As the leading makers of high-end frameless doors and flush baseboards, our conversations with architects often revolve around devising uncommon ways to integrate our interior doors with other modern interior features of the house. Lighting is one of those areas and it is not surprising given that the ultra-modern homes we work on often feature our Linus flush baseboard, specifically the Linus flush LED baseboard edition.
Last year WAC Lighting unveiled their new Aether Atomic product line, one of the most unique innovations of 2023 in residential and commercial lighting in North America. Unlike every other modern recessed lighting and can light, the new WAC collection was designed from the ground up to be mudded in, with only the light source visible and without any exposed visible trim. While European lighting manufacturers previously pioneered trimless recessed luminaires, WAC was the first serious contender to introduce this type of lighting to the North American market.
The initial collection of these recessed light fixtures featured ½" and 1" round and square downlights, but the real stars of the show were the round and square pinhole versions of Aether Atomic.
While the light looks like a miniature ½" hole in the ceiling, the entire housing that houses the LED driver is big, roughly the size of a conventional recessed lighting housing can for new construction. The installation process is relatively standard — you put the unit in, spackle over, and sand the drywall down so that it blends with your ceiling. The reward is a sweet, high-end, expensive look.
In 2024 WAC further expanded the Aether Atomic family with wall wash and adjustable lights and — as a delightful surprise — also added ½" and 1" trimmed versions to have a compatible solution for non-drywall applications, making Aether Atomic the largest offering of diminutive small aperture lighting in the marketplace.
The importance of the trimmed version cannot be overstated. While the plaster-in version is perfect for drywall application, the trimmed version allows lighting designers and smart home automation companies to add the same light source to wood ceilings or acoustical grid ceilings.
The new trimmed version housing has a 3/4" collar, which lets you set the light ¾" back allowing the collar of the light to be flush with the front of your ceiling surface. The opening can receive a miniature trim piece that blends nicely with the wood ceiling design.
The ½" pinhole package delivers a 570-lumen output, and the larger 1" downlight maintains a 1000-lumen output. Essentially, you get the same light output as a 5" recessed light, but with the WAC Aether Atomic you are making a better design choice, especially in high-end interiors.
Power requirements are — as expected — in line with similar LED lights, using just 11 watts of power. Depending on the desired lighting scenes, you may choose from four CCT color temperatures: 2700K, 3000K, 3500K, and 4000K.
Imagine walking down the hallway in the middle of the night, with your Linus flush LED baseboard as your orientation light, dimmed to a pleasant 50% brightness. As you enter the living room, the WAC pinhole lights also fade in at the adjusted output, all in sync with the night setting of your home automation system. You can choose from several 0-10V dimmer systems, but we especially like Loxone. Their 0-10V Loxone Dimmer fully integrates with practically invisible ceiling flush-mount presence sensors, creating a seamless design-forward experience.
Here at Angelbau, we are excited to witness the impact of our products on the high-end residential market as we engage in ongoing discussions with architects and designers.
