Regardless of what you call it—recessed lighting, downlighting, pot lighting, or can lighting—it has been increasing in popularity in recent years. And for good reason—it’s easy to combine with other types of lighting to create a layered look, and it helps to add ambience to any room.
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Recessed lighting is an extremely versatile lighting option that can help you create a well-lit space in your home, but it’s also easy to do it badly, especially if you don’t intend to seek help from a professional, such as a handyman or electrician, or do a little advanced planning on your own. So, what exactly is recessed lighting and how can you make it work? We’re here to help you answer these questions and more:
Recessed lighting fixtures are those circular holes, most commonly found in ceilings, that house an illumination source. Unlike chandeliers, pendants or flush mount lamps, which are designed to be visible, recessed lamps provide light without a visible fixture.
This style of lighting has a number of different applications in both residential and commercial settings, and can be used for ambient, task and accent lighting. Because it’s sleek and easy to conceal, recessed lighting is an ideal choice for areas with limited space for hanging fixtures. It’s also a popular choice for closets, kitchens, living rooms, and—most recently—outdoor lighting.
A recessed light fixture consists of three components:
PRO TIP: Don’t use recessed light fixtures over mirrors. Because they are so directional in nature, they shine directly on top of your head and typically create unflattering shadows.
After you’ve decided why, how and where you want recessed lighting, there are a number of things that need to be taken into consideration when making your selection, including:
But before you consider any of these things, your first and foremost concern should be safety. There are two things to think about when it comes to safety and recessed lighting:
The original can light fixture was incredibly inefficient. Unsealed and unable to be covered by insulation because of the risk of fire, you could often tell who in your neighbourhood had recessed lighting fixtures because the escaping heat would create ice dams or circular patches of melted snow on their roofs in the winter. To combat this issue, manufacturers developed insulation compatible (IC) and airtight (AT) fixtures.
When it comes to safety, there’s really only one question you need to ask yourself—will the ceiling be insulated? If the answer is yes, you will need an airtight, IC rated canister. If not, you can opt for a non-IC rated canister. Here’s the difference:
This chart will help you decide quickly the minimum level of protection you’ll need for the fixture you’re installing:
Recessed fixtures are hard-wired, which means they require the knowledge and skill of a professional electrician to install. Licensed professionals can help guide your lighting design based on what is possible for your home and what you want in way of appearances.
How many recessed fixtures your room can accommodate is highly dependent on the maximum wattage of the fixtures you select. A circuit is only capable of carrying so much wattage, so a compromise between the number and type of fixtures, as well as the type of light bulbs, needs to be struck. LED bulbs are an excellent choice for recessed fixtures because they are very low wattage, allowing you to include more lower-watt fixtures that will still be able to power the bulbs:
Shop our full selection of GU10 LED bulbs.
After factoring in what’s feasible, you’ll need to consider what looks good and what will suit your purposes. The beam angle of the light bulbs you select is key to achieving the look you want:
If you’re still not sure, a good general rule to keep in mind is that the distance between lights should be half the height of the ceiling.
Now comes the fun part – selecting the aesthetics of the lamp. A recessed lighting fixture is made up of two main parts:
These components must be considered at the same time because they need to fit together properly, and also because they have different criteria that will impact your decision. Let’s take a closer look:
Because of how recessed lighting is installed, there are some limits to what housing size you can select. The housing needs to be small enough to sit safely in the plenumPlenumThe space between the ceiling and the floor or roof above it used to house air circulation systems, electrical wiring and cables. and fit easily between the joists in your ceiling.
The majority of housings for residential use are designed to fit in most homes, but there are shallower and deeper options available, and they typically come in a range of diameters. Which diameter you select is dependent on how you want the room to look and how you intend to use the space, as well as the height of the ceiling and the size of the room.
PRO TIP: 6 inch fixtures are the most popular size and have the widest variety of trim options available as a result.
While you will find them in a variety of sizes, every housing will be one of two kinds, each requiring different types of installation:
As the most visible part of a recessed lighting fixture, the trim or “finishing” affects the overall look of the light and impacts the aesthetics of a room. Trim is available in multiple sizes, styles, colours and materials to accommodate almost any personal preference.
It’s easy enough to choose what colour and material you want, but it’s also important to understand how the size and style of the fixture will impact the way the light looks and performs:
Adjustable or "Eyeball- The most versatile typePRO TIP: The larger the trim, the more light you get, but a small trim is easier to conceal if you want a more seamless look, and it also creates a narrower beam suitable for task or accent lighting.
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One of the most important things to remember when selecting a light bulb is that recessed lighting fixtures come with a different selection of sockets. Some take the common screw cap while others require a pin base, so make sure you double check what your fixture takes before purchasing your bulbs, otherwise they may not fit. However, most types of light bulbs can be purchased with a different kind of size of base, so it should be simple to find a bulb with the colour temperature, brightness and beam angle that you want with a cap to match.
Learn more about light bulb bases.
Here are a few more things to keep in mind when buying bulbs for recessed lighting:
Recessed lighting adds value and style to your home, as well as elegance and depth to your lighting design. Redecorate any room with this subtle and sophisticated way to upgrade your lighting without cluttering up floor space with fixtures.
Shop our full selection of recessed lighting compatible light bulbs and downlight fittings.
