Do you have a floorplan (of just the great room, lol, since you know if you post the whole house, we'll never get to discuss the lighting)?

:-D

My first thought, before I read the entire post, was "floor lamps." May or may not be relevant. But it would be nice to know what the room looks like *and* how you plan to use/furnish it. ;-)

PS -- And no cans!!!! Please!!! I beg you!!!

You could have two ceiling fans and a large statement fixture in the middle. And I'd make sure that the ceiling fans match the color of the ceiling to help minimize them.

And I agree with ODD, ample floor lamps and table lamps. And possibly some floor outlets if your wiring hasn't been done yet and you already know your furniture placement.

LOL - yes, ODD, I know better than to post the whole floorplan at this point (although I have in the past and incorporated lots of suggestions I got from here). And are you saying no cans *anywhere* or just in the cathedral ceiling? I have never had a can light (we live in a 1920's farmhouse), but assumed I would have lots of them in the new house. ??

We meet with the electrician Friday, so nothing is set yet. I am worried that 2 ceiling fans and a statement fixture would be too much busy-ness with the arched trusses too. Otherwise, I do love the idea.

I am worried that 2 ceiling fans and a statement fixture would be too much busy-ness with the arched trusses too.

That's why drawings/renderings might be helpful : ) .

Will the trusses be stained wood? Then you could do brown fans to minimize them.

I like a good mixture of form and function, but for something like this -- and I realize I don't know any of your particulars -- you might need to give function a few extra points.

I don't know what you have in mind for a chandelier, but a statement fixture can be fairly simple and understated (and often that's more effective than something bling-y lol). Like this one from Currey & Co, which is 63" in diameter,

I put can lights in the “it’s a matter of preference” category. ODD doesn’t like them at all. Personally I love them, as long as there are plenty of other lighting options. There are times when I want my rooms very bright, and in those instances cams are great. There are other times I may want just a ceiling fixture on, or just table and floor lamps on. I try to think through how I might want the room lit for different times and occasions and think through the light combinations that will achieve my goal. (For example, we use the can lights in our bedroom first thing in the morning with fairly bright, neutral bulbs. I. The evening we use just the bedside sconces and lamps, which have warmer shifted bulbs designed to interfere less with the body’s natural shift to sleep.)

Don't be afraid of recessed lights! You want layers of lighting and recessed light are part of that. I like to be able to light up a room brightly or dim it all the way down.

Aside from the argument from those who will never ever tolerate can lights under any circumstance, there's a good argument to be made that can lights just aren't the right choice in a great room with a cathedral peak and decorative arched trusses; I'd be inclined to agree, especially if you're concerned about things looking busy up there. And they're not as functional as they would be in a room with a lower ceiling. I have too much floating in my head right now, but at one point about 10 years ago, I knew and remembered much more about the decline in foot candles, something like every two feet dropping the foot candles by 50 percent or so. I'm sure others here know much more than I do about it, and your electricians will too : ) .

Do you have a rendering of what the decorative arched trusses in the cathedral peak will look like? Will the trusses be stained wood against a white ceiling, will they be white on a white ceiling, will they be stained wood on a stained wood ceiling, or ??? And what interior design style for furnishings etc?

I have 3 rooms with vaulted/cathedral ceilings and they all have recessed lights. All different types of lights are functional ... depending on what task you want them to perform.

And are you saying no cans *anywhere* or just in the cathedral ceiling?

Based on your description of the great room, I was thinking *just* the cathedral ceiling. However, as many of the regulars here know, I really really really dislike cans anywhere. ;-)

I have never had a can light (we live in a 1920's farmhouse), but assumed I would have lots of them in the new house. ??

It's all up to you, and really, up to the style of your home. :-) Seems like everyone is putting them in, everywhere, regardless of architectural style.

I disliked them the first time I saw them (in a home). They just remind me of commercial/medical buildings. :-/

Okay, okay, they do more than remind me, they scream, "DENTIST!!!" to me. So, now, y'all know my trauma, lol.

We meet with the electrician Friday, so nothing is set yet.

In my limited experience, more often than not, electricians love recessed cans. They will probably try to sell you plenty of them, just so you're prepared. ;-)

I, personally, think you can get away with a chandelier and a pair of fans, too, like Miss Becky suggested... As long as everything is kept very, very simple, and very "blend in with the ceiling" looking.

Here are the arched trusses

i had had planned on painting the ceiling the same color as the walls - a medium greige color - but with the suggestions above, what about painting the ceiling white so that we could blend in a couple of white ceiling fans? Thoughts?

You really would benefit from a lighting designer. But, here's some thoughts:

--With a ceiling that high, a dropped chandelier is only going to be "accent" lighting, i.e., something decorative to see. It will not add appreciably to the overall ambient lighting, and will do nothing for task lighting.

