SL19 Niche Light: Small Luminaire, Big Design Impact

By Patrick Harders, LC

Statement pieces get the attention in a lighting design, but the small spaces in between are often what make a project feel finished.

You know the spots I mean:

• The tight eave where you wish you could fit a light.
• The deck post that needs some warmth but can’t take anything bulky.
• The bench or bar where you want a soft glow with no glare.

The SL19 Niche Light was built for those spots. Since launch it has become one of our most popular luminaires, and lighting professionals keep reordering it and specifying it on their high-end installs.

Engineered for the Field

When I designed the SL19, I set the LED deep in the housing, added a frosted lens, and specified a 98+ CRI chip. The goal was soft, even light without showing the source. Clients don’t want to see the LED; they want to see what it lights.

It also has to work on the job. The SL19 Niche Light is a fully integrated, marine-grade virgin brass luminaire with a 140° field angle, a 9–15V AC input range, and a 15' 18AWG lead. It’s available in 2700K or 3000K with the glare-reducing frosted lens, or in 3000K with a clear lens.

A note on dimming: The SL19 Niche Light is not a dimmable luminaire. Most phase-cut dimmers will appear to dim it by chopping the AC waveform, but that is not true dimming and it isn't what the driver is designed for. Do not put the SL19 on a dimmer.

Where It Fits

• Railings and deck posts
• Under benches, bars, and steps
• Fence posts and hardscape niches

The same SL19 platform now comes in other housings, including the SL19 Round Light and SL19 Shroud Light. For open areas with nothing to mount to, it’s also the basis of the stake-mounted SL19 Area Light. Read how the SL19 Area Light came about.

Watch the video below to see the SL19 Niche Light installed.

See full specs and photometrics on the SL19 Niche Light product page. Contractors can sign up for Sterling contractor perks.

Patrick Harders, LC, is co-founder and CEO of Sterling Lighting and founder and principal lighting designer of Dayloom. He has more than 25 years of experience designing and installing outdoor lighting, and he’s one of only five landscape lighting designers in North America with Lighting Certified (LC) accreditation. His projects have won multiple international lighting awards, including landscape lighting winners in 2018 and 2021, and he leads design of Sterling’s luminaires.