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.

I have a 20' x 13' kitchen with the counters around the outside of the room. (I am renovating.) I will be putting task lights above the counters in a sofit that runs above the cabinets and the lights can shine down directly onto the counter tops. I was looking at Home Depot (before I go to a more specialized lighting store) and saw some 3" cans that have adjustable optics with 50 watt GU10 bulbs. We were thinking that we could replace them with equivilent LED bulbs when they burned out,. The brand name is Lithonia Lighting, 3" Nickel Gimball recessed lights. My questions are 1) has anybody heard of this product? 2)Do you think 10 cans around the perimeter of the room will give enough task lighting? and 3)Can you get respectable quality at HD or should I go look at a specific lighting store? Thank you for any suggestions. Ailsa

Thanks for the advice Mustbnuts, much appreciated. That prep sink is just on a pennisula, not a wall. It's only 4' high with a raised bar-type shelf above the counter. This shelf wraps around the other side to join to the tall skinny cabinet there so it looks nicer than it does on the plan, I just didn't know how to draw the shelf etc. in the BH&G software. There are bookshelves on the other side. The ceiling is vaulted so suspending cabinets there isn't really an option. That area is pretty much the only thing I'm leaving as it is, except for adding the prep sink. That isn't a desk, it's a place for me to read the paper and have breakfast and lunch while enjoying looking out the windows. DH doesn't do breakfast or lunch. I will also use it to sit and consult a recipe. And, my nephew can sit there and chat with me the 4 times a year we have family for dinner. The area that the chair is in is currently a very small nook that I'm stretching out the kitchen wall to meet. I use it for breakfast/lunch/recipes now. The new area won't be as nice but I think it's a better use of the space than the nook. Thanks for saying you think it will be pretty, sure hope so.

Flo - this is a remodel for a walkout basement in a cottage with the kitchen and main living areas in the basement. See attached photos for current state. The walkout wall has two large windows and a slider with a view to the lake. Our hope is to have the subfloor, insulation and walls framed in the next few weeks. There will be no window in the kitchen so lighting is important. There will be can lights but the wall with only shelves should have additional light I feel. I have not worked out where the lights need to go but need to make some final decisions before the drywall goes up. In the pictures, the kitchen is going to the left of the stairs on the back wall. I like the articulating light idea and I think it has a nice cottage feel. For a standard 8' ceiling , how many shelves would you suggest and then what distance from the counter would the light go?