Incorporating Recessed Lighting for Depth and Drama
In today’s homes, recessed lighting is a popular choice because it brings consistent ambient light without fixtures that intrude into the space. Also called inset lighting, can lights, or downlights, these ceiling fixtures come with a trim that fits into an opening that has been cut into the ceiling, making them virtually invisible in profile. This opens up all kinds of possibilities for using other kinds of lighting from chandeliers to pendants, sconces to lamps. In this article, we’ll explore how to use recessed lighting wisely and well.
How is Ambient Lighting Achieved?
Ambient lighting is often achieved through a combination of natural light sources, such as windows and skylights, and light from fixtures, such as ceiling lights, recessed lighting, and sconces.
Color temperature and light intensity are also key. Warm, soft lighting can set a cozy and intimate mood, while cool, bright lighting can make a room feel more open and energetic.
Technically, every room has ambient lighting. The question is whether that lighting creates the desired atmosphere. Read on to discover how to use this essential element of interior design to set the perfect mood in every room of your home.
Overview of recessed lighting and how it works
Especially popular in rooms with lower ceilings because its fixtures sit flush with the ceiling itself and so are almost entirely hidden, recessed lights leave the room with a clean yet finished look. Recessed lights can be installed in ceilings, which are the highest point in the room, or also in soffits, which are the visible undersides of any architectural piece that may be concealing a beam or even ductwork.
Additionally, you can find models that provide directional light: these have a rotating axis so you can aim the light to point at a particular architectural or design feature, or even use them on a sloped ceiling so they point straight downward.
Benefits of using recessed lighting in modern homes
First of all, by providing general light for the room, recessed lights improve visibility and safety. They also save airspace in your home, allowing for an uninterrupted ceiling which lets you start the room’s lighting plan with a minimalist look – think of it as a blank yet well-lit canvas for your other lighting choices. And because they create a blank canvas, not limiting other interior design choices, recessed lights have broad appeal to potential future buyers of your home, who may want to redecorate according to their own tastes.
Techniques for positioning recessed lights to create depth and drama
When you are creating a lighting plan for a room, approach it as building three distinct “layers” of light: ambient, task, and accent. To help you plan, think about how the room will be put to use, what activities will happen there and what sort of lighting brings the most benefit.
Ambient lighting
Ambient lighting brings overall visibility to the space, whether through natural daylight during sunny hours or overhead lighting during the evening and night. This is a general layer of light that is typically provided by a grid of lights that are evenly spaced across the ceiling. Think about each lighting source as creating a cone of light that shines down into the room; the number of fixtures that you have and the spacing between them will help diffuse light throughout the area.
Recessed lighting is an ideal option for creating ambient light, freeing you up to use other fixtures for focused tasks and accenting. You might select to install an overhead chandelier that is a decorative piece that draws attention upward – or a light with another function such as a tasteful ceiling fan light.
When making your choices for ambient light, consider the mood that you want to create in the room, whether bright and energetic using cool white light or softer and more relaxing through the use of warmer light that has undertones of yellow or amber. For more ideas on ambient lighting, read our article on Ambient Lighting: How to Set the Mood in Every Room.
Task lighting
Next, consider which areas in the room would be well-served by additional overhead or wall-mounted lighting – for example, a reading area in your living room or a kitchen island. For such areas, you might want to install perfectly placed pendant lights or even beautiful wall sconces that themselves become a design feature. You can even install under-cabinet lighting for greater focused light, such as under kitchen cabinets. When you have recessed lighting taking care of your ambient light, the possibilities are endless.
Accent lighting
The understated and inconspicuous nature of recessed lights also makes it easy to create a third layer of lighting used as accents. Choose key features of the room that you want to highlight, such as particular architectural details or even works of art, and select accent lighting that will call attention to them. Accent lights should be controlled by their own switch, separate from the switch that controls ambient light.
Entryways
Recessed lighting is ideal for an entryway, especially one with a lower ceiling. But it can also be used to provide most of the overall light needed in conjunction with a dramatic chandelier that makes an eye-catching statement.
Living rooms
In living rooms, you want to ensure that the brightness and mood are set with ambient light, and recessed lighting is up for the job. The light they spread throughout the space frees you to use other fixtures for task and accent lighting, ranging from overhead lights hung from the ceiling to wall-mounted options, as well as lovely table lamps and dramatic floor lamps.
