We have had some second thoughts about recessed in that space... does anyone think track lighting will be a better choice? (see updated pic)

How tall are you ceilings? I personally love mono rail systems but it will look odd in a ceiling that is lower than 9ft.

The advantages of mono rails or track system is that you reposition the lights during the different seasons of the year and you can add more lights as you need them.

For the size of your bedroom, I would use recessed or surface mount fixtures. Have you considered small and low profile surface mount fixtures?

Will you have a light switch beside the bed to manage the lighting in the room?

They are pretty short, only 7'5". I have planned for (but not yet installed) a box centered on the wall that the bed is going on. I could just do one track instead of the "U" design if it will be ridiculous... the four cans on the right will probably light a fair bit of the entire room. I can also cut in recessed (not too late) but figured the track idea would allow just that - ability to re-position to suit the need (like reading).

I wasn't going to have a switch near the bed but have decided to cut in a box to at least run whatever lights are running that side. The blue recessed will be on a three way at the door and desk. My thought is that it's too small a space for a four way setup.

Unfortunately centering the bed would put it directly in front of the only power receptacle on that wall, and since it's a masonry wall it will be difficult to run an outlet there. I can give it some more thought though. Are there any track lights which are very low height?

Worst case I can just leave that ceiling empty and put that same outlet on a dimmer or double it up and do one dimmed and one live, and use a lamp on a table or over the bed.

How about the desk area? It is basically a headered opening (~7' at tallest) and I was thinking of track there as well. I could also do recessed (I was originally) or just surface mount

I would not want any can lights over a bed, or over anywhere where someone was lying down. Recessed down lights tend to age the person that is directly under them due to shadows. Using recessed down lights as indirect light and having light bounce off a wall is much more flattering. Of course, you need adjustable trims for the can lights to have them wall wash to get this indirect light.

There are times where can lights are great task lights, such as when they are over counter tops. But having a down light positioned so it shins directly down over a persons head, or where someone is laying down, would be a mistake in my opinion. If you stick with the plan to have can lights over the bed, I would put those can lights on a different circuit from the other can lights, so you can still control them separately, and dim the ones over the bed significantly. Also, if one person was already in bed, and the second person was getting ready for bed, having the can lights on two circuits would allow the one in bed to be in more darkness.

Can you plan on more flattering sconce lights near the bed, or lamps for task lighting for reading in bed. If you keep your centre light and some of the can lights (used like wall washers) I believe you will be happier with the effect. Having the centre non can light positioned over the foot of the bed, rather than where someone needs to walk under, might allow you to have a slightly lower fixture (you don't need the same head room when the light is over the bed).

Also, do you really want to a fan for such low ceilings? I think a flush mount would be better for the height of ceilings you have.

Carol

Thank you. Yeah I've pretty much given up on the can for that area. Since it's going to be a bedroom for a ten-year-old boy I am going for more function than form, and leaning a bit away from lamps only because I guarantee he'll break a lamp a week - which led me to considering a track behind his bed. Something on the wall also might fly, but then I have to consider what to do at the other end (the foot of the bed) if anything. I might also consider a single sconce on the open wall space on the left of the bed.

I'm also on the fence on the fan due to the height issue. However that room tends to benefit from circulation for various reasons, so I may just cut in a box dead center to the room now while I have a chance, and put a cover plate on it even if we don't install a fan immediately.

As for the desk area, I'm reconsidering just putting an LED light bar there vs a track, which will hang a bit low. Only problem is that it will look like crap. I can still do a couple of 4" cans though if they would work for task lights.

Thx again!

A ten year old won't mind the can lights as much as others. However, don't you think it will become a guest room after the 10 year old moves out of the house? If you do go with some cans over the bed, please put them on a different switch from the other cans. Or perhaps if you relocate the place of your bed, you could do two can lights near the headboard, and have those cans the 4 inch (not 6 inch) adjustable ones. Perhaps place them 18 inches from the wall behind the headboard, about 2 feet apart to cross light (less shadows). They could be directed to the wall behind the headboard for flattering, indirect light. They may also be able to be adjusted to light downwards for a reading light maybe not for grandma when she visits, but the 10 year old boy won't care if he is under a can light. I am not sure if you can get a tim kit for a can that allows you to shine it on the wall behind the headboard and also allows you to adjust it to shine downwards, but I would ask at the lighting store if you can have this kind of flexibility.

We have 8 foot ceilings in the house we are constructing so not tall either. We will put a centre fixture over the foot of the bed, not centered in the room, to accommodate the lack of ceiling height. This way, we can choose a fixture that hangs a little lower to provide more indirect light and not a down light centre fixture. However, it looks like where your bed is located it does not make that much sense for a fixture over the bed to work. Is there any other option for placement of the bed? It always looks best if the headboard of the bed is the first thing that your notice, not tucking it in a corner. It would look so much better if the headboad was against the 108" wall. Even if there is brick there, you can work around that. Having can light shine off a brick wall would be awesome.

For the ceiling fixture, there is little point in selecting a down light light fixture when you have lots of down lights vis the cans in the rooms. I will look for centre fixtures that offers ambient, indirect or up/down light (lighting direct.com describes the kind of light that each fixture offers). I am less familiar with the need for a ceiling fan. We have other ways to ventilate the rooms. As you said, you can reinforce for a fan light, and decide later if you want a fan or fixture.

Another nice thing to do is to consider having a switch also by the bed to be able to turn the lights off from the bed or the one near the door.

We will also have some perimeter cans that wall wash. We are putting in sconces or bed side hardwired reading lights depending on the room. You have to plan out the furniture very carefully to work out the best spots for sconces and hardwired lamps.

Lamps for a child are a pain. Perhaps a wired or plug in metal lamp would work near the bed.

Carol

Thank you Carol for so many details replies. So to the 108' wall, the problem is not the brick per se it's that there is a window centered on that wall which his bed would completely block. I was tossing around the idea of cutting in some new outlets on either side of the bed and closing up the existing hole, which would allow me to center the bed on the shorter wall. Either way the bed will be the first thing you see when you open the door... it is completely unavoidable :)

Since the sheetrock for the room is pretty much set I am going to take some pics of the room layout, revise my drawings, and post into a new thread. I think it will be much easier to visualize this way. Until then, thanks so much again!

Is his head board high, or is the basement window a low sill one (sill not far from ground)? During our renovations, most of the family is living in the basement. Our queen bed fits nicely under the basement window (window is a decent size as this room is above ground).

I will wait for the pictures, but thought you might want to think some more about re-positioning the bed.

If you were to ask on the home decorating forum for furniture arrangement advice, they would likely tell you to move that bed.

Carol

giant,

Where is the door to this room? I just noticed there is a thick black line near where you marked 128". If this is the door, than the placement of the bed is fine, and ignore what I wrote above. Somehow, I had assumed the door was nearer to the desk.

Carol

Yes the door is in that spot. The thick lines by the desk are supposed to be measurement lines to illustrate the span of the opening. Sorry I need to redraw that too :). It is also not a basement, it's a masonry wall because part of that wall is a brick and cinder block gable end.