I had posted this in the lighting forum but it does not seem to be getting much traffic yet.

I am remodeling my kitchen and struggling to figure out which recessed lights to get, how many to get and where to put them. I would appreciate any help.

The kitchen is about 12' X 12' and just over 8' high.

I would like to use efficient lighting if the cost is not too prohibitive (most likely I will not be here long enough for the extra cost to pay for itself). I plan to use LED under counter lights.

I have access from above in the attic which is unfinished. The joists are only 4" high and attached to those are 3/4" strips and below those is lathe, plaster and 3/8 blueboard. So from the bottom of the joists to the finish surface of the ceiling is basically 2". So even though I have access because of this I believe that IC rated remodel cans make the most sense (the collar on the IC rated new construction cans does not seem to protrude down very far). The 3/8 blueboard has not been put up yet so I could possibly mount new construction cans to the lathe from below but would need to make a big opening.

6" cans?

My original plan was to go with 6" cans. Below is the design I came up with with the help of someone at a lighting store (the numbers along the top and down the side are in feet). This was based on using 75W Halogen bulbs. The blue light would be a pendant above the sink. But I now have two concerns:

- Will 6" cans look bad in a 12' by 12' room with an 8' ceiling?

- I had this idea that either now or in the future I could use Cree CR6 bulbs. Since I would not have to buy trim rings the different is about $30 per can. However a 75W PAR30 is listed at 1100 lumens and the CR6 is listed at 575 lumens (even though it is rated at 65W). So unless I am missing something this plan would not work. If I was confident in the result I would consider designing around Cree CR6's.

I have not really looked into CFL cans but the dimmable ones I have seen have been disappointing.

I think smaller cans would look better but I believe if I go down to 4" I would need more of them and don't know how to determine how many I need or where to put them. It would also be more expensive. I also looked at low voltage 4" halogen and one thing I discovered is that they do not make a IC rated remodel version which I believe is the best option based on the construction of my ceiling.

Thank you for looking

Rupert