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Open floor plan and flush mount lighting help

5 years ago

I’d like to add some flush (or semi) mount lighting in these areas. I just can’t decide on what to do! My style is more transitional, so hopefully someone can help. We have a very open floor plan which I think is making it hard for me. In the entry we have 3 canned lights, so I can’t decide if all 3 get replaced or not. Or if I just do the one above the door. I also have this ugly fan in the formal living room that I’d like switched out. It’s not really necessary to have a fan there, but I’m not opposed to a more updated one. If I were to do a light here, what lights for the canned lighting?

I’m the hallway upstairs there are 3 main canned lights. To the left and right are alcoves before bedrooms. I think it’d be fun to have light fixtures in the alcoves AND replace the cans in the hallway. As you can see, it’s very open though and you can see it from my first floor. I’d really appreciate the help!

I’ve also attached my kitchen (in another comment) so you can see the lighting in there. Thank you!!

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PRO

BeverlyFLADeziner

5 years ago

What's wrong with the downlights you have? They seem appropriate for the locations. Maybe you need to just re lamp them.

What type of bulbs are in the can lights?

R series bulbs are usually installed by builders or electricians because they are the very cheapest bulbs they can purchase and should not be used in a home like yours.

PAR bulbs even in an LED form will provide you with better quality light to highlight the gallery you have on the second floor.

BTW you were ill advised on the lighting for your kitchen

The barn doors for the pantry should either be painted white or stained to match your chairs
The bead chandelier, though charming, is much too small for over that table and for this kitchen. Some type of linear chandelier would have been a better choice IMO
I would have recommended you select the same style chairs for the table that you used at the counter
The pendants over the island are too large to be hung that close to the edge of your island and hung too high over the island (for some reason in your photo the pendants don't seem to be the same distance from the edge of each side)

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Comments (11)

Ashley Butler
Original Author
5 years ago
Forgot to add my kitchen....many Houzz friends helped me make decisions on this so Im hoping Ill get lucky again with lighting help :)
Ashley Butler
Original Author
5 years ago
Anyone? Anyone?
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If you prefer the look of recessed "can" lights, there are some great retrofit options these days. These install like regular surface-mount fixtures, but they are ultra-slim and look very similar to a can light. And they are quite reasonably priced too. Of course, if you want more than one fixture in a location that previously only had a single fixture, or if you want dimmers in a location that didn't have them, then things get a little more expensive. But this is well within the realm of what a DIY homeowner or a cheap handyman could do. This doesn't mean that "real" can lights don't make sense in new construction products. But for retrofits, the difference in labor cost favors the ultra-slim lights.
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dvbicker
5 years ago
question: in the living room, do you actually use the light fixture or fan in that space regularly?
Ashley Butler
Original Author
5 years ago
The room gets quite dark so we do use the light. The fan gets used but not enough for me to want to replace it w a more modern fan.
Jeanne Seefus
5 years ago
Hi.. I think a nice semi flush above the front door. Maybe a few wall sconces in the alcoves as it does look a little dark. Living , like a nice simple chandelier in line with the Dining but a little different..
Mirren Chandelier, Imperial Bronze · More Info
Jeanne Seefus
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
That light placement we see in picture number 2, can be the same as the front door.. Just a thought
Ashley Butler
Original Author
5 years ago
Thank you Jeanne Seefus. Something similar to that chandelier is what I was thinking. I like the idea of a semi flush for the entry and the light in the second picture. I kept thinking I needed to do a caged pendant like the chandelier in dining, but didn’t want to do that!
Ashley Butler
Original Author
5 years ago
BeverlyFLADeziner, thank you! I’ll have to check what the light bulbs are. You are right that maybe just switching them will help. I agree that the beaded chandelier above the table is too small. I love the one you shared! Where is that from?

The chairs and table - these chairs are from the dining room table until I can decide what kind of table and chairs I want in the kitchen. Or when I don’t have 2 little babies and 2 elementary kids not spilling stuff on everything nice that we own haha! I do really like the chair version of our barstools.

Thank you for the help. I really appreciate it!
PRO
BeverlyFLADeziner
5 years ago
Criss Cross Wood Linear Chandeliers

I love your bar stools and could not find any images of that X back style that looked as sturdy as yours. Maybe they offer the dining chair height also.
Ashley Butler
Original Author
5 years ago
Beverly, they’re from World Market and they do! They have chairs, bar stools and counter height. I love them, but the cushions that fit them stain so easily. I think if I do the chairs I just won’t do cushions bc they don’t actually need them.

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