Should I put recessed lights in my 1931 Tudor family room?
As you can see from the photos, the family room ceiling of the Tudor that I just purchased is completely damaged by water by the prior owner. My contractor is actually renovating the master bathroom that is above this floor, and the ceiling will be entirely ripped out, thankfully the plaster crown molding will be preserved and saved! He asked me if I would like him to install recessed lighting in the new ceiling. My preference is to keep this home period correct, and I'm wondering if I should just have him install a fitting for a chandelier in the center of the room instead of recessed? The chandelier obviously could not hang very low, but could be a focal point of the room. On the other hand, recessed lighting would really help bring light to the room in the evenings. I've also included a picture of the 1930s sconces I have found to go in place of the 1980s faux stained glass ones that you see on the wall presently. Any advice is greatly appreciated!
Comments (23)
hollybar
6 years agoLaura Blue
6 years agoI meant to add as well that in the adjoining dining room that is through the large archway, on the right there is an original slip shade chandelier that I am keeping in that room, though I'm going to lower it down quite a bit. Here's a picture of that chandelier, would it be overkill to have chandeliers in both rooms?
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Comments (5)yep. You can liven up the area without sacrificing the depth & warmth of that rich knotty pine paneling; replacing the cool-color carpet with warm wood flooring will be more harmonious. Once that's done, live with it a little while, & then you might think about doing something to the fireplace-I usually think red brick is too massive & dense for any building other than a school, & definitely too much for the interior of a home, so I'd probably lighten it up. Then you might think about replacing the cool-color paint on the walls with a warm color that would tie the room together rather than driving it apart. (yes, you are correct: I am incapable of doing just one thing & leaving other things alone!). It's a lovely room, & I hope you have fun with it!...See MoreLaura Blue
6 years agoLaura Blue
6 years agohollybar
6 years ago
PROJAN MOYER
6 years agolast modified: 6 years agoLaura Blue
6 years agoJan, thank you! This is a light I have my eye on for the room, would this qualify as semi flush, or is it too big for the look you are suggesting? It is 24" long and 18" wide
- PRO
JAN MOYER
6 years agolast modified: 6 years ago Laura Blue
6 years agoLaura Blue
6 years agoLyndee Lee
6 years agoThese pictures show the added lights in my house. Picture 1 shows the recessed lights by the fireplace and the flushmount, the middle picture shows the wall sconces added in the dining room and the livingroom light and the other picture shows the opposite end with the recessed lights I added.
We did not have access from above for the center light so we cut a channel in the plaster. The living room ceiling is new drywall as we had water damage on the original ceiling
Laura Blue thanked Lyndee Lee
cpartist
6 years agoMine is a new build but I added 4 4" LED "cans" to my ceiling even though I was going for craftsman inspired.
Laura Blue thanked cpartistLaura Blue
6 years agoThank you both for the sample photos! I suppose one upside of recessed lighting would be it would highlight the beautiful plaster crown molding in the room.
I was at the home today, and the ceilings are 8' 3". The light fixture in my pictures above is 24 in long, I'm hoping it can be flush mounted thereby eliminating the length of the chain. As Jan noted, there should be no head - banging in the room. :)
To Jan and others, if I do find an appropriate light for the ceiling in the family room, would I want to mimic the original ceiling medallion above the dining room light? Below I have attached a photo of the dining room light, I'm thinking a medallion in the family room would be too matchy-matchy or out of place. I have also attached other angles of the family room in question, and as I've noted in a different post, I plan on going very brown with the floors in this room. Thank you everyone!
Laura Blue
6 years agoLaura Blue
6 years agoLaura Blue
6 years agoI wanted to follow up and thank everyone for responding to my original post. After much reflection I decided not to put a chandelier in the room, nor am I going to go with any recessed lighting. I have had the sconces that I showed you all rewired and they should give off quite a bit of light, but I'm going to have them raised quite a bit from where the old wall sconces are. I also decided to get additional lighting from floor lamps and table lamps. As you can see, my wonderful contractor was able to open up the ceiling yet spare and save my original plaster crown molding. It's getting exciting, though I still am going back and forth on what color to stain my floors (a separate post of mine).
Lyndee Lee
6 years ago
Lyndee Lee