Lighting – What are your recommendations for bedroom recessed lights in a step ceiling

bedroomceilingplanningrecessed-lighting

While remodeling our bedroom we are considering recessed lighting. The bedroom has a seating area also – the bed area is 14' x 15' and the seating area is 10' x 9' (overall length is 24 ') and the ceiling is a step ceiling (30" from wall and 8" high). Each area has a light switch which controls overhead lighting. Would the recessed lights (assuming 4" lights) spaced every 4 ft and 15" from the wall (1/2 the distance of the step ceiling) be adequate (assuming a 40-50 w bulb?). We also have 3-4 lamps in the room also.

Best Answer

In general I think you are better off having too much light versus too little. If you plan using 50w bulbs, and it turns out to be too much, you can always use lower wattage bulbs or a dimmer.

Be sure to take into account the reflector type of the bulb as this will dictate how much the light spreads.

I disagree with Justin K because if you have too few lights, you start to get shadows and dark spots and assuming you're already at the max wattage, there is nothing you can do to improve the situation other than install more cans.