Planning Pot Lights That Actually Look Good

Recessed lighting is the most requested item on our renovation projects, and the easiest to get wrong. Too many fixtures and a living room reads like a retail floor. Too few and you get pools of light with dark gaps between them.

Start with layers, not fixtures

A good plan has three layers: ambient light that fills the room, task light where you work — counters, desks, the range — and accent light on art, millwork or a fireplace. Pot lights usually handle the first two. The third is where sconces, pendants and linear fixtures earn their place.

• Spacing rule of thumb: divide ceiling height by two. A 9 ft ceiling suggests roughly 4.5 ft between fixtures.
• Keep fixtures 60–90 cm off the wall so light washes vertically instead of spotlighting the baseboard.
• 3000 K is warm and residential; 2700 K is cosier; 4000 K belongs in garages and workshops.
• Choose a CRI of 90 or higher so paint, wood and skin tones read correctly.
• Dim everything. A dimmable circuit is the cheapest way to make a room flexible.

The lighting plan should be settled before the drywall goes up. Moving a fixture afterwards costs ten times what it costs on paper.

One last detail that homeowners rarely think about: insulation contact and airtight ratings. In a Québec winter, non-rated fixtures in an insulated ceiling leak warm, humid air into the attic. Specify IC-rated, airtight housings and you protect both your heating bill and your roof deck.