Hi, Some ideas would be: 1) Cheapest, add a dimmer. This would reduce heat at the lamps. Downside is that the lighting level is lower also. 2) Add above cabinet lights. These sit on top of the cabinets. They provide ambiant light by bouncing light off the ceiling. I have these in my kitchen and they look good. Note this is good for gentle background lighting. Not really task lighting. Warmest regards, Mike.

Hi Fletcher, I obviously don't know the layout of the room, but I like what your architect is suggesting. 16' is high. So also keep in mind the hassle of changing the bulbs. Halogen Par bulbs last about 2500 hours. I have an MR16 for low voltage cans which lasts 20,000 hours. And if you dim it, you'll extend its life. Now, as to the actual layout, that's a different story. I tend to use recessed along the perimeter of the room and then do something decorative- hanging light, ceiling fan, monorail lighting, etc, in the center on a different switch. I just don't like a bunch of holes in a ceiling throughout a room. The Crees don't gimbal yet. Although we have used them successfully on a sloped ceiling. I had a customer claim he tested one at 15' and was thrilled with it. But I didn't see it. I do have LED Par bulbs which can fit in a line voltage can and can be gimbaled. But I think we're about 80% there. So I wouldn't count on it as the major source of light. Finally, you already are able to use MR16 LED bulbs in a low voltage can in the future. I have bulbs now which are as bright as a 20 watt halogen. So they're not bright enough yet for overall use. I'm working with a company which claims they have a low voltage LED retrofit bulb which is as bright as a 50 watt MR 16. I should have that in my hands soon. So actually, that's one of my selling points. If someone wants the small 3.5" or 4" opening, I suggest they get the low voltage halogen can now. By the time they need to change the bulb, there will be an LED available for that can. Hope this helps.

I didn't mean to imply that incandescent bulbs would be preferable, only that I know more about them. 5" cans will typically accept PAR-30 halogen bulbs. Some can/trim combinations can take 75 watt bulbs, some only 50 watts. The 50-watt PAR bulb would produce about the same amount of light that the R30 fluorescents do, but use three times as much electricity and produce a tighter beamspread. The 75-watt version would produce almost twice as much light. Dimming incandescents is easy - pretty much any old dimmer will do. Dimming fluorescents is trickier, and whether it's possible depends on the ballast that drives the bulb. Screw-in CFLs each have their own individual ballast, which is housed in the plastic base that the ends of the tubes plug into. If you want to dim CFLs, you need to buy special "dimmable" bulbs. It's my understanding that some can be dimmed with common, everyday dimmers and that some require a special type of dimmer, but this really isn't one of my stronger areas of understanding.

I would go with 6" cans for the following reasons 1. 4" cans have less space for heat dissipation. 2. 6" cans are more common and you have more lighting options. 3. The light coverage is better for 6". Since you're subject to title 24, you'll have to install CFL cans with integrated ballasts or LED cans with GU 24 base / anything other than edison base. I ended up with LED cans as I figured that 1. Cans with integrated ballasts would become problematic when the ballast fails as someone would have to gain access to the upper part of the can to change the ballast. 2. I was drawn to the CREE LR6 @ LampsPlus as there wasn't any glare like the other CFL cans beside it. 3. The cost of a CFL can + trim + CFL bulb was higher than a CREE LR6 + can ~ 1+ year ago. Today the costs are more favorable for a CR6 (GU24) + can ~ $80. 4. The LED cans are dimmable using standard incandescent dimmers. UCL is very useful.