Don't put CFs in recessed cans. They get too hot and the bulbs burn out quickly. I spent a fortune in bulbs before I ran into an engineer that designs lighting fixtures that clued me in that it wasn't bad or cheap bulbs that were the problem. I was not impressed with the quality of light from the retrofit LED bulbs I saw, but you local lighting store probably has a display you can look at. You might want to look at frosted halogens for the vaulted ceilings. The light is indirect, unlike regular halogens, and very, very warm (2850K). Too warm for my taste, but I prefer cooler lights in general. They provided a lot of light without the glittery halogen look and it was very comparable to a warm incandescent light. I think they would be too hot for a 7' ceiling, though. I'm wrangling with light, too, right now, so I am interested to see what other suggestions people throw out to your question. It seems like there are a whole lot of not-great choices out there right now when you take incandescent out of the picture. I am hoping the light bulb pain the EU is going through now will help get some better options on the table for the US when our turn comes up in 2012.

I'm more concerned that anything that isn't matte will show the unevenness in the wall that you talk about and make it stand out. I've had this argument with DH and the architect over the years and I've folded and gone with matte for the very reasons they state....no lap marks, reduces the impact of imperfections in the walls.... The only way I know to avoid lap marks is to paint it once and paint it well...it's when you go back over stuff to catch those areas where it's thin or didn't cover completely that you really see the sheen build up and it shows. I don't see a pic of the room.

What else would you paint it with? I suppose you could spray it but what a mess. I always roll the direction the sun shines. Then if you do get a lap mark it will be parallel to the sunlight and less noticeable. Not sure what Christopher will recommend but I wouldn't do quadrants. If you need to section it, section the whole length to minimize those perpendicular lap lines where the light could catch them. Hopefully you don't need to do two coats lol. I used to have to do that when ppl smoked in the house. Hard to keep track. I've used painters tape on the wall and just moved it as I've done another stripe. Good luck!

I was asked to remodel a 60's prefab post & beam Yankee Barn with a 10 in 12 roof and an interior ridge height of 22 ft. on the ocean on Cape Cod. The biggest problem was heating, cooling and lighting made more difficult by the stress-skin wall and roof panels between the timbers. After a year of hand wringing, the owners opted for building an addition for winter use so I suggested adding a second floor that would provide a magnicicent view of the ocean and comfortable spaces on both levels. They insisted the view would be blocked by the trees but trees on the Cape aren't really like that. 8-6 ceiling