Kitchens
Recessed lighting is a popular choice for kitchens because they add visibility and warmth while seemingly disappearing into the space, often not only in the ceiling but also recessed into soffits. Slim-profile pendants may hang above an island to provide focused task lighting, while a kitchen with an open dining area can successfully unite recessed lights with a dining chandelier.
Home Offices
Work spaces in your home are another fantastic place for recessed lights, because they ensure that the entire room is filled with enough light for you to see and to keep you from nodding off at your desk! Combining them with one or more desk lamps that suit your style – from minimalist and modern to art deco or bohemian – will help create a productive and attractive space.
Bedrooms
In bedrooms, as with other rooms, recessed lighting provides general light to set the mood and fill the space when appropriate, while also working hand in hand with task and accent lights. Using it along with wall sconces can let you have the focused light you need for reading or getting ready for your morning. And bedside table lamps can shine brightly, helping create the right atmosphere, with or without the overhead recessed lighting being turned on. Interested in learning more about how to light your bedroom? Read How to Create the Perfect Bedroom Atmosphere with Mood Lighting.
Bathrooms
Bathrooms are a space where you need a lot of control over lighting, whether you want a relaxing ambiance when settling into a warm bath, or brighter light when shaving or fixing makeup in the mirror. Not only do recessed lights set the overall tone for the bathroom, they can even be installed as task lights above the mirror or used in shower niches for overhead illumination.
Outdoors
Recessed lights can also be used outdoors, so long as the fixtures are rated for outdoor use. They are well suited for lighting patios or porches, and can be installed underneath overhangs for safety, security, and to provide continuity in lighting the exterior of your home.
Choosing a trim
Recessed lights come with different types of trim; which one to choose depends largely on your design preferences. Baffle trim is a timeless style that features narrow grooves along the edges, blocking out extraneous light while focusing brightness downward. Reflector trim increases brightness by concentrating light into a beam, making it well-suited to task areas that require focused brightness. Adjustable trim features movable components to customize the light’s beam, for directional lighting. And decorative trim comes in many different textures, patterns, and finishes, itself becoming a design feature in the room.
Recessed lighting: then vs now (with pictures)
If you have purchased a home that was built years ago, it might have recessed lighting that looks dated or even discolored. Sometimes these include thick trims made of metal or plastic, which are noticeable at a glance and so detract from the modern, minimalist function you want them to serve.
Retrofitting these fixtures is often a good idea, not only for aesthetic reasons but also because many of these older recessed lights are not energy efficient and provide inferior light quality compared to today’s models. This often means swapping out a fixture that takes an incandescent bulb or floodlight for an LED light, which consumes 90% less energy and does not have to be replaced for years, so you don’t have to reach for the stepladder nearly as often.
And remember, with today’s recessed lighting options you can choose a light that comes on a fixed or remote dimmer switch and, in the case of directional recessed lighting, can be adjusted to aim at whatever features of a room you want to feature.
Changing out these fixtures is often a DIY project and can be incredibly simple, as demonstrated in this helpful video from PrettyHandyGirl.com.
FAQs
What are the different types of recessed lights?
Failing to incorporate dimming controls limits the flexibility of a room’s environment. Especially in multifunctional rooms, consider dimmers to allow for easy adjustments suit different activities and moods.
How do I determine the best placement for recessed lights?
When installing recessed lighting, it’s good to remember that multiple lights will often be needed for optimal brightness. Think of your ceiling as a grid of light sources that will shine downward and diffuse light throughout a room, and be sure to space them evenly to provide the right coverage. Unless you are cutting holes in the ceiling to install them yourself, work with your lighting professional to ensure that you have enough lights in the right placement for your purposes.
Can recessed lighting be installed in any ceiling?
In new construction, recessed lighting is typically installed between ceiling joists, but you can retrofit to install recessed lighting in almost any room and any ceiling, so long as you have the proper wiring available above the ceiling.
How can recessed lighting impact the mood of a room?
Recessed lighting comes in a range of color temperatures, which largely depends on the bulbs that you select – and on what mood you want to set for the space. Warm light emits a low-intensity yellow light that is around 2,000-3,000 Kelvins, creating a warm and relaxing ambiance. Bright light ranges from 4,000-5,000 Kelvins and mimics natural sunlight, making it a great choice for task-oriented areas. And daylight bulbs brighten your room during the day and night, with a rating of 5,000-6,000 Kelvins.