Choosing the right ceiling light for your home from a catalogue or online can make many people nervous. They are unsure of the finishes, the correct size, or are just unsure what type to choose.
Here we have tried to make it easier for you, with tips and suggestions that have helped many of our customers over the years, who to this day are still delighted with their purchase.
Choosing a ceiling that is right for you and your home is relatively easy. What is confusing is the vast amount of different types that are available, so you find yourself flitting to one style then the other which often confuses and put people off making the final decision.
If you are redesigning a whole house or it is a new build then it is best to concentrate on one room before moving on to the next. It can sometimes be so easy to get confused with the many different styles available. Once you have decided on that room carry onto the next. Remember that each room can be of a different style depending on its use, for example a traditional study and a conservatory will have very different lighting requirements.
Does the room have a high ceiling of 8ft or more? If so, you are very fortunate and can chose something that hangs down on chain suspension or a multi-level pendant that hangs a good way from the ceiling. As a rule of thumb most of our products are measured without including the chain height, so the actual height is taken from the highest point of the fitting to its lowest point. The chain height is then added to this measurement.
If your ceiling height is lower than 8ft, then a semi flush fitting may be your best choice. This will have no chain and is usually suspended by a mount or different height rods incorporated into the light fitting itself, so the height shown in the description is the actual height it will project from the ceiling into the room.
If the ceiling height is 7ft 6in or lower, then a flush ceiling light fitting should be considered. Some people dread choosing a flush mount, especially if it is a living room where you want to have something decorative as a focal point. Today there is a vast and expanding amount of highly decorative flush mounted lights that are spectacular and a far distant cry from the day when we could only choose a simple glass shade on a bracket or lamp holder.
It is always a good idea to measure the height of your ceiling before deciding on the type of ceiling light will be most suitable. At this stage you will know whether it needs to be suspended on a chain, semi flush, or flush mounted.
What style of décor are you seeking to achieve? Modern, traditional or contemporary? Do you live in a 1930’s house and looking for Art Deco lighting, or a rustic 18th century farmhouse?
Always try to remain in keeping with the style of your home and furnishings and not be too extreme. It really is important to think at this stage of the style of lighting that will suit your home and not to choose something just because it is in fashion or trendy. Fashion and trends come and go, but if you choose the correct style of fitting it will blend well with your home and outlast fashion trends, remaining a feature for many years without becoming out of date or out of style.
By now we should have chosen the style (modern, traditional, contemporary or themed) as well as the type, (chandelier with a chain, semi flush or flush mounted).
There are so many different finishes to choose from, but in many cases, the choice of finish has already been made for you. What finish are your door handles, switches, sockets, fire surround, hearth or curtain rail? These are just a few hints and things to think about that can sometimes help in choosing a particular finish from fixtures you may already have.
If you are starting from a blank canvass then your chosen finish will depend greatly on the type of décor and theme you will be seeking to achieve. In general it is a good idea to match the finish of your light fitting with other fixtures in your room, so if you are starting with a blank room it is a good idea at this point to choose other finishes at the same time, for instance light switches, sockets, fireplace curtain rail etc. There are many finishes to choose from such as brass that has recently been making a comeback after being out of favour for a few years. Trends come and go but the traditional colours such as brass, chrome and the satin colours such as satin silver and satin brass will always remain.
Now that you have decided on the type, style and finish of your light fitting, you need to ensure that it gives sufficient light and is proportionate to the room size.
Generally the size of your ceiling light determines the amount of illumination you will get. For instance a three-light chandelier is almost always smaller in diameter than a five-arm chandelier. The diameter of our fittings is given in the description and is measured at the widest point.
The diameter is important. The larger the diameter, the wider the fitting, so the bulbs are spread further apart and will throw light further into your room. Generally, the larger the room, the larger the fitting needs to be as they hold more lamps than a smaller diameter alternative.
Sometimes it is very difficult to visualise the size of a fitting by reading the measurements from a description. Through years of advising our customers we have found that the following method works. It may seem peculiar, but we have found it has helped many of our customers to get the proportion right before committing to their purchase.
If you cannot imagine how it will look in your room, find and old cardboard box and cut out the diameter of the light. Ask a helping hand to hold this at the approximate height that it would hang. This cut out will help with visualising the size of the ceiling light and the impact it will have on the room.
This method can also be used with the height of the fitting and how far down it will come from the ceiling. The height is given from the top to the bottom. Fittings that come with chain suspension are measured in the same way, but the length of chain is generally not included in the measurement and this has to be added. Chain lengths vary from manufacture to manufacture it may be a good idea to check the chain length before making your final decision. The chain can be reduced in size by removing as many links as necessary to achieve the desired height.
Generally speaking how much illumination you need in a particular room is a matter of personal choice. Some may want the room in question to be particularly bright; some may require a soft ambient light for the room. Many other factors come into play, for instance, does the room have wall lights, do they come on with the main light or are they switched independently? Are there table lamps and floor lamps in the room?
We hope this information page has helped you feel more confident in making your final choice. We understand how important it is to choose the right type of light fitting for your home.
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If you needed any further information on choosing the right ceiling light for your home, please call 0151 650 2138 and speak with one of our lighting experts. Alternatively, use the contact us tab at the top of this page and we will be extremely happy to assist you.
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