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| I am remodeling my kitchen and going to get rid of that big out of date fluorescent monstrosity in the center of my kitchen. Going to go with recessed lighting and some pendant lights over an island. My question is what are peoples views of what types of recessed lighting to get. I am thinking about 4" halogens with mr16 bulbs that are 50W apiece but might be suitable for upgrade later with LED when price drops more. Currently, LED fixtures seem ridiculously expensive to me. What are others using these days for kitchen remodels?
Here is a drawing I have showing my proposed light layout. The lights over the island are going to be pendants. __________________ |
Here is a link that might be useful: My Layout
Follow-Up Postings:
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| You asked, so my view is that you will get worse lighting for a lot more electricity with cans compared to that "monstrosity." Recessed lights have no indirect lighting component and produce harsh shadows unless you turn the ceiling into swiss cheese. They are by far the worst possible choice for general illumination of a workspace. If you must replace the efficient, even, low cost lighting you have now, I suggest you go with surface mount and/or pendant fixtures. |
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| I realize that what I have is more efficient unless I go with CFLs which may be better than the halogen. Currently, I have 8 4 foot tubes which are probably 40 watts each so I agree that if I go with 50 Watt incadescant or halogens that my energy usage will go up. What I have looks dated and I want to upgrade the looks as well as light my kitchen well. |
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- Posted by numbersjunkie (My Page) on Fri, Dec 3, 10 at 11:32
| I used the 6" cans with the Cree cr6 bulbs sold by home depot. The cans cost <$10 each and the bulbs were $50 each. Not expensive at all in my opinion. They provide good general lighting and can be dimmed. I will also have