Placement is key.

DO you have a lighting professional you can consult with?

keeping a ceiling fan in place is tricky, you don't want to have a strobe effect with the lighting interfering with the fan movement.

I much prefer a real can fixture with a bulb that screws in. The light is above the ceiling plane and creates less glare than the faux cans. 90% of people wouldn’t notice the difference. Of course some people have different color temperature bulbs in one light fixture.

@Lyn Nielson I do not have a lighting professional. I might have to consider one. I would only keep the ceiling fan in place because it's just there. I think I almost never use them. The new home has no AC but is relatively close to the shore, so it's breezy, and most homes in the area do not have AC.

@HALLETT & Co. @BeverlyFLADeziner Are PAR bulbs similar to something like Elco Koto or Nora Cobalt? I saw these PAR bulbs, and they were rolling their eyes (well not really) when I asked about using them at the lighting store. What are brands do you suggest that produce good PAR bulbs? My home is really simple, I don't really have art to display at this time. It's just me for now.

I have attached a floorplan of the entire home.

Thank you.

I use 4" pot lights and I like LED 4000 K bulbs and some on dimmers . I think a good lighting designer is a good investment. I happen to like all the same light everywhere with differnt levels of lighting to make sure the space is well lit but still liveable . I agree ceiling fans can create a strobe effect and it is awful . I hesitate to use too many pots in a space like a LR for instance since all those levels of lighting come into play in that space for sure. I do not put kitchen lighting on dimmers but I do have differnt lighting on seperate switches in the kitchen so under cabinet , pot lights and then pendants on the island each of those on a seperate switch

DO NOT OVERLY COMPLICATE THIS PROJECT.

The clerks were rolling their eyes because they cannot upsell you on PAR bulbs.

PAR LED bulbs are available off the shelf of HD or Lowes. As are the recessed downlight housings and the trim rings required to finish the fixture off.

An LED PAR bulb is a simple screw in bulb..

Well a par is a par, I’ve seen plenty of recessed fixtures where people have put in the wrong bulb including spiral fluorescents!!! Fwiw get the highest CRI that makes sense (aim for above 90, 95 is best) and choose your color temperature. I use 2700 in traditional spaces, 3000 in more contemporary spaces. Other people like even cooler. It’s personal.

Nora and Elco lighting have higher end products available as well as mid-tier pricing on basic fixtures. Seeing your floor plan, I suspect that you probably do not not need those options. Halo or Juno fixtures are probably adequate for price range and offerings in those ranges.

Lighting to improve your life is about placement. It is unfortunate to see so many homeowners put grids of recessed lighting in every room, this trend will become the beacon of the 2020s like shag carpet or brass fixtures on a jetted tub in past decades. It would be better to state some goals for each room and design individually.

As far as PAR 'bulbs,' they are not mandatory for Edison-style fixtures, but a couple Houzzers seem to only use them regardless. The PAR designation describes the lens shape, which is flat and produces a more "crisp" throw of light. Think for "directional" or "spot" purposes. LED-PAR equivalents usually have a clear lens that resembles a "jeweled" look when off.

On the other hand, BR 'bulbs' are more rounded and usually have a "clouded" lens which produces a softer throw of light. Less shadowing and appearance of a wider throw.

Many trims are designed specifically for either PAR or BR 'bulbs,' so spacing and use in rooms of certain fixtures does dictate the proper 'bulb' to pair with the choice.

@3onthetree thank you. At my current place I have one recessed bulb at the entrance, and it only lights up that area because I guess it's a narrow beam, and I guess that is good to light a small area. But the living room I just need it evenly lit. It's hard because I do not know how I will lay out the furniture yet. I will think about the goals for each room. Though I think I just want it lit up evenly. My current living room I just have two floor lamps with four bulbs to light everything up, which I guess is indirect lighting. Now I am also not sure if the whole living room was evenly lit up, if that would look really weird.

@Patricia Colwell Consulting thank you for the advice. I am going to have to watch a lot of videos on lighting placement and theory now.

@BeverlyFLADeziner haha, you are right, they really wanted to sell that Nora lighting and said they'll help me with layout if I buy from them. I guess if I go with these fixtures you recommended and insert PAR bulbs, I can switch to those "premium" ones in the future? I see they have adapters.

Non-Pro here. Just chiming in to say I'm not a fan of overhead lights in living spaces except to spotlight art or corridors. I find it unflattering, and for me it's uncomfortable to have light shining down on my head. Plus a bunch of lights in the ceiling are, to my eye, aesthetically unattractive. So before you proceed think about what activities you do in each room and the mood you want to create. IMO ambient light is the way to go for conversation and an inviting space. Good luck with your project.