David, It is not a question of getting a luminaire we want to use and experimenting, though I understand the point of your advice... and over time, it's experiential knowledge. We are a very-small-volume home designer/builder. We've had to include lighting design for a project in design phase. Sage Russell's book "Architecture of Light" was the point we switched over to marginal-competency. Working out detail is the largest obstacle. We've worked through much of the adjustable-type task, accent, art/picture, wall lighting at a level of amount of FC required and proper positioning... i.e., luminaire, luminaire configuration (PAR#, wattage, beam-angle, aiming angle, +/- lenses, +/- louvers, +/- dimming). But it has been a serious struggle... available use-data is marginal in the extreme, so it's been by guess and by golly. What a person finds is a description of a specific use, the nature of which is not transferable, even to the same specific with a different ceiling ht. In some ways, David, it's lack of volume of specific instance a person can cross reference, and maybe that is a partial solution... find more (Where?). But there are luminaire/lamp realities not documented, also. So, maybe a narrowed question... track/adjustable accent used as task lighting, two PAR lamps aimed down and in along the length of a dining table, missing a chandelier, and not used for centerpiece accent. For a person sitting at a table end, is it simply a matter of calculating luminaire/lamp cutoff then relating that to aiming angle and viewing position... that the table surface is then lit and sitting at an end doesn't have a view of the lamp? Mike

The reason why most recessed lighting do not go beyond 45 - 60 degrees is due to the use of BR or PAR lamps (Led BR/ PAR lamps included) in an attempt to get more light out of the can. LED lamps such as the Cree CR/ LR series, Sylvania RT, Glimpse (& other flush mounts) tend to have more light spillage since they do not rely on a focussing reflector (such as a parabolic reflector). Since LED emitters can be extremely intense and are more directional than either incandescent or fluorescents, they are hidden behind a translucent shade which also serves as a diffuser. For accurate calculations, you will need to use the photometric data for the lamp (which depends on the vendor) in a lighting application. If you want a quick way to estimate, use the lumens per area method to calculate the max number. This assumes a diffuse distribution. eg - 20 lumens per sq ft * 100 = 2000. Assuming nominal output of 500 lumens you get 2000/500 = 4 lamps Then based on the configuration of the room (use, layout, other lighting sources) , the lights can be placed where they would be most needed.

"We are taking down an extra large square fluorescent light and replacing it with one two-bulb type flush mounted light and maybe another if need be then also adding a pendant over the sink." It will depend on the size and layout of the kitchen. One flush mount will not work as good as the fluorescent for two reasons. (1) The fluorescent puts out 6.5 times as much light. A 4' fluorescent with 4 tubes (2600 Lumens × 4 = 10400 Lumens) A two bulb flush mount w/60 watt bulbs or equivalent (800 Lumens × 2 = 1600 Lumens) (2) The surface mount fixture's light source comes from exactly 2 points that are very close together. The fluorescent light source has infinite sources of light within that 2' × 4' area which spreads the light out better, causing less noticeable shadows. With the fluorescent, the light reflecting off of all the other surfaces in the kitchen is also bouncing off at a more infinite number of angles, (compared to just from the pinpoint light source of the standard fixture) further contributing to the feeling of even light in the kitchen. . Pendant lighting that is bright enough to really contribute to the overall lighting of a room will also be glaring, since it is down closer to eye level. Pendants are fine for specific task lighting or mood lighting. Under cabinet lighting can also be a bit glaring if it is relied upon for more than half the light needed for a task. Keeping the under cabinet lighting out close to the face of the cabinet helps. Using two surface mounted luminaries on the ceiling will help spread out the light sources and help the light bouncing off of the cabinets light the room more evenly. Whether I would use fixtures with two or three bulbs depends on how big the kitchen is, how much light you are used to, and how intricate your tasks are. 800 Lumens × 6 bulbs is still only 4800 lumens, or less than half of what you currently have. You could try taking out two of the tubes and living with it for a while to help decide how many fixtures you want on the ceiling. . The difference between two 3-bulb fixtures and recessed cans over the outside edge of the countertop should not be enough to worry about as long as you have the under cabinet lighting and the pendants. There is a trade off between the two types of lighting. The recessed lights can be put right where you need them, but the light does not spread out as evenly. The surface mount in the middle of the room can produce more unwanted shadows, but the light spreads out and bounces off everything better to counteract the problem.

Gerald- Please tell me how it worked out. The first paragraph of your post, I thought I wrote! My contractor wants to use those easy go anywhere canless lights also. But I read they don't provide enough task light and it's glaring. Thanks for sharing!