Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
We had a leak and are using this as the chance to remodel some of the house.
Mission revival style home in a historic area of san diego. Built in the 1930s. I prefer simple, organic, modern look. I like to honor the style of the house but I'm not super into historically accurate fixtures, etc.
I attached a picture of the home - the living room we are redoing is the room you are looking into through the big window on the left. I attached a photo of the room in question (these are the real estate pics from when we bought it so the furniture is gone, sconces are gone, room is empty - can't post a pic bc it's down to the studs now). Room is now tan, i prefer a more modern muted look than what you see here. We will also be removing the walls between the dining room and the living room.
The contractor is asking if I want recessed lights. This photo was illuminated and lightened for the real estate photos - it looks much more light than it is. Also behind the chairs is the walkway from the front door to the rest of the house through the dining room, so I don't like a lamp and chairs there.
I have some large led recessed lights upstairs and I hate them. They are harsh and shadowy and it feels like a prison visiting room when they are on. What causes that? the size? the wattage? the type of light?
Is there any way to have recessed lights that feel somewhat warm and natural - like the type of light you would want in a living room? is there some secret I can't figure out? anyone who has tackled this type of problem, I'd love to hear your advice .
Last edited by citydock; 03-09-2017 at 07:20 PM..
Reason: Wording
I think recessed can lights would look tacky in that house. Why don't you install a nice standard ceiling fixture (I don't know the technical name for it, but it hugs the ceiling, has a glass bowl that hangs below the bulbs and diffuses the light - the glass bowls have varying degrees of ornateness)? That is probably what would have originally been installed in your house had the living room had a ceiling fixture.
I think recessed can lights would look tacky in that house. Why don't you install a nice standard ceiling fixture (I don't know the technical name for it, but it hugs the ceiling, has a glass bowl that hangs below the bulbs and diffuses the light - the glass bowls have varying degrees of ornateness)? That is probably what would have originally been installed in your house had the living room had a ceiling fixture.
The type of luminaire you are referring to is called a "semi-flush" mount.
Yes, the molding below it is gone but the ceiling will be the same (cove).
Well, that's no going to work well with my idea. I see nothing wrong with "regular" recessed fixtures in that ceiling, but I would NOT USE 6". I would use mini's; like 2 or 2-1/4". These fixtures use MR16 bulbs. The number of fixtures will be totally dependent on the size of the room, the height of the ceiling, and the proposed definition of this lighting's task.
I have used this type of fixture for many jobs- both new construction and remodels. I prefer these over the more traditional because they are less intrusive to your overall view of a room. They are so small that they don't stand out as big holes in the ceiling- yet yield a surprising amount of clean white light.
I agree that if you do install recessed lights, make it the small ones. The big 6-inch cans are a dated look.
I LOVE your house! It is adorable! I am thinking that recessed lights are too modern a look for your style home, even though I know you said you don't care about being historically accurate. I usually hate ceiling lights but a Mission-style light would definitely look appropriate. Just don't do a ceiling fan with a light!
Is there any way to have recessed lights that feel somewhat warm and natural - like the type of light you would want in a living room? is there some secret I can't figure out? anyone who has tackled this type of problem, I'd love to hear your advice .
Have you thought about working with a residential interior lighting designer? You have some big projects in the works for your gorgeous home, it sounds like. The space (and lighting needs) will be quite different after you open up the dining room to the living room. You are probably not going to like recessed "can lights" because un-diffused, downward light sources from the ceiling usually cast harsh shadows and create a lighting atmosphere akin to an interrogation room, unless you have enough ceiling height. There are many small recessed lights that have a wide beam spread and can tilt, so you might consider those if you don't like harsh downward lights. Use them along the perimeter of the ceiling to bounce light off the walls to provide ambient lighting.
You can increase the ambient lighting in your home through a combination of different lighting sources, and you probably have more options to consider than just recessed lights. Have you thought more about wall sconces (not my favorite), torchieres (also not my favorite), free standing lamps, table lamps, valance lights (for indirect lighting of your ceiling to bounce lights, probably an option to consider if feasible for you), flushmounts/semi-flushmounts/chandelier in addition to recessed lights?
There are LEDs that are warm. When you look at the product, look at the temperature, the lower the temperature the warmer the light will be (2200K is about what those trendy ... or now passe...Edison lamps look like whereas 5000K is more like bright white). Once you pick a lighting temperature just make sure you stick with the same temperature throughout your house. As far as how bright a light is, just look at the lumens to see how much light it puts out.
With recessed lights in the ceiling, I would say choose bulbs that last a long time. The activation energy required to change those burnt out lights (or to hire some handyman to change them) is a lot higher than changing out a light bulb on your floor lamp, unless you really love changing light bulbs.
Recessed lighting causes shadow by it's very nature, because they aim the light entirely down, not up or around.
As stated above, there are different beam spreads, and you may previously had the wrong beam spread before. Narrow beam spreads will cause the 'interrogation room' effect. Too wide and you'll have overlapping scallops of light that make light levels very uneven.
You will need a lighting designer to determine the proper beam spread, based on the spacing of the lights and the height of the ceiling.
Period-accurate lighting would be wall sconces (which would probably originally have been gas lamps) and floor lamps.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
