Recessed Lighting Applications

by John Billington

Homeowners and design savvy builders have come to appreciate the artistic value bestowed by the abundance of lighting fixture styles that can be incorporated to create uniform design schemes throughout homes and businesses. Recessed lighting has been around since the 1950s, but has recently been gaining popularity as an alternative to traditional light fixtures due its versatility. Recessed lighting is a significant component of the lighting design in many residential and commercial buildings, offering a visually pleasing while functional source of light that can be used in a variety of applications.

What is recessed lighting? Recessed light fixtures illuminate from just above the ceiling surface, rather than protruding down in full view. This flexible style of home lighting gives designers the opportunity to incorporate specific levels of lighting to achieve the desired ambiance while directing focus to the intended highlights of a room. Recessed lighting can be implemented as the sole light source for rooms and hallways, or can produce a broad spectrum ambience throughout an area that serves as a “backdrop” to other, more targeted sources of light.

Many decorative lighting arrangements, such as wall sconces and chandeliers, are artistically striking but often do not produce practical, functional lighting to meet the needs of a household or business. Recessed lighting can be used in combination with such lighting fixtures to provide a sheath of light throughout the room while highlighting intricate details of a decorative chandelier or sconce. Recessed lighting can also be used to illuminate an eye-catching design element of a room, such as wall art, an accent wall, a china cabinet or other piece of furniture.

Using the appropriate bulbs in a recessed lighting fixture is as important as the fixture itself. The size and voltage of a bulb will affect the amount and intensity of light that it produces. Recessed fixtures in a fairly small bathroom would not need to be the same diameter as fixtures designed to illuminate a larger room. On the other hand, a bathroom would likely necessitate a brighter (higher voltage) bulb to produce the desired level of visibility than a hallway whose primary purpose is to provide ambient, dim lighting to impart a softer effect.

Whether recessed lighting will be used in a bedroom for reading or in a kitchen to supply optimal illumination for cooking, the intended purpose of a room is a significant consideration in determining the type of lighting that should be implemented.

About the Author: John Billington is the president and CEO of Five Rivers Inc., a leading online provider of home lighting, bathroom lighting and decor. For more information, please visit www.fiverivers.com.

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Recessed Lighting Design

By Lance Mattingly

In this type of design, the fixtures are not readily seen by the eye, but the light is cast such that the room gains a whole new artistic perspective. Fittings for this type of lighting use hidden wiring and need a lot of thinking through prior to its installation. It is quite normal to find the fixtures installed inside the ceiling but variants of this design exist including on rare occasions finding recessed lighting carved into walls. The radiance of recessed lighting results from wide angled reflections meant either to provide a spotlight or a floodlight phenomenon.

With the subtle blur of the recessed lighting's focus there is a much more enhanced aesthetic quality given to the room than would be afforded by normal lighting designs. A chic look is given to the room once the fittings have been made creating quite a tranquil atmosphere thus communicating this mood to the room's occupants. Due to the virtue of the light being emitted from a can, recession lighting is also referred to as pot or can light.

Though it has begun to gain popularity recently, this type of design has been in circulation for the past half century. Its versatility wins it a lot of favor with designers since it accentuates other properties of design in the room as well as providing the essential lighting. The lighting may as well bring attention to the main object of attraction in the house, for example a sculpture, thus the occupants are able to give this piece its deserved appreciation.

Recessed lighting designs are used in a range of our daily lives design including religious places, homes and business places. Churches have in recent times tended to substitute candles along their walls for this type of lighting. Used also to provide the general lighting, these religious structures do gain quite an artistic quality with the installations. At the house, the fittings can be made in quite a number of rooms where it serves both functionally as well as provides an artistic mood. The kitchen for example experiences quite a nice atmosphere in which to work in, making the occupants feel a rare tranquility.

The lights can be fitted with adjustable controls such that the occupants can have an intensity of their preference. A bright light may for example not fit well to the atmosphere of the sleeping area thus a lower intensity may be used here. This type of lighting on your front door can also give the home quite a remarkably welcoming look. Recessed lighting above the working area does quite a good job of removing a lot of focus on the workspace while avoiding the creation of shadows.

Depending on the type of design you adopt, recessed lighting can be used to high light different moods. You may use an angled design for focus on a portion of the room intended on your design. This might auger well if you intend to make an art piece in the room a center of the occupants' attention.

If you'd like to learn more about recessed lights, swing by our site. You should be sure to read up on installing recessed lighting before completing your lighting project.

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