Need help deciding how many lights to add

5 years ago

last modified: 5 years ago

I need help deciding how many seven inch flush led lights to add to my ceiling above the sink side of my island. Please excuse the mess in the photo as my daughter is turning two on Saturday. The six lights you see are can replacements controlled by a lutron dimmer. The additional lights will be controlled by the same switch. I have ordered four lights that are 75 watt LED equivalents with close to 900 lumens each at 5000K color. They match the color and lumens of the six can replacement lights which are now flush with the ceiling. The area with six lights is very bright. 75 percent brightness is fine for us, but I have been pushing 100 because I want more light when I'm washing dishes. I was thinking either two or four lights. Thanks in advance.

Featured Answer

raee_gw zone 5b-6a Ohio

5 years ago

last modified: 5 years ago

Here is what my lighting designer told me.

First of all, if you have chosen your lights, you need to go to the manufacturer's website, look up your light model, and see how wide the "cone" of light will be at the desired surface - for most, that is at the countertop. If the ones that you have already installed are the same as the new ones, you can just look at the light cast onto your surface by one of those.

You do this because you want your lights spaced to create a tiny overlap. This then determines how far apart to place them, which then leads to how many you need.

You will want to be sure to center the light fixture on the edge of your counter, so that you don't have glare in front of you, and don't cast a shadow either. That placement will work in front of your pantry also - at least it did for me.

I can't tell if you will need a second row of lights in front of your pantry/fridge wall (because I can't tell how wide that space is), but if you do, you may need to adjust the light location slightly so that no open cabinet door will block the light/cast shadow. That may mean that your two rows of lights might not be exactly symmetrical - but that is okay, no one will ever notice.

In my kitchen this led to the 6" LEDs being spaced ~48" apart (center to center) down the long counter run, and the 2nd row for the opposite pantry/fridge wall placed ~44" from the first row.

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Comments (7)

Howard Jow
Original Author
5 years ago
Apologies for so many edits. On my phone, switching to desktop mode to upload photos. Switching back to mobile mode made me edit the post and removed all photos I added. It took me a few edits to figure this out. I'll get the hang of this quirk.
3onthetree
5 years ago
You only want the sink lighted up more?

The recessed lights should be making a 'U' shape - one linear row starting near the cabinet end at the GreatRm, then turning along the ref/pantry wall, then turning along the slider. If you need more task light at the island, change the island pendants.
Howard Jow thanked 3onthetree
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Howard Jow
Original Author
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
I do want the island lit up more on the left side. The side facing the cooktop is well lit until you get to the sink where the light drops off. I think if I install all four lights the entire area will be lit up (double pantry and island). But we can choose to just have pendants while we eat.
Accessing the double pantry right now feels darker.
Howard Jow
Original Author
5 years ago
I made some measurements and will confirm with my electrician if it's possible to install another six lights with the same spacing as the existing six lights. So they will form an L shape of lights around the island. The lights provide so much light and overlapping light it will make it easier for us to use the island for task work in the future (filling meat dumplings/pot stickers, rolling and cutting pasta, etc). Thanks for the input. I'll post pictures in the kitchen before/after forum after this is done and we get everything cleaned up.
3onthetree
5 years ago
Just be aware that the lighting you have now, with the 2nd row of the tightly spaced grid, looks to be lighting up the floor mostly. Here you can see the throw: the yellow is on the counter (it is very pronounced what the can is lighting on the island), and the green is the floor. I would imagine you'd prefer most of the light on the counters and into the cabinets, so the locations of new lights should be placed for that, not the floor. Also keep in mind guessing 90% of electricians do not understand lighting, they just wire them. And you may not get uniform spacing because of joist locations and ductwork.
raee_gw zone 5b-6a Ohio
5 years ago
If you want to light the pantry interiors as well as the island surface, it looks to me that you may need to stagger the lights. That is, not 2 matching rows and not necessarily the same spacing as the current lights..

The current light closest to the fridge (in front of the cabinet to the right of the fridge) is not optimally placed, for example. Better if it were at the center of that cabinet.

Again, remember that ceiling lights do not need to be symmetrical or even - they have a job to do, and if they don't do it well, that is more noticeable than symmetry (like, who looks at the ceiling day to day?)