Lighting Ideas for Glass Block Walls

Rope Lighting

• Run rope lighting through the glass blocks. Drill holes in each block large enough for the rope light to fit through before mortaring them into place. Use a stiff object like a straightened out wire coat hanger to pull the rope lights through the blocks. Attach one end of the rope to one end of the hanger, insert the hanger into one hole and out of a hole on the other side of the block, pulling the rope lighting through behind it. Once the lights are strung through all of the blocks, cement them together. You can create patterns or use colored lights to add interest.

Track Lighting

• Install track lighting above the glass block wall. Track lighting comes in a variety of styles that complement modern or contemporary decor. Traditional track lighting is typically the most economical. More expensive track lighting includes a straight or curved bar suspended from the ceiling that can have small LED or halogen bulbs. Generally available in chrome, brushed nickel or black and ranging in size from a track with two lights to long bars that stretch across a room, these systems make the lighting part of the room's decor. Train the lights above the wall directly on the glass block.

Up Lights and Can Lights

• Up lights are small-to-medium size hooded lights that sit on the floor and direct the light toward the ceiling. Adding a few to the base of the glass block wall creates a dramatic effect at night when they form virtual vertical columns on the glass surface. Putting up lights inside the bottom row of blocks suffuses the structure with light. You'll have to leave cutouts on one side of the block so you can change the bulbs. Can lights are recessed in the ceiling and, depending on their spacing, can create the same column effect when the room is dark.

Spotlight

• A single, floor-mounted spotlight is a versatile lighting treatment for a glass block wall. When fitted with a colored light bulb, the wall takes on playful shading for a party, holiday colors or a subdued glow for a formal room. Add a single spot to the ceiling directly above the floor spot or opposite it to use multiple colors. Rotating pin lights or spotlights make light dance across the face of the glass block wall.