strip itself. LED strips are long-lasting but not permanent, so the cove should allow a strip to be lifted out and replaced without damaging the plaster. A cove that is too tight, or a strip glued directly into a corner that is then painted over, turns a simple replacement into a repair job. We size the recess so that the strip sits on a profile that can be reached from below.
How do you choose the colour of the light?
LED strips are available in different colour temperatures, from warm white, similar to traditional bulbs, to cooler, more neutral whites. Warm light generally suits living rooms and bedrooms; slightly more neutral light can suit kitchens and work areas. Mixing very different colour temperatures in the same room tends to look uneven.
Dimmable strips give flexibility between bright and atmospheric. The technical data for each strip, such as colour temperature and dimming compatibility, comes from its manufacturer and should be checked with the installer, who chooses compatible drivers and controls.
What should be agreed before work begins?
Before the framing goes up, agree the position of every cove, downlight, switch and dimmer, the location of drivers and access panels, the colour of light, and how the circuits will be switched. A marked-up plan or photo avoids misunderstandings. Our article on what can go wrong with a suspended ceiling lists the problems that careful planning prevents, and our plasterboard page covers bulkheads and lit niches built at the same time.
Official sources
Bauman Raymond Attila · Quitar Gotelé Málaga · Avenida Antonio Belón 3, Marbella. Last reviewed: 05/11/2026.
