How do you plan the layout of the recessed lighting that you want your home to have? This is a type of fixture that has an aesthetic appeal compared to other types of light. It is installed into a ceiling’s hollow area so it is not protruding. It makes the ceiling look clean and modern without compromising the brightness that it can bring to your home.

As mentioned, recessed lighting is chosen for their aesthetic appeal. That means you need to be careful about how you will lay it out in your home.

Tips when planning the layout of recessed lighting

Here are important tips that you can use when planning the layout of this lighting in your house.

Define the purpose of the lights

Ask yourself about the purpose of the recessed lighting. Obviously, it is to give light. However, some areas in your home only require ambient lighting while others will require more brightness. You need to define this because you want the lights to satisfy its intended function. The purpose will indicate the spacing of the lights. If you only want it as ambient lighting, that means it needs to illuminate the room without making it too bright. If you want it to be more of an accent, it should be placed near the specific item or area of the room that needs to be highlighted. In case you need it for task lighting, you want it to be really bright in the area where you usually work (e.g. near the stove in the kitchen or over the counter.

Make a sketch of the room

Now that you know the goal of the recessed lighting, it is time to sketch the room that you want to put it in. A rough layout of the room will do. This will give you an idea where to place every light fixture. It will serve as a guide during the installation process. To make the guide more accurate, use a graphing paper so you can easily gauge the measurements. Before plotting the lights, make several copies of the room layout with the measurements. This way, you can make several lighting layout variations with ease.

Find out how many lights you need

This will be influenced by the size of the room and the purpose of the recessed lighting. If you need it for ambient purposes only, you can place the lights further apart. But if it needs to make the room brighter, you need it closer together.

Apart from the space, you should also consider the height of the ceiling from the floor. If it is very high, you might want to get recessed lighting that has a brighter glow. When it comes to the space between the lights, it is usually half of the height from ceiling to floor. So if your ceiling is 10 feet high, the lights should be 5 feet apart. If you want the room brighter, you need to make the lighter closer together.

Once you know the space between the lights based on the ceiling height, you just have to get the length and width of the room so you can calculate how many you need based on the space. Take note that the distance of the lights from the wall is half of their distance between each other. If the lights are 5 feet apart, it should be 2.5 feet away from the wall.

Other tips when installing recessed lighting

Here are other tips that will help you effectively layout the recessed lighting in your home.

• Think about installing dimmers. This will help you moderate the brightness of the lights as needed. This can help make it energy-efficient – lowering your electric bill. It will also allow you to match your mood.
• Consider the shadows in the corners. While some of us might not have any use for the corners in the room, it does not mean we should ignore it. Make sure it is still properly lighted. Shadows in the corner will give off an ominous feel in any room. Not only that, it will make your ceiling too lower and the room smaller.
• Match it with the style of the room. When you are planning the layout for the recessed lighting, take the decor into consideration. Use the lights to highlight the important parts and decors of the room. This will add to the aesthetic appeal of the room.