What is Recessed Lighting and What are its Benefits?
Recessed lighting is a unique way to highlight features of your home. From a bookshelf full of your favorite novels to an antique piece of furniture, these lights can really make them stand out.
The most visible part of a recessed light is the trim, which is available in a broad variety of styles and finishes. Here are six reasons to consider recessed lighting in your next project:
Energy Savings
Recessed lights can offer a subtle glow that softly illuminates a room without creating hot spots or shadows. They also allow you to highlight artwork or other design elements that you want to draw attention to.
Energy efficiency is a major benefit of recessed lighting. Traditional fixtures, such as fluorescent light boxes or outdated sconces, typically waste a lot of energy. However, you can make recessed light fixtures more energy efficient by using LED bulbs, which last up to 30 times longer than traditional incandescent bulbs and use about 80% less energy.
Another way to save on energy costs is by installing a dimmer switch for your recessed lights. This allows you to use a lower level of illumination when your space is unoccupied, which will result in significant energy savings.
Even Illumination
When you use recessed lighting, you can eliminate dark corners and unevenly lit areas that occur with traditional fixtures that hang from the ceiling. This creates a more uniform, well-lit space that is perfect for home theater rooms, kitchens and other areas where the lighting needs to be focused on a specific design element.
In addition, recessed lighting gives off a subtle glow that can help to make smaller spaces look larger than they are. This is especially helpful for people who live in cramped apartments or condominiums that can’t expand their living spaces but want to add an air of spaciousness.
Recessed lights can also be paired with dimmer switches, giving you the flexibility to set the mood for any occasion. From intimate dinners to romantic movie nights, recessed lighting will allow you to create the ideal ambiance with just the flick of a switch.
Another advantage of recessed lighting is that it reduces the number of light fixtures that are needed in any room. This can create a cleaner, more minimalist aesthetic, and it can also help to keep your electrical bills down.
Aesthetics
Unlike chandeliers and other hanging fixtures that can detract from furniture and decorative accents, recessed lighting is great for highlighting these elements. It also does a better job “pushing” usable light to countertops, tables and reading chairs than ambient lighting like pendants and lamps can.
A clean aesthetic is another important benefit of recessed lighting. Whereas hanging fixtures can disturb contours of walls and ceilings, recessed lights fit into the ceiling for a smoother, unbroken look. This is particularly helpful in rooms with low ceilings where a bulky fixture would be too much.
Many recessed lights have trims in a variety of colors and materials to complement your space. They can also come in various shapes and sizes, with a single bulb or multiple. The trim is what you see when you glance at a fixture, and it can make a big difference in how the fixture looks.
Choosing the right trim is an important part of any recessed lighting project. There are many different options available, in a variety of sizes, styles and colors, to suit any décor. The housing is another important consideration, as it determines the type of fixture you need to install. For example, you’ll need IC-rated housing or “insulation contact” housing if your ceiling has insulation.
In addition, recessed lighting can add a sleek look to your ceiling. Since they are not as noticeable as other types of ceiling fixtures, recessed lighting is a great option if you want to streamline your home’s appearance and avoid tripping over bulky light fixtures.
And they’re great for highlighting unique architectural features such as a tall chimney, angled eaves or three-story stairwell that might be difficult to illuminate with other types of lighting. A judicious mix of recessed and other types of fixtures can create dramatic interior architectural lighting designs that make any room feel bigger and more interesting.
Ease of Installation
In addition to saving energy, recessed lighting is easy to install. If you are working with an existing home, simply open the switch box and fish in your new wiring through the ceiling (or access it from above in the attic) to the recessed light’s junction box. If you are installing into an unfinished ceiling, use a remodeling box with built-in cable clamps and drill holes into the joists according to your plan.
Once your wiring is in place, trim comes in multiple colors, styles and materials to match or contrast with the ceiling surface. Choosing the correct size of aperture, or opening, is also important and will determine how much light your fixture produces.
Recessed lights can be used as a primary light source in most rooms, or as accent lighting for wall art, display areas or a fireplace mantel. Because they don’t hang down, they don’t take up any floor space which can be useful in small rooms or homes with low ceilings. Plus, they are less likely to be bumped into than traditional light fixtures hanging from a chain or cord.
The understated, sleek appearance of recessed lighting makes it ideal for contemporary or minimalist homes. However, this type of lighting is not appropriate for every room and it can be difficult to create the perfect look with DIY installation. For this reason, many homeowners prefer to have a professional contractor complete the work.
