Ah, the recessed mild debate – the supply of many impassioned inner arguments that I’ve had in EVERY SINGLE ROOM I’ve ever designed. Designers don’t like generic builder grade something, so there’s a stage of snobbery about these fundamental fixtures, inherent in speaking about them. However usually with out them, particularly in sure rooms throughout sure instances of the 12 months there may be frustration while you merely can’t see something. So after our first darkish PNW winter the place there is no such thing as a pure mild between 4 pm and eight am, the place we eat breakfast earlier than the solar comes up and begin dinner after sunset, I really feel like I’ve some perspective to share. So right here is the place I really used my recessed lights (and the place I remorse placing them as a result of I didn’t use them in any respect this 12 months). 

However first…the aim of recessed mild: 

Not each kind of lighting has the identical goal – it’s not all the time simply to “brighten” or to “see higher”. No. The aim of a recessed mild, the explanation you’d put them in your room is one in all this stuff (or each):

1. To make a room vivid sufficient to execute a particular process – i.e. cooking, cleansing, crafting, placing on make-up, and getting dressed.
2. To maintain the lighting minimal – doubtless in a extra up to date house the place you need your eye to go to different extra architecturally attention-grabbing issues, not a ceiling fixture (this time).  

And earlier than I get too far into it, you must know that after I discuss recessed lighting I’m referring to the extra glossy/trendy 3″ or 4” spherical with the squared-off casing in white or black (if wooden or darkish ceiling). It’s what we now have all through our first ground and I believe they’re pretty to take a look at in each manner. 

So let’s go room by room with my present opinions primarily based solely on my 43 years of my very own private expertise. Everyone seems to be totally different – however right here is my perspective.

The Kitchen

Yay or Nay? Private choice! (However, I’m at present a sure) 

That is unpopular with designers however y’all I take advantage of my recess lights in our kitchen rather a lot – each for cooking and cleansing. I lean extra sensible this fashion, most likely as a result of I prepare dinner rather a lot. Or perhaps I’m simply used to it, however within the final 4 kitchens I’ve both had observe or recessed lighting along with fairly fixtures. I used observe lights each instances after we had uncovered wooden ceilings the place the observe could possibly be put in and hidden alongside a classic beam, and recessed lights for a extra typical drywall ceiling. 

Final winter on the farm, I nonetheless used the sconces and pendants for morning mild within the kitchen as a result of it was too early for that stage of overhead. But when I’m following a recipe in a cookbook for dinner, I actually need to have the ability to see properly. I discover that whereas the sconces and pendants present plenty of pretty mild, it’s not process lighting and it’s not direct (they’re extra ambient) and simply not sufficient. I’d additionally wish to level out the apparent that kitchens must be cleaned nightly after dinner, whereas bogs could be cleaned throughout the day on the weekend, thus you want higher lighting to wash at night time. So, I’m a sure to recessed lighting within the kitchen simply to mild up your cooking areas. 

The Mudroom

Yay or Nay? Relies upon! (We didn’t this time).

Now, that is thought-about a really utilitarian room which often folks advocate plenty of overhead process lighting (and I do, too). We’ve excessive ceilings in right here so we put in these 4 pendants which offer greater than sufficient and I’ve by no means wished for extra lighting in right here. So we skipped them, however should you don’t have plenty of overhead mild choices (like pendants or a number of semi-flush lights) then go for the recessed. I don’t love the look of 4-6 semi-flush lights (a development we’ve been seeing rather a lot recently) however I do like spotlights and love a number of pendants as we did. 

The Residing Room

Yay or Nay? SKIP, until it’s additionally the children’ playroom

That is our fourth lounge documented right here on the weblog and by no means have we had recessed lights in any of them nor wished we had. So I really feel assured in saying that typically, I don’t assume you want them should you can put in ample overhead fixtures and sconces (and desk/ground lamps). Since we now have an uncovered ceiling within the farm lounge we couldn’t actually put in recessed lighting in right here, so it wasn’t actually a debate. The aim of this room is often to hold/converse and that is all the time higher with recessed lights off, and ambient lights on. Nonetheless, in case your fundamental lounge can be the place you collect round your espresso desk to play video games and do crafts then you definately’ll most likely need them. We used them on a regular basis within the mountain home household room – the lamp mild wouldn’t do within the winter (and that room didn’t have a ton of afternoon pure mild). 

Bedrooms

Yay or nay? Relies upon! (we combined it up and my opinions are primarily based on a couple of elements)

First off, this actually depends upon the period of the home. For classic homes attempt to keep away from recessed lighting and do ample overhead semi-flush, flush, and/or sconces. 

It’s my present opinion that you simply want both a multi-bulb semi-flush or chandelier you probably have the peak OR recessed lights however not each. When you have a extra up to date home, I believe throw them in – they received’t look bizarre because it’s extra interval applicable. 

We had them within the mountain home (Nineteen Seventies) bedrooms (not the grasp) and so long as they’re dimmable they go unnoticed when not in use. We purposely wished to maintain the room clear and minimal and favored the look of no lighting fixtures. 

