Lighting guide
Trimless and Small-Aperture Downlights
In short
Elevated Integration designs and installs trimless and small-aperture downlights, from the one-inch DMF Artafex 1 and USAI LittleOnes to two-inch Ketra and Rania D2, for homes across Westchester, Fairfield County, New York City and the Hamptons. We are a dealer for DMF, USAI, Ketra, Rania and AiSPIRE.
The smaller the opening, the quieter the ceiling. A one- or two-inch aperture set flush into the plaster reads as a point of light rather than a fixture, and leaves the architecture to speak.
Small apertures are no longer only for accents. DMF's Artafex 1, introduced in 2026, is a one-inch downlight made to light a whole room, and USAI, Ketra and Rania all offer two-inch systems in fixed, adjustable and wall wash versions.
- Trimless or micro-flange
- Trimless fixtures are plastered in, so the ceiling runs to the edge of the light. Micro-flange trims sit a hair proud and suit finished ceilings and remodels.
- Aperture and output
- A one-inch fixture now reaches about 1,000 lumens, enough for general light in most rooms. Larger rooms and high ceilings still call for two or three inches.
- Glare
- Deep-set optics and pinhole or hyperbolic trims keep the source out of sight from a sofa or a bed, which matters more than the size of the hole.
- Plan early
- Trimless housings go in at rough-in, before the ceiling is finished. The layout is set with the architect so fixtures land on the lines of the room, not the joists.
What we specify
Artafex 1
DMF
One-inch, up to 1,000 lumens, 35-degree adjustable beam, tunable white. New for 2026.
Artafex 2-inch
DMF
Round or square, fixed or adjustable, micro-flange or flangeless, with pinhole, hyperbolic and wall wash trims.
True 1
DMF
DMF's one-inch family, an Architectural Record Product of the Year.
the LittleOnes
USAI
One- to 1.25-inch apertures with beams from 25 to 50 degrees.
Small In One Mini
USAI
Three-inch, installs from below, up to 2,000 lumens, trimless or in millwork.
D2
Ketra
Two-inch fixed, adjustable and wall wash, in natural white and full color.
D2
Rania
Two-inch natural white on the same D2 hardware as Ketra.
Lumaris downlights
Lutron
Tunable white from 1,800K to 4,000K, for new construction and retrofit.
Quartus
AiSPIRE
One fixture body with four experiences: static white, dim-to-warm, tunable white and full color.
For designers and architects
Specified with you, from the first drawing
We place fixtures and keypads on your plans, coordinate with the electrician and builder, and set the scenes with you on site. See what is new this season, or how we work with design teams.
Questions
Trimless downlights, answered.
- What is a trimless downlight?
- A trimless downlight is plastered into the ceiling so no trim ring shows, leaving only the opening and the light. It is set during construction, before the ceiling is finished.
- Can a one-inch downlight light a whole room?
- Increasingly, yes. DMF's Artafex 1, introduced in 2026, delivers up to 1,000 lumens from a one-inch aperture and is designed for general lighting, not just accents. Larger rooms and high ceilings may still need two- or three-inch fixtures.
- Can small-aperture downlights go into an existing ceiling?
- Yes. DMF Artafex, the USAI Small In One Mini and the Ketra D2 Remodeler are made for finished ceilings, so fixtures can be added or replaced without rebuilding the ceiling.
Light the house the way it should feel.
Elevated Integration designs and installs lighting from Armonk, NY, across Westchester, Fairfield County, New York City and the Hamptons.
212-634-9091 · Photography: DMF Lighting, USAI Lighting.