EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT RECESSED LIGHTS
Recessed lighting: Is it a trend? Do you want to build a new house or modify an existing one? Where should recessed lights be placed? What distinguishes recessed lights from canned lights? We appreciate your interest and think these are all great questions.
How do recessed lights work?
Simply explained, recessed lights are those that are positioned inside the ceiling so that they are almost flush with the surface. Depending on where they are installed, recessed lights can have several uses. In the 1970s, recessed lighting first became popular. Eyeball lights were particularly well-liked for concentrating light on a particular location, like a fireplace mantle.
Exactly why are recessed lights superior?
Do they excel? So, both yes and no. Recessed lights might appear awful when installed carelessly or without consideration. Recessed lighting should be effective at performing a specific duty, such as task lighting, creating a direct channel of light in a dimly lit room, or lighting up high or difficult-to-reach locations, without being overtly obtrusive.
LED Recessed Lights vs. Canned Lights
What is the distinction?
Canned lights are just that, a “can” that houses the light bulb and is installed inside the ceiling. An LED recessed light (“canless”), on the other hand, does not have the can around the lightbulb. It is instead wired directly into the ceiling. For a very detailed technical explanation, check out Home Decor Bliss’s blog. Canned lights tend to be bulkier and more noticeable than the smaller, more streamlined LED ceiling lights. We will focus on those.
Whether you pick canned or LED recessed lighting, in our opinion, it should be utilised sparingly. You may discover a variety of viewpoints on this subject, ranging from "never use them at all" to "use them every four feet," if you do any study. We will never be able to "unsee" Maria Killam's mental image of a ceiling made of Swiss cheese after reading her views on recessed lighting. We wholeheartedly concur with Maria when she comments that a ceiling with too many holes resembles Swiss cheese. But, we can definitely see the necessity for a few well positioned tiny LED recessed lights.
Advice on Installing Recessed Lighting
Dimmers ought to be used with recessed lights.
In addition to being annoying, harsh overhead lighting also creates strange shadows.
With the many settings available on LED recessed lights, you may change both the brightness and the warmth (daylight to warm white).
Set your room's lighting to cool white and increase the brightness up to 10 if you want it to resemble a doctor's office.
In fact, this is feasible in a basement that is subterranean and has no windows.
Where Should Recessed Lighting Be Installed?
- Recessed lights should be placed in a work area that needs to be well-lit, such as in a kitchen.
- Place a single recessed light in a stairwell with a tall ceiling. You will have a nicely lit area in the evening without having to worry about cleaning a fixture you can’t reach.
- Put a recessed light on a slanted ceiling to highlight a dark corner, such as in a bathroom with knee walls.
- Place a single recessed light over your sink in the laundry room or over a washer and dryer. These are excellent ways to save space.
- Place a few recessed lights in a game or rec room. Having overhead lights in a game room is beneficial when playing board games or pool.
- Use a recessed light or two in a small area where you need to save space and don’t have enough head room for a hanging fixture.
- Consider recessed lighting on your porches, to go along with your wall sconces or hanging fixtures. Be sure to put them on dimmer switches.
- Have a small home office but not a lot of room for lamps? Install one or two recessed lights over your work space, again, making sure they are on dimmers.
- Recessed lights are great in spacious walk-in closets!
What Spaces Don't Need Recessed Lighting?
We don't think recessed lights are necessary in bedrooms. Your bedroom should be a warm, relaxing space where you spend as much time as possible at night.
Your living or family room should not have recessed lighting; instead, use table and/or floor lamps. Lampshades filter the light to provide a softer, easier-on-the-eyes glow. If you must utilise recessed lighting in a wide, open space, do it sparingly and in conjunction with lamps or other fixtures. Too many recessed lights take away from the aesthetic appeal of your space. You want visitors to see your attractive table lights, but you don't want them to notice the ceiling discs. The tiny LED lights we've been talking about resemble flat discs more than they do large holes. They are hardly discernible at all.
Contact us for Your Lighting Consultation
We hope you found this post informative. If you need more design advice or assistance in choosing lighting fixtures for your home, feel free to contact us for a consultation.
Until next time…
