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tanja_popovich

Home Reno - Recessed Lighting Help Needed

last year

Hi Everyone,

We're doing a reno on a split level. I am having a hard time figuring out the recessed lighting needs. What size, how many needed and placement for the recessed lights for the Kitchen/Living Room & Master Bedroom. Based on what i've read i would need over 30 cans. is this true?

Kitchen: 19.5'x11.5'

Island is: 10'x3' (the end will be for seating on 3 sides)

Living Room: 13'x16.5'

Master Bedroom: 11'x21'

Here is the layout we have, the grey dots would be the can lights.

Small ones are 4" and the slightly bigger are 6".

I am using RoomSketcher for this image below.


Comments (4)

  • PRO
    last year

    What ceiling height? I haven’t used a six inch can in twenty years. Bedrooms seem over lit. Bathroom is under lit. Kitchen cans should be over the edge of counters not in walkways.

    Tanja thanked HALLETT & Co.
  • PRO
    last year

    NO 6" cans ever . 4" max and I like all LED bulbs some if you want on dimmers I like 4000K in kitchens and bathrooms for sure I have that same all through my house but you can do 3500K and that keeps colors true at night since it is more like daylight than the old yellow cast you get from incandescent lighting. I have only one good center light in my bedroom for overall lighting mostly for cleaning and then good beside lights . We have windows on 2 walls in ther e. My kitchen is a bit larger than yours I have track light since our attic space in verry low I have 11 track hesds one set on either side of my island which is 9 x4.5 ' I do not have pendants and just 2 seats on the short end . MY LR also 2 tracks and table lamps , floor lamps also a spacial light over my piano. I am not a fan of a swiss cheese type pot light layout it is only one layer of the whole lighting plan. In your bedroom for instance a nice enter light that lights the whole space and night table lamps and nice table and lamp or floor lamp by the chair . Do you have a DR ? MY advice is get a good lighting designer to help not some sales person at the lighting store that just wants to sell lights. Please do not let your contractor decide this.

    Tanja thanked Patricia Colwell Consulting
  • last year

    You don't need that many cans in a bedroom. You should have several lamps and one central ceiling fixture. Since you have some nooks in the bedroom, maybe a couple cans to light them. Switch everything separately. Rarely are you going to want to have all the lights on at once. If they were all on at once you would be ready to perform surgery in there. In the living room also focus on using lamps as well as cans. Lamps get the lighting down to a height which is more useful.


    There are a lot of articles on Houzz about lighting, so read some of them to educate yourself. You could really use a lighting designer for a project this size as Patricia says. A good electrician would help, but a lot of electricians just come in to put fixtures wherever you ask for them and don't have good judgement about where and how many.

    Tanja thanked kandrewspa
  • last year
    last modified: last year

    Thank you!

    Ceiling height is 8' - i figured it was way too much. and i will use 4" cans instead!

    Thanks again for the help!