We are in the process of designing a new addition that will be built on our house. I am so VERY excited! The addition will include a new kitchen and laundry room. Both will be about twice the size of their current rooms. Yeehaw! I’ll go into detail about those rooms in other posts.
When the new addition is built, the wall between our current kitchen and living room will be knocked down to create a HUGE living room. The room will be about 25 ft x 20 ft. My problem is finding just the right type of overhead lighting to use. I need a little lot of help! Our living room right now has no over head lighting. We have to rely on lamps. And this, my friends, is a perfect example of terrible “recessed” lighting. This is what I am currently dealing with in our kitchen. YUCK!
What were the previous owners thinking? They lowered the ceiling in order to “recess” the lights. We are definitely going to change that. But what type of lighting should I use for the overall big room? Recessed lighting, chandeliers, maybe fans? I had recessed lighting in the house we built in Fallon. I LOVED it! Except for the twelve foot ceilings and my fear of heights when the bulbs needed to be changed. Granted our ceiling will only be nine feet high so that’s not a problem. What kinds of overhead lighting do you have or have had that you like? I need ideas!!
See, I want to be as ready as possible when the building starts so I’m gathering everything about design plans, cabinet details, lighting, flooring, paint colors, etc. that I want in one big binder. The lighting issue is just one step in this whole process. And I am at a loss.
Help.
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Monste, I’m sure whatever lighting you choose will be perfect! I’m so glad you found the farmers wife quilt sampler book. I found it the other day and Immediately thought of you and Syl. and Joa. and everyone else over there. Are you doing a fun block swap? If you are, JoAnne and I want to join… !
Can you have more than one type of lighting in the room? Personally I would do fans so the room can cool down without using the AC as much. I’m not sure what NV is like, maybe the AC is running constantly so there is no reason for fans. Recessed lighting is nice because you don’t have to worry as much about them gettung hit (something I pay attention to because I have 3 boys).
How exciting!! (And a bit daunting, right?)
I don’t know much about fans except that they are sure expensive to run here in Spain. But I would imagine they cost lest than air conditioning. You may want to see how much less before installing them.
I really liked the recessed lighting in our house in MN. We had it in the kitchen and adjoining family room. I’ll see if I can find a photo to send you. It was very simple lighting, nothing fancy.
My dream kitchen, that we recently had to leave:(, had spot lighting around the perimeter of the ceiling, right over the work areas (sink, countertops, etc.) They were adjustable so I could make it bright when necessary, but in the early morning when we were still trying to adjust our eyes and wake up, I would have them dim. The dimmer also came in handy when I had to get up and eat/drink during the night, or when my husband ate breakfast early in the morning before work.
The only downside, was that if I stood in one spot for a while, right under a light, and if they were on full brightness, and if it was summer time, I could get a little too warm.
Good Luck!
We just added the small round recessed lights to our living room, which had no overhead lighting either. We LOVE it. Though I haven’t had to change a bulb yet!! Our ceiling is sloped and probably around 12-16 in the middle. Then we have a Fan by our dinning table, which I also LOVE. I love fans, because I LOVE air flow. I hate AC because it’s not so fresh. I also love air currents, when it’s super hot. So there’s my thoughts. I’d mix a fan or two with the recessed.
I prefer a lot of recessed cans, with task lighting like pendants over work surfaces and under cabinet lights. It’s also fun to add some decorative lights over your table area…and sometimes an unexpected light like a small chandelier in the laundry room. 🙂
I am a HUGE recessed lighting person. (I was going to put fan, but I didnt’ want to confuse with the fan reference…..not to be thought of as a ceiling fan!) Anyhow, I think they give SO much light, for such little space they stake up. They don’t hange down and you can make them so they dim and create ‘the mood’ of the room! Can’t wait to see more on th addition. Someday we’d like to add on, but the economy right now…..our house appreciates for almost 1/2 what our loan is! OH WELL! Have fun, though!
I have can lighting, which I really like because you can directionalize the light – target some over where kids read/do homework, over the main work areas in the kitchen and then you can still have some ceiling fans with them. The lightbulbs can also be in softer light, which I prefer. And they transition well when you tear out your dropped ceiling too.
We added a fairly large addition on our home when we bought it. It serves as our everything room, so we put in several zones of canned lighting (lots of switches!) as well as two ceiling fan lights. This blends into the dining area and kitchen where we have a chandelier type over the table, cans over the bar and kitchen area, and a cute little light over the sink. All I know, is the more the better! We also put in HUGE windows so we have plenty of natural light. It limits the wall space, but the effect is worth it! Good luck! I’d love to come see it when it’s done!
Recessed all the way. You can do a fan as well, but I would do one without the light kit on it. My mom works for an electrical contractor and when my parents moved into their house a few years ago, he told her to hand over the plans so he could redo all the lights. lol! He even did recessed lights in the bedroom and everything is on dimmer switches. Good luck on your adventure of redesign. Sounds like fun!
You need to talk to my hubby. Send us the plans and he’ll give you some great ideas. We have four or five different options and it’s great. I’ll try and post pictures on my blog this week. And I’d love to do a block exchange. 🙂
Why don’t you mix it up. Using can lights and one or more fan lights, as well? You might have dimmers on the can lights for dining ambiance, when needed. Or even some sort of pendants if you are having any kind of breakfast bar in the kitchen area, or a folding counter in the laundry area. You may even consider some sort of drum shade or chandelier over the dining table.
I have the very same kind of lights in my kitchen! They are awful!!! My kitchen is already quite small, but to have a lowered ceiling just makes it so much worse. I’ll be very interested to see what you do in your kitchen. It will be quite a while before we get to redo ours, but someday it will happen, and I would like to know what works. How exciting to be remodeling! Good luck and I hope you have lots of fun with it!
I think track lighting is pretty chic right now. Some can be rigged so some or all of the lights turn on so you can set the mood by having less light… Or you could just use a dimmer switch.
Wall sconces that are aimed at the ceiling – the light reflects off the ceiling and makes a nice soft light for the living room. You can task light where needed – lamp next to a chair, etc.
Under cabinet lights are a great way to light work areas in the kitchen. I also like pendant light fixtures in the kitchen – some light shines down, some reflects off ceiling.
Best wishes,
We have a combination of can lights and fans with lights. I wish I had more can lights around the perimeter of our living room so you might think about that. I love our dimmers. Also, have lights controlled by different switches so you can turn on as many lights as you need. It would be worth the effort to send your plans to Princesa. You could also take the plans to an architect because one of their specialties is lighting. Good luck!
WOW! Thanks for all the suggestions everyone! Sylvia, I had no idea that Andrew knows about this stuff. I’ll definitely have to send you plans when they are more finished.
Definitely add the dimmers. And recessed lighting is a must especially above countertops.
I’ll throw in my two cents. We have recessed lighted than can be dimmed in our den/ family room. I love that early morning feedings or late night snuggles can have controlled lighting. If you can find adjustable lights, as well, that would be awesome. Then you can separate vingettes within the room – reading nook, highlight artwork, work areas, etc. Good luck.
I know it doesn’t solve the whole problem, but I love skylights. Natural light is so lovely. And if we end up staying in our home long term, I SO need to do a project like this, so hang on to all your wisdom for me, okay?
I would love to help with your lighting deilma. I have worked as an Interior designer for many years and my favorite is lighting. Let me know how I can help