Decorating with Recessed Can Lights

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Recessed can lighting seemed to hit its apex of popularity in the 1980s and 1990s, but is still used today and a great choice if your ceiling and your rooms are right for it. These lights keep a room looking very streamlined and neat because the lights are hidden in the ceiling and just shine down. They’re perfect for very modern and Spartan rooms with clean lines and few details. In some rooms that have a lot of detail and certain elements like Victorian or country, however, recessed can lights can look very dated and as if they’re there by accident.

The Best Places for Recessed Can Lights

Anywhere you want to highlight a single element or have a fairly focused circle of light is a potential place for a can light. But bear in mind that if you install a new light, you have to cut a hole in the ceiling that would have to be covered later if you decide to change the lighting in the room. A spotlight that requires far less damage to the ceiling might be the best option to highlight a single element, especially if it’s an element that can be moved, like a large houseplant or sculpture.

Will Recessed Can Lights Work in Your Room?

The ceiling above elements that are stationary, like your kitchen sink, is a better candidate for a recessed can light. But you’ll still have to make sure that it’s even possible to install one in that spot. If you have a pitched roof and you’ll be installing the light near a wall, there might not be much room between the actual roof and the ceiling. Since the can light is recessed, you will need to have enough room between the two to fit it easily. It’s easiest to install recessed lighting when you’re building a house than to go back and add the lights in a home that’s already standing. Someone experienced with the installation, though, should be able to easily determine where the lights can go, and get them hooked up for you.

Avoid Monotony with Your Recessed Can Lights

Countless 1980s homes have recessed can lights neatly in a row along the wall, often with another row across the room running directly parallel. Yes, it can really be as boring as it sounds. In some very structured and parallel rooms it might look all right. But for most rooms, it’s just too commercial looking. And lighting coming directly out of the ceiling might not even flatter a room’s architectural details.

Rooms with a lot of detail at the ceiling level, like those with fancy paint work or texture on the ceiling, interesting wallpaper borders at the ceiling or very detailed molding or trim between the ceiling and walls won’t really benefit from this type of light. Choose recessed can lights for very modern lines, and keep the lights farther apart rather than closer together to avoid that supermarket look.