Recessed lighting brings a sophisticated and inviting look to any room of your home, especially larger rooms like living rooms and finished basements. When they are focused on the right spots, they create a certain clarity and ambiance while illuminating particular work areas or art displays. However, recessed lighting installation is a complex job and should only be handled by an electrician in St. Charles MO because it involves multiple components and calculations.
As you browse the different types of recessed lighting, you may start to feel overwhelmed by all the options available to you. There are so many fixture types of fixtures to select from, each with its benefits and drawbacks. You’ll have to weigh those pros and cons before choosing, to see which type will best impact your room and overall design. If you’re not even sure you want recessed lighting, here are some pros and cons to help you decide.
Pros Of Recessed Lighting
Recessed lighting is an unobtrusive, convenient, easy to operate aspect of interior design. There are no cumbersome lamps to turn on, or multiple switches to manage. You can turn them on and off with the flick of a switch, and you can also dim them too, to get the perfect mood.
One of the biggest pros of recessed lighting is the fact that they’re ideal for rooms with low ceilings. They’re built right into the ceiling, so no lights hang down that you could bump your head on. This makes recessed lighting an effective application for low clearance-spaces such as a finished basement, game room, bathroom or hallway. Making the most use of the space you have is key here, and recessed lighting helps you achieve that.
The clear, focused light you get from recessed lighting is another benefit. If you have a room filled with artwork or antiques, for example, you can position your recessed lights to shine on those displays and highlight the strong design elements in that room. Additionally, they’re useful for illuminating reading areas, work desks, or dining tables.
They also work well in kitchens, where the unobtrusive, direct light can aid in your culinary endeavors, helping you to see your chopping, prepping and cooking areas well. You can focus them on specific areas such as islands, stoves and counters for the most light. A craft room or other hobby room is also a great place for this type of fixture, serving as an excellent source of task lighting.
Recessed lights work exceptionally well in bathrooms, such as above showers where they can act as waterproof fixtures able to withstand lots of steam and moisture. In the shower, hanging fixtures just aren’t practical or safe.
Cons Of Recessed Lighting
Recessed lighting can pose some energy efficiency problems in some cases. Holes must be cut in the ceiling and sometimes the walls, which opens up the possibility for air leaks. This could lead to higher energy bills for you if the job isn’t done right, as you could lose cold air in summer and heat in winter.
Another con is the “cave effect,” which is when there are many concentrated bright spots in one room, leaving the space along the walls comparatively dark. You may actually want to create this mood for some rooms, such as game rooms and home theaters, but for other rooms such as main living rooms, this effect can be distracting and could impact aesthetic quality.
To prevent the “cave effect,” you will have to install many recessed lights in all rooms, perhaps upwards of 10 in large spaces. This can be a pretty pricey proposition.
In the end, it all comes down to your personal preferences when deciding to add recessed lighting to your rooms.
Qualified Electrician & Lighting in St Louis MO
Recessed Lighting O’Fallon, St Charles & St Louis
If you are ready to book your appointment for recessed lighting installation, or get a consultation on whether you should contact us at 636-294-8562 to speak to our experienced electricians in St. Louis MO. We install energy-saving, insulation-friendly cans and cooler-running, longer-lasting Energy Star-certified LED bulbs.