| ing recessed lighting requires thinking from a | | | | the help of a professional lighting design firm, and to |
| three-dimensional perspective of a home’s | | | | share with that firm any interior decorative plans you |
| interior architecture at all times. A number of key | | | | currently have in mind. If you are working on a new |
| architectural and design elements play significant roles | | | | home construction, think ahead to how you plan to |
| in recessed lighting plans. Such things as ceiling height, | | | | decorate each room of the home. Visualizing your |
| the overall size of the room, the number of windows | | | | new home’s interior ahead of time will help you |
| determine where light shines and disperses throughout | | | | determine where to install recessed lighting for |
| a room. Other lighting fixtures such as chandeliers, | | | | maximum luminary affect. Planning ahead is even |
| ceiling fan lights, pendant lights also play a pivotal role in | | | | more important if you are remodeling an existing home |
| planning the intensity and location of recessed lighting | | | | or making home repairs. Some recessed lights are |
| fixtures. Elements such as room color, decorative | | | | made specifically for new homes, while others are |
| lighting color, fine art, and interior decorations also play | | | | made specifically for remodels. You need to have a |
| a major role in deciding whether or not you should use | | | | clear picture of what the new look and feel of your |
| plan to use recessed lights as the primary source of | | | | home is going to be before you go out and buy |
| general light or a secondary, supportive element of a | | | | fixtures that may turn out to be inappropriate for your |
| multi-dimensional home lighting plan. | | | | particular project. |
| Regardless of which direction you take when planning | | | | You should also pay attention to the types of lamps |
| a recessed lighting installation, keep in mind that all | | | | you plan to install in your recessed fixture housings. |
| recessed lighting is accomplished through a very simple | | | | Clear halogen lights are the best source of recessed |
| principle known as “pooling of light.” | | | | art lighting or picture lighting, and render color the colors |
| Because these fixtures direct light downward from | | | | of paintings, decorative arrangements, and vases with |
| circular or semi-circular housings, they create circles of | | | | at a level nearly equivalent to daylight. Clear halogens |
| illumination when they strike the floor. When a number | | | | are not so good for general lighting, though. They tend |
| of these lights are installed together, they form | | | | to highlight object outlines sharply, produce stark |
| overlapping pools of light which create a uniform, | | | | shadows, and at times even highlight skin blemishes |
| general lighting effect. The reverse is true when | | | | and wrinkles. When used in general lighting plans, |
| recessed lights are selectively or individually installed. In | | | | recessed halogen lights are normally fitted with frosted |
| these cases, the individual pools of light provide accent | | | | lenses or frosted lamps that disperse a more gentle |
| to any number of special room decorations, sculptures, | | | | down light over the room. |
| or works of fine art. In both general lighting and accent | | | | In spite of new laws and plans to phase out |
| lighting, it is paramount to develop a point-by-point | | | | incandescent-based light sources such as halogen |
| photometric lighting plan prior to purchasing and installing | | | | lamps, for the time being recessed lighting still relies |
| recessed lights. Because you are dealing with multiple | | | | heavily on incandescent technology for light sourcing |
| layers of lighting combined together, it is crucial to | | | | and lighting control systems for mood setting. Although |
| mathematically calculate first how many fixtures you | | | | fluorescent lamps can now be fitted to recessed |
| will need, the distance between your recessed lights, | | | | housings, they lack the color rendering abilities of |
| and the angle of incidence for the direction of each | | | | halogen and cannot be altered or dimmed with wall |
| light. ILD house lighting plans created by lighting | | | | box dimmers to set the mood. Until changed is |
| specialists can help you with these calculations and | | | | mandated unilaterally by lighting regulatory codes, plan |
| even produce three dimensional plans of how your | | | | on recessed halogens sticking around for a while until |
| new living room, home office, entertainment room, or | | | | fluorescent technology is able to catch up to the colour |
| personal study will look under our recessed lighting | | | | correction, dimmability, and ambient mood lighting that |
| fixtures. | | | | our heretofore incandescent world has made us all |
| It is also best to plan a recessed lighting system with | | | | accustomed to. |