dallasbill The original concept for recessed lighting was to get rid of surface mounted fixtures for a minimalist look. Two types of trims were most common for round recessed fixtures. One type was just an open ring and a reflector lamp was installed with its surface flush with the ceiling and trim. This gave a wide distribution of light with lots of glare because the lamp itself was highly visible. The other type of trim, a baffle, was intended to recess the lamp up deeper into the housing and the baffle trim concealed the now exposed interior of the housing. Tucking the lamp up higher cuts off view of the lamp and greatly reduces glare when observing from across the room. These first baffles were a non glossy black to cut down on reflected light since that was the goal of the design. At some point years later someone decided they didn't like black holes in the ceiling when the lights were off and white baffles were created. To light a room with less glare, recessed fixtures are placed at specific distances apart so the cones of light from the reflector type lamps overlap a bit for general lighting. For task and accent lighting the beams of light from individual fixtures may not need to overlap. The formula on how to lay this out is based on the light distribution of the trim and lamp used. Lamps are available with various beam spreads and wattages. Light reflected off of a trim when using a recessed reflector type lamp, creating glare, is not desirable nor useful when the lighting is properly installed. Lack of glare in a well lit room gives an inviting and comfortable feeling to the space. The walls and furnishings reflecting light to your eye no longer have to compete with the much brighter source of light. If a lighting designer wants to call attention to a piece of art, for instance, they may put three times more lumens on it than other nearby objects and your eye will go to it. We don't want anyone to look at recessed ceiling fixtures but you can't ignore glare. People don't tend to understand why some places look so much more inviting than others and lighting plays a big part. People tend to choose well lit rooms with mid range furnishings over poorly lit spaces with higher end furnishings yet not be able to explain why.

First you have to know what the inulation is over your ceiling. You will be limited to the wattage for insulated ceilings unless you are using batts and not blown insulation. My most favorite light solution in a kitchen is the deep alzack refelctors (deep)They use regular A lamps and if you purchase good quality ones, they spread the light out wonderfully and have a great cut off anlgle which controls glare. IF you buy cheap specular trims and the bulbs sit low in the trim, it is very bad. Juno and Lightolier both make deep alzack trim. Not sure about Halo, haven't sold them in a while. The very best ones in my opinion were made by prescolite but they can be hard to find. On an 8ft ceiling you will not need more than 75 Watts. Another tip has to do with the bulbs. While I am a big proponant of 130 V long life bulbs, they are slightly more red than the 120's. What works the absolute best in a good alzack reflector is a soft white, sometimes called reader white bulb. Use these with a dimmer to extend the life of the bulb and adjust the dimmer whenever you don't need all the light. Recessed lighting can be confusing and with all the bulb changes coming, even more so in the future. The LED bulbs that were suggested are great for energy savings and also they never burn out. I still find them strange however for lighting kitchens and the deep alzack trims are not designed for anything but an A lamp.If you buy a reflector trim and then use either a Par or R lamp, you wasted your money. As to spacing, IF you are lighting any room other than a kitchen then 4 deep alzack reflectors with 75-100 watts iis fine for general lighting. Kitchens are more comlicated since we need both general and task lighitng. I would use 6 if that room is a kitchen making sure that you have all the work areas covered. In a kitchen if you place the recessed cans 18" from the wall, the light will fall on the counter surface and also illuminate the cabinet doors and inside spaces when open. Don't forget to have lighting over any island work space. Use undercabinet lights under your counters. That is a good application for LEDS. The Alzack refelctors will cover about 6 ft of area of that 8 ft ceiling. On higher ceilings the area of light increases, but the footcandle level will be lower on thework surface. Tall ceilings need 100 Watt A lamps but 8 & 9 can usse 75 watt. Whatever you use, be sure that it meets you local electrical code. Don't be bullied into just whatever the contractor likes. Sounds like you found a good showroom where you were getting good information. Perhaps you could purchase the recessed there, where you may be getting professinal advice. Remember most Electricians are not lighting designers!

Hi Fletcher, I obviously don't know the layout of the room, but I like what your architect is suggesting. 16' is high. So also keep in mind the hassle of changing the bulbs. Halogen Par bulbs last about 2500 hours. I have an MR16 for low voltage cans which lasts 20,000 hours. And if you dim it, you'll extend its life. Now, as to the actual layout, that's a different story. I tend to use recessed along the perimeter of the room and then do something decorative- hanging light, ceiling fan, monorail lighting, etc, in the center on a different switch. I just don't like a bunch of holes in a ceiling throughout a room. The Crees don't gimbal yet. Although we have used them successfully on a sloped ceiling. I had a customer claim he tested one at 15' and was thrilled with it. But I didn't see it. I do have LED Par bulbs which can fit in a line voltage can and can be gimbaled. But I think we're about 80% there. So I wouldn't count on it as the major source of light. Finally, you already are able to use MR16 LED bulbs in a low voltage can in the future. I have bulbs now which are as bright as a 20 watt halogen. So they're not bright enough yet for overall use. I'm working with a company which claims they have a low voltage LED retrofit bulb which is as bright as a 50 watt MR 16. I should have that in my hands soon. So actually, that's one of my selling points. If someone wants the small 3.5" or 4" opening, I suggest they get the low voltage halogen can now. By the time they need to change the bulb, there will be an LED available for that can. Hope this helps.

In our home theater room (dark gray/black ceiling) we painted the trim black but didn't like the look and ended up buying new white trims. In my opinion the trim piece looks best if left alone (doesn't need to match)even if your ceiling isn't white. Its a similar anology to when you paint wallswitches instead of leaving them white--yes the blend in better, but it looks homemade IMO.