Our farmhouse bed room ceiling was very asymmetrical so we didn’t put in an overhead mild (I would nonetheless swag an enormous Japanese lantern for ornamental causes as a result of we now have the peak). Some other kind of sunshine fixture must come from a extremely awkward place in the course of a beam in an effort to be centered which I don’t love, so we simply nixed it and put in recessed lights as a substitute. That’s all to say that I’ve a present idea: In case you dress in your bed room you want respectable overhead mild – both a multi-bulb fixture or recessed lights. However should you don’t must dress/look within the mirror in your bed room or you probably have a separate dressing closet then you definately don’t want a ton of vivid lighting within the bed room. We hardly ever activate our overhead lights within the bed room so I might have nixed them (however I don’t remorse having them an excessive amount of).

In our LA home bed room and our youngsters’ rooms (a classic 100-year-old model house) we didn’t put them in and I’m glad we didn’t – HOWEVER, for all three of the farmhouse bedrooms we would have liked extra overhead mild throughout the winter. I really am at present switching out our youngsters’ semi-flush lights as a result of the one 40-watt bulb is simply not sufficient (and we might improve the wattage, however the fixtures are clear glass so seeing that white LED bulb doesn’t sound superior). We’re as a substitute placing in multi-light semi-flushes that look cool. However I’m glad we didn’t put in recessed because the classic home windows and doorways simply look higher with out the up to date recessed lights in there. 

The place I didn’t put them in however want I had….

We didn’t put any overhead mild within the mountain home major bed room as a result of I didn’t need to disrupt the beautiful wooden ceilings. We tried to handle overhead lighting by placing LED strip lights on TOP of the collar ties (the horizontal beams) which sadly flicker in a really annoying manner (as a result of some LED + dimmers usually don’t work properly but). Now, not having any overhead mild was tremendous within the bed room more often than not besides after I wished to attempt on outfits within the winter at night time (which was uncommon as that wasn’t our way of life to exit). We even have black observe lighting initially meant for the closet sitting within the storage, however by no means put in (a really me factor to do/not do). Now what I ought to have accomplished is put 4-6 small black recessed lights within the bed room (I actually just like the look of black recessed lights).

Loos

Yay or nay? Private choice (skip should you can however closely depends upon sconces)

We didn’t put them within the child’s rest room and haven’t missed them for a second. We did put them in our rest room and have solely turned them on a few instances. However we now have them in all of the mountain home bogs and used them rather a lot! The distinction is that on the mountain home, all of our sconces had been extra ornamental and gave off pretty low or directional (downward) lighting and we skipped all ceiling fixtures on goal, to not carry your eye there. The period of the home was extra post-modern and that labored so properly stylistically. Whereas on the farmhouse, a extra classic model house, we selected sconces with actually nice mild (clear or opal glass) with comparable ceiling fixtures and so no, we did NOT want any of the recessed lights we put in (besides within the bathe). 

I want I hadn’t put the recessed lights within the self-importance space of our rest room – it disrupts the beautiful tile in a foul manner. Had I identified that the sconces would supply such good even makeup-applying vivid mild, I’d by no means have put in these overhead fixtures. My dangerous. 

Water Closet/Powder Room

Yay or nay? Private choice

You positively don’t NEED recessed lighting in your powder room or water closet, so this can be a private choice. We didn’t put one in our powder room (just a bit cute semi-flush and a sconce) and it’s GREAT. We did, nevertheless, put one in our water closet in our rest room and I hardly ever use it, choosing the dimmable sconce over the bathroom as a substitute. So no, I don’t assume you want it however doesn’t harm and isn’t offensive (however you probably have a vintage-style house perhaps skip). 

Bathe

Yay or nay? YES

Hear, even should you don’t flip the recessed mild on within the bathe you need one for cleansing in any other case it’s actually arduous to see within the corners. 

Stroll-In Closet

Yay or nay? ALWAYS

Certain, you’ll be able to go heavy on the sconces in right here or put in a semi/flush, however actually you simply want good recessed overhead lighting (and I desire this over the one fixture). I put away garments so usually at night time, so it’s not only for preparing. 

Pantry

Yay or nay? ALWAYS

You want to have the ability to inform the distinction between cut up peas and inexperienced lentils, quinoa, and brown rice. We put a extremely cute mild fixture in our pantry, however for positive knew that we’d extra usually use the black recessed lights. I’m positive a multi-bulb or actually vivid semi-flush or flush might work, however I simply assume that recessed works higher in right here. 

So like all the things there are some issues which can be advisable and are usually referred to as a “rule” however a lot of it’s a private choice, so I’d love to ask any/all of you to depart any anecdotal expertise within the feedback.

Opening Picture Credit: Photograph by Sara Ligorria-Tramp | From: Mountain Home Reveal: Our Calm Scandinavian Grasp Bed room

The put up The place Do You Actually Want Canned Or Recessed Lighting? What Lights We Used, Didn’t Use, Or Want We Had This Winter appeared first on Emily Henderson.