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I noticed the rims of the can lights (6 of them- 3 on each side of the room) in our cathedral ceiling are starting to discolor- they are probably 12-15 years old now. I'm not crazy about them-but what can we replace them with? wouldn't mini pendant lights look silly way up there- it's probably at least 18-22 feet high. We do have a fan with a light fixture on it over the table (the room is our dining room) Can anyone offer some suggestions? Thanks
There are some nice light fixtures which throw light both up and down, both chandelier types and ceiling fan lights. I think bouncing light off the ceiling just gives the room a nicer ambiance than bare bulbs shining straight down. Getting a big-wattage fixture and putting a dimmer switch on the wall will give you maximum flexibility.
You can supplement an overhead fixture with table lamps, or other "mood" type lights if you have some additional pieces of furniture to put them on. I've also seen uplights placed on the floor in corners or behind plants.
We built our cathedral-ceilinged family room with NO can lights and, with a good lighting design, don't miss them.
Ceiling fans with light fixtures are sooo dated. I agree with Gary about table lights and dimmers. Canned lights on dimmers work beautifully and along with table/floor lamps will really will give you the lighting that you need in a room with cathedral ceilings. For years I fought the idea of recessed lighting but now that I have a home with recessed lighting, I love it especially in the larger rooms.
Are the recessed fixtures the angled type? In other words, do they direct light straight down?
I have seen some jackass installations were they use standard cans in sloped ceilings and the light gets thrown into the room at the angle of the ceiling!
The simple answer is to get new baffles (trims)- the down side is there's not a lot of choice with the angled trim- other than color. Where regular fixture trims (for a flat ceiling) run the gambit from standard baffle to wall-wash, pin-spot, diffused, etc.
Another thing that can make a difference- bulbs. Avoid standard flood bulbs- instead use halogen flood. Or if the fixture is directly above an area of importance, use a halogen spot.
Always, a dimmer is good for an added dimension. Just remember to match wattage of a dimmer with the total wattage of the bulbs.
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