you could post pictures of what you're talking about for starters.

Have an engineer look at the beam and see if it can be raised into the attic area of the house or consult a sheet rocker and have the beam clad in sheetrock and mud and textured and painted......then put the lights in front of behind the beam.

Hi all, thank you for the prompt response. And yes i am definitely on a budget on this one as I have already spent loads on our front and back yard.

Sorry the pic didnt show up. I’m gonna try again.

Leave the raised area and add 2 more faux beams and also cover the existing one. It will look like you wanted it that way.

Hi Henry, just throwing an idea out there, have you considered maybe sheetrocking flush with your existing ceiling and installing your recessed lighting at that elevation instead of up in there where your current lighting is at? It might not be the look you are looking for but just trying to think of your budget; otherwise yes, probably incorporating it into the design might be the best idea.

There are lots of options and lots of questions. It would be helpful to see pictures of the full kitchen and the ceiling.

- Are you looking to install recessed lighting throughout the entire kitchen?

- Do you have access to the attic above the kitchen?

I'm guessing that your house was constructed with trusses. What you are calling a beam is really the bottom of a truss. Drywalling over that opening is not that big a project. It would require some electrical work because it's against code to make a junction box inaccessible. But it's not as daunting as it may sound.

Here are some types of trusses.

Here are what trusses look like when installed

There are three primary options for LED recessed lighting.

1. Wafer thin disk lights like these:

2. LED lights that mount to a J-Box (the j stands for junction) like these:

Here's what one might look like from below:

3. The traditional standard can with an LED trim kit:

Any of these could work. Depending upon how handy you are, it can be a rather straightforward project - especially with roof trusses.

I assume you just want to leave that inset square and put your lights in that. Not really a good idea for adequate lighting.

drywall the inset and put in recessed lighting throughout the ceiling.

That looks strange for a structural beam? Would you consider having an engineer consult and actually tell you what you are dealing with....might be worth a consultation fee to feel sure about what you want to do.....?