--Fan(s) in a ceiling like that are often a good idea for air movement and distribution;

--You need a furnishings plan so that you have a basis for lighting design and placement. Without a lighting plan, the best anyone can do is simply pump up the overall ambient lighting to some high footcandle level, and then put everything on dimmers so as to be able to dial down or dial up the overall lighting level. It's very poor lighting design.

--Recessed or surface mounted cans do work for more focused and direct lighting in various areas. See photo above.

--Have you considered any "cove lighting" which washes the ceiling with light and gives indirect ambient lighting in the space?

--Table and floor lamps may likely be your most useful bet for specific "task" lighting in the space, i.e., reading, etc.

Good luck!

I love the idea of cove lighting! Not sure where to start with implementing that. I assume it involves some type of small ledge around the perimeter of the room that the lighting sits on?

We did cable lights along with lights on the 2 ceiling fans https://www.1800lighting.com/Tech-Lighting/K-Hello/item.cfm?itemsku=700KHELLO3

In the same way that ODD is philosophically and morally opposed to recessed/can lights, I am to fans with lights/lights on fans lol. I find they work best, and look best, when they're separate.

I'd consider asking a local lighting store for a recommendation on a lighting designer. You could probably get a one- or two-hour consultation for a reasonable fee, which becomes even more reasonable when you figure you have a fairly complex great room with complex needs.

In the same way that ODD is philosophically and morally opposed to recessed/can lights, I am to fans with lights/lights on fans lol. I find they work best, and look best, when they're separate.

Ha! Me, too!!!!! lol

(I dislike ceiling mounted lighting in general. Ceiling fans are okay. Not ideal, but okay, and certainly better without a dang light.)

But I'm sure at least a few folks saw *that* coming. ;-) I dislike ceiling clutter, unless it's art (the Sistine Chapel doesn't bother me one bit).

I know, odd, odd, odd....

Remember light bulbs burn out and need to be replaced. Simple ceiling fans and a nice chandelier. Wall sconces and floor lamps.

Most people aren't aware of the problems recessed lights introduce to the building as a system, mainly in upper levels or cathedral ceilings. Even AirTight, Insulation Contact rated cans leak air, it's a question of how much multiplied by how many.

I agree with senior editor Martin Holladay from this blog about retrofitting recessed lighting that massive penetrations in the ceiling air barrier should be illegal. If you do have a bunch of penetrations, at least prove the home meets the minimum level of airtightness called for in international codes with a blower door test.

To quote Mr. Holladay from his How to Build an Insulated Cathedral Ceiling:

"Recessed can lights should never been installed in insulated rafter bays. Period, full stop, end of story.

Recessed can lights take up room which should be filled with insulation; they give off heat, creating thermal hot spots in your insulated roof; and they leak air. They should be removed from your ceiling and deposited in front of a moving steam roller."

You have a lot going on there - fans and lights (either can or pendants) will have to be well executed. Agree on a lighting designer for this space to lay your lights. I have a similar room (no decorative trusses). I would recommend that if you want to hang something from the center, you may not want to have a severe angle where the rooflines meet and instead have a flat space. I have a track on my and hang pendants from the track, as well as 2 fans. I also have 2 eyeball cans to wash the wall and the stone fireplace. It's nice to have different lights on for different purposes (in addition to floor and table lamps)

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I am planning a large fixture in the middle between beams, with can lights. I'm not doing fans, but your ceiling will also be higher than mine. I don't think the can lights will give me the best light, but should help with the main fixture. Like others, I am also planning table lighting with outlets strategically placed in the floor.

I see you made your mind up about the entry! It will be beautiful. Excited to see the beams come together.

For all the can-housing talk I wish people knew there are solutions to this and no not just retro fitting them. We use a can-less cathedral downlight, the optics on the light are designed to shine straight down on a typical 7/12 pitch, and we now have eliminated a can. No fire barrier broke, also these lights put out 1100 lumens running at 12 watts with a detached driver that can be remote located due to the low voltage wire run from the driver. It`s a huge product in Michigan right now and for people with clearance issues, like SIP panel homes, these have solved there problems.www.ilumigreen.com

The way these "lighting plan" discussions almost always seem to go is:

1. Everyone suggests ambient light fixtures--ceiling and wall mounted fixtures

2. Several folks post photos of chandeliers (another ambient fixture which also serves as an accent fixture)

3. Someone or more rants about recessed cans

4. Someone suggests putting everything on dimmers, so that the overall astronomical ambient lighting level can be lowered to something tasteful

5. Task lighting is almost never considered or mentioned--apparently no one has any specific tasks in their interiors

6. Furnishings and fixture plans are absolutely never mentioned as having anything to do with how a lighting plan should be conceived and how fixture types should be selected and located

And on we go to another "help me with my lighting plan" posting with similar results.