Recessed Lighting

Recessed downlights sit inside the ceiling, so the only thing you see is the light. They are the backbone of most modern lighting plans — even coverage across a whole room, with nothing hanging down to interrupt the ceiling.

Canless or traditional housing?

• Canless wafer lights are about an inch thick, clip into a hole you cut, and wire straight to a junction box. They fit where a can never would and install in minutes.
• Traditional housings take a separate trim and bulb, so you can change the look or the beam later. Better for new construction and for anyone who wants to swap trims down the line.

Sizing and spacing

The quick rule: divide your ceiling height by two, and that is your spacing in feet. An 8-foot ceiling wants lights roughly every 4 feet. Keep the first row 2 to 3 feet off the wall — closer and you get scallops of light on the wall instead of on the floor.

IC rating

If insulation will sit against the fixture, it must be IC rated. A non-IC fixture buried in insulation is a fire risk, and it is a detail that gets missed in attic retrofits more often than it should.

Beam angle

A 60-degree beam spreads for general light. A 25-degree beam concentrates for accent. Mixing both in one room gives you a floor that is evenly lit and a piece of art that still stands out.

Related

For aimable accent light without cutting the ceiling, see track lighting. Where a can will not fit, surface mount fixtures cover the same job.