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livingreen2013

White recessed lighting on a cream ceiling?

livingreen2013
10 years ago

I just received this photo from our house that's under construction (an hour away) and don't know what to think about the recessed lighting that's going in. We have cream (Antique White-SW) ceilings and Dover White-SW crown molding and trim. Do these lights look as bad as I think they do? I've been so intentional and opinionated about the light fixtures, and don't want these to draw any more attention than they need to. Can you paint these? Are there creamier options? I'm waiting to hear back from our contractor, but in the mean time am looking for any thoughts or opinions from the GW gang. Thanks in advance!

Comments (13)

  • suzyqtexas
    10 years ago

    Lying in bed, I can look at our cream ceiling and white can lights, and it really doesn't bother me. But, the white cans on our wood stained ceiling was a different story, I sprayed painted those black.

  • suzyqtexas
    10 years ago

    Lying in bed, I can look at our cream ceiling and white can lights, and it really doesn't bother me. But, the white cans on our wood stained ceiling was a different story, I sprayed painted those black.

  • lucy0214
    10 years ago

    Our builder spray painted ours with the exact ceiling color. It looks great!

  • renovator8
    10 years ago

    I assume the recessed fixtures are 4" diameter but I've never seen such a large trim ring on such a small fixture. Most are no wider than 1/2". If the trim ring is metal you can spray paint it but you'll be taking a risk if it is plastic.

    Here is a link that might be useful:

  • livingreen2013
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Renovator8- I think you hit the nail on the head. I hadn't put that together that the main problem is probably the width itself. I'll have to inquire about that in the morning. lucy0214 and suzyqtexas- do you have any photos of your lights? Thanks again!

  • lucy0214
    10 years ago

    Everyone is asleep so this is the best I can get right now:)
    {{gwi:1433946}}

  • livingreen2013
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Wow, that does make a huge difference! Thanks so much lucy0124! Looks great!

  • virgilcarter
    10 years ago

    There are many, many sizes and finishes for recessed lighting fixtures. Reno's suggestion is a good one, ie, use fixtures with smaller trim.

    If you search Lightolier, Prescolite or other major manufacturers you will get a sense of what's available. Ask your builder what brand he is using and check their web site for options.

    As long as the ceiling finish and the light fixture trim finish are similar (and not contrasting with one another as described by another poster), they will be visually compatible. For maximum coordination, the interior of the can should also be similar (but this may affect the lighting intensity of the fixture).

    Good luck with your project.

  • gbsim1
    10 years ago

    We sprayed all of ours too. Different colors for different ceiling colors. We used paints from Lowes. Did test sprays on some scrap metal and used the colors that seemed closest.
    Anal I know but we also sprayed all the ceiling and wall air registers. :)

  • renovator8
    10 years ago

    Contractors like to use R20 lamps that are cheap to buy but expensive to operate. You should try some PAR20 halogen lamps possibly with frosted faces. There are also LED lamps that can be substituted and would start saving money in about 6 months.

    As for the ceiling, I would paint it white to take advantage of reflected light.

  • livingreen2013
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Thanks everyone! I'm busy doing research and taking all of your suggestions to heart. Definitely not digging "that" white. I had never thought about the register vents that are to come too!? Thanks again everyone!

  • lucy0214
    10 years ago

    They painted our register vents too and return vent:) The only think white on our ceilings ended up being smoke alarms.

  • dekeoboe
    10 years ago

    Anal I know but we also sprayed all the ceiling and wall air registers. :)
    Did you also paint your wall switch plates? I painted a number of those too.