Recessed Lighting

Recessed Lighting Defined

Recessed lighting is not a blatant form of lighting. This lighting, by design, subtly enhances a room without blocking the room for other decorations. You won't find a recessed light hanging down from the ceiling or poking out from the wall, but instead the lighting will peek out from within the ceiling and walls with a pleasant glow. This allows more area for framed art, plaques, sconces, or just empty space, depending on the tastes of the resident. Recessed lighting is quite popular with new home construction now, and is considered more safe when it comes to fire hazards.

Various Forms

You can find several different forms of recessed lighting. Many decorators choose to place several recessed lights within one area instead of one large light because the result is a much more understated glow, yet substantial enough for the lighting needs of the room. Popular options for this type ofn lighting include:

• Apertures of various sizes:
  • three-inch
  • four-inch
  • five-inch
  • six-inch
• Energy efficient fixtures
• Multiple placements within one room

Many different wattages can be used with recessed lighting depending on the needs of the room and the preferences of the person living in the house.

Shop Around

Recessed lighting can be found in virtually any home improvement store.

• The Home Depot carries many different types of lighting, including the recessed variety. Products vary from inexpensive to quite costly. The Home Depot will assist with installation.
• Similarly, Lowe's offers many different recessed lights and will assist with the installation. Lowe's also occasionally hosts workshops to demonstrate the proper installation procedures for do-it-yourselfers.
• Lightology features a huge variety of lighting fixtures including, but certainly not limited to, recessed fixtures. Their available products reach far beyond the offerings of The Home Depot or Lowe's, and they also have products available for commercial use.

A quick Internet search will yield plenty of options for recessed lighting, including many different retailers from which to buy.

Installing Recessed Lights

It is not absolutely necessary to hire a professional to install this type of lighting, although many people are quite apprehensive about doing it by themselves. If attending a home improvement store's do-it-yourself clinic is not really your style, then check the Internet for one of the many step-by-step tutorials available. There are also countless books available that explain the process in detail. Of course, not everyone considers the idea of rolling up their sleeves and installing lights as a fun way to spend the afternoon, and for people like this there is absolutely nothing wrong with paying someone else to do it. The end result is the same regardless of who installs the lights: beautiful lighting.

Personal Preferences

Many homeowners love the look of recessed lighting within their home because of the unobtrusive way it supplies lighting to a room. The proper placement can certainly result in a room appearing more open and clean. Other homeowners, however, do not care for recessed lighting because of the light's subtlety. It takes a particular amount and type of recessed lights in order to properly illuminate an entire room, and the same amount of lighting can sometimes be supplied by other types of lighting more simply and without as many fixtures.

Homeowners who love the look of recessed light fixtures should have no trouble finding the right number of fixtures to properly bathe a room in light. Homeowners who detest the look of recessed lights would do better with other forms of lighting, such as traditional lamps and chandeliers.