What size is the room? Are the pots all on one switch? Bookshelves can have under shelf lighting.Do you plan table lamps too?

This is the size and layout. They are all on one dimmable switch. We were going to put them tilted to highlight what’s in instead of top down light inside. Plan to have at least one side table lamp

I think it’s fine. We have 12 in our 20x20 room. The front four are on an angle and all are on a dimmer.

No, not too many.

Grouping with separate switches would have given more control over accent lighting.

Also, the more pot lights, the more holes in the ceiling for sound transfer.

Basement rec room. Note no potlights.

When our children were younger and we had rental units, this was a key concern for us.

We can still change it and patch them up or split the grouping. Our daughter’s bedroom is directly above. We also are going to put speak pick in the ceiling too I think.

My family room/living room is almost the same size as yours (19.9' x 16.4'). I don't have very many can lights - I think that there are four. I'm sure that the room should have more of them based upon whatever formula is used to calculate the number of can lights needed. However, I rarely ever turn them on - I prefer to use floor lamps + table lamps to light the room vs. overhead can lights. I do have dimmers for them - however, I still prefer the light from lamps vs. overhead can lights.

I also prefer to not have sound transfer upstairs to the bedrooms that are over that room.

It’s funny that people say sound transfers upstairs and I haven’t noticed it ever. Not one single time.

I can't imagine having this many overhead lights in a "living" space. We have one overhead light in our family room (on a dimmer) and I hate it. I only use lamps as we only watch TV, visit, and read in our family room. We are renovating our kitchen and went from 12 to 9 (which includes an over-the-sink and 2 over-the-island. We eliminated 3 overheads. In hindsight, I would probably remove 2 more. Luckily the island lights are on a separate switch and everything is on a dimmer. But...our kitchen is quite dark with little natural light and it is a task area for sure. Just my opinion. We went from a 2-overhead light situation in our kitchen (via original 1960s) to 9. Feels like overkill.

That would be way too many for me.

I don't like any can lights in a living space either, especially on a flat ceiling. They are very harsh, especially the LED type that most everyone is installing these days. They make the ceiling look like swiss cheese.

I like a variety of softer lighting in living or family rooms--table lamps, floor lamps, sconces, chandeliers, uplighting, wall washers, eyeball lights, picture lights. Can lights are good for close work like you'd do in a kitchen or bath, so that's the only place I usually put them.

Appears to be too many. In my living room I have one in each corner of the ceiling, one in the middle of the ceiling, and 2 eyeballs to highlight the fireplace. This room is16x13 with 9' ceilings.

My family room has the same setup - except I have a ceiling fan with no light in the middle. This room is 23x15 with 18' ceilings.

On dimmers as well.

Hope this information helps. I’d also suggest more than one dimmer (we have 3 in our kitchen).

Don’t forget you’ll also have lighting on bookcase and probably want some table lamps.

We have 12 recessed lights in a 22.5' x 26.5' family room with 12 ft ceilings. We also have a chandelier and table lamp in the space.

Daily we just use the table lamp. When entertaining I have the recessed lights and chandelier dimmed low. For cleaning everything is on!

^^^That's what I forgot to add - when cleaning, the recessed lights are used. I also forgot that we have sconces + picture light over the art on the overmantel for FP.

@WestCoast Hopeful - I haven't actually experienced the difference re: noise transfer myself. However, my neighbor just had her kitchen and most of first floor renovated and she added quite a few new recessed lights. She said that she thinks that there is more sound that travels to her daughters' rooms upstairs than did before the renovation. I was actually a bit surprised about that.

@Diana Bier Interiors, LLC - when I first read a post where someone referred to many recessed lights = swiss cheese, I now can't "unsee" them!

Honestly i think can lights belong in a kitchen, laundry and bathroom nowhere else. Chandeliers, sconces, table lamps anything but can lights. I don’t understand this trend.

I have recessed ceiling lights in my living areas. Some of my ceilings are vaulted. All recessed lights are on (multiple) dimmers. I mostly use them when entertaining (dimmed) and cleaning. But I have other lighting - chandeliers, sconces and table/floor lamps.

When planning the placement of recessed ceiling lights, it’s important to connect their placement to the room use below it. This may mean the recessed fixtures aren’t evenly and uniformly spaced across the entire ceiling.

I think you probably have more recessed lights than necessary and not enough dimmer groups. Do you have a design plan for the room with furniture placement and lighting placement marked? Consider posting it in this thread. A good lighting store or light designer could weigh in on your husband’s plan before any more holes are cut in the ceiling.

Also choose the right bulb - they vary from very warm right through to very cool white. The bulb color has a tremendous impact on how your room looks when finished.

My entry/living room is approximately 18’ wide by 36’ long. we have a total of 10’ on dimmers. I know many don’t like them but I do when they’re dimmed, provides soft even lighting, we have lots of art that gets highlighted. We also have a few other smaller lamps too that are dimmable.

A neighbor has a lot of them, they keep them at full brightness always, not a fan .

Not too many for a lobby, but you'll find this many lights uncomfortable to sit under with this height ceiling.

These are:

• Exactly the number a DIYer extracting generic spacing requirements would use in every room. Probably wafers.
• Exactly the number an electrician would use. Definitely wafers.
• At least 8 too many and in the wrong locations than a professional designer or lighting designer would use. Never wafers.
• At least 8 too many and in the wrong locations than the seemingly historic house would use. Never wafers.

None of the above list is ultimately wrong. Just better or worse, different choices you are free to make.

Thank you everyone for helping me talk my husband out of these. We are cutting it down to 6 with two bookshelf/fireplace lights.

I like them along the sides with fixtures at an angle toward the walls to wash them and/or wall art with light.

We converted our can lights with extensions that screw into the socket with aimable spotlights for our art and it's a beautiful effect.

I find this debate very interesting. I would always want the option of more. Y dont have to turn them on, you can put in multiple switches and so on. I despise a room that doesn’t have an overhead light or a piddly single one. It always feels dark and gloomy. Having options I get but purposefully opting to not have options is odd to me.

@tracefloyd ….are you able to tell me the source / brand of your extensions? I have one ”eyeball” one above a piece of art but I’m not crazy about it & I would like to add more ( lots of art ). Perhaps yours are better.

Funny how different we are in our likes/dislikes. In our vacation home we have a living room with a half-vault ceiling. The builder installed 4 can lights in it--in over 30 years we never used them. I just don't like having overhead lighting in a room meant for entertaining, reading, TV watching.

Our can lights had already been installed. I don't recall the brand we used to convert but they are like these. They are unobtrusive in real life.

I found these.... not endorsing this brand per se but they don't look like an "eyeball" as you say.