How To Create A Recessed Lighting Plan

Want to make your friends ooh and ahh over your beautiful living room? Don’t forget the recessed lighting. A good plan for recessed lighting is they key to creating a room that perfectly lights the room and adds some drama and romance. Take a look at a quick recessed lighting plan I designed.

The grey dots represents the recessed lights, or “downlighting” as we sometimes call then in the interior design trade. The first thing that might strike you is that they’re not placed in a grid pattern. You don’t need one because you want to highlight different areas of the room.

First, you must have proper ambient light. That means enough light so you can see. I’ve accomplished that pretty much with the lamps (in blue). Recessed lighting, set to their own switch, can add more if you need it.

Now for the most important part of your overall design of the room – the placement of your recessed lighting. You want to create drama! You may want brighter light on a rainy day. But you definitely want a romantic feel for parties and… well, use your imagination. Do this by putting you recessed lights on dimmers. This is essential! It might be the art, or it might be the seating.

Next, spot different areas you want to highlight. These can be things like artwork and separate seating areas, as I’ve done here. Set your switches so you can control what you want to highlight. Let’s take a look a few essentials.

On the left, I’ve installed three adjustable recessed lights to frame a large piece of art (in green). Lighting art obviously, brings more attention to it. The same goes for another adjustable recessed light over the mantle. By adjustable, I mean you can aim the lens at whatever you want. They’re not facing straight down.

Now, think of walking into a gently lit room for a party. The recessed lighting is focused on the seating and, therefore, highlights the people. There, again, is focus. That’s really important to creating a romantic and dramatic feeling. (Please note that the placement of my recessed lights aren’t perfect. Have your interior designer or a lighting expert plan the placement)

Here are a few tips  to think about

Don’t place the recessed lighting directly over your guests’ heads or they’ll look like Frankenstein. Use a professional to help with the placement.

Step away from the grid! I promise you, no one will notice the recessed lights. They’ll be looking at that hot guy sitting on the love seat.

Use small, 4-inch recessed lights. The giant 6-inch “cans” are so last century.

Note that there a variety of adjustable recessed lights. You want the ones that don’t fall below the ceiling height. Halo makes a good product.

Don’t buy your recessed lights from the big box stores. They’re not the quality you want and a few dollars more will be money well spent. Go to a local electrical supply house. Or have your electrician buy them for you.

Have any questions, comments, photos you’d like to share? Ask away, comment away, and email your photos to me at designholeonline [at] gmail..com. Caio for now!

How To Add Accessories To Your Home Without Spending A Bundle

Have you ever noticed a woman wearing a beautiful dress only to notice that her shoes are the wrong color, a belt would have added a lot of zip, and that she forgot the jewelry? I think in the same way when I walk into a home. The furniture is beautiful, but where is the jewelry?  You might think that art and accessories are the least important part of decorating a home. “Those things are so small. Who’s gonna notice?” And hey, after spending all that money on the furniture it may seem that spending even more on accessories really isn’t that necessary. Or, it will get done later. Much later.

I want you to love where you live. All of it! So make sure you’ve got the tchotchkes. They’re just as important as the right pair of shoes. Read More…

Photographic Interior Design Inspiration: Often Better Than “Art”

I have never really considered myself a serious collector of anything. However, I suppose over time I have become an accidental one. More and more I find myself drawn to photography. It’s the section I stop at first during the College for Creative Studies’ Spring Show. (You have to get there early to nab the good stuff.) My sister-in-law just returned from a photographic vacation in Read More…

Before & After: Nikki’s Blank Wall Gets A Fabulous Makeover

A while back, Nikki wrote me asking for help decorating a blank wall in her new home. Back then, she was thinking about arranging her collection of cameras on the wall. You can read the post by following this link. Well, she sent me photos of the wall all spruced up. Read More…

How To Dye Slipcovers & Fabrics The Right Way: Simple Yet Careful Steps Produce A Perfect Job

A while back, I wrote a post showing off the dying expertise of textile artist, Candy Glendening.  She turned her Ektorp (IKEA) chaise from blah to beautiful by dyeing the slipcover a beautiful green with a water-colored look. I received a request from a reader asking what color she used. Turns out, it was her own special mix. I asked Candy give us her secret ingredients and instructions so we can reproduce the lovely effect. First, a note about Candy. She dyes her own fabrics (I’m truly amazed at what she can do), and uses them to create beautiful quilts, scarves, and bags – just to name a few. You can check out her shop here.      Take it away Candy! Read More…