Lighting Q&A: Recessed Lighting

Dear Lighting Concepts,

We've heard a lot lately about recessed lighting. Do you have any tips or tricks you can share with us? We want to know what we're getting into before we get started!

Thanks so much,

Lou and Janet, PA

Dear Lou and Janet,

Thanks so much for your question! We sure do have a lot we can tell you about recessed lighting. First of all, know that it's relatively simple to install recessed lighting in a living room— just as long as you can crawl into the attic above the room. See, housing for recessed lights can be installed between rafters and connected to wiring that runs directly to the breaker box. The key comes with figuring out how large to make the lights and how many you will need.

You can usually achieve good ambiance by installing lights placed about every 48 inches around the perimeter of the ceiling. Make sure the lights are at least 18 inches away from the walls. It's a good idea to match the housing of the recessed lights to some other metal coloring in the room. Use gold or bronze rimmed lights if the lamps and furniture in your home call for it. Same goes for silver. Invest in lights that will look fabulous— this is good for you, and also good if you decide to sell your home somewhere down the line.

Thanks for your question!

Lighting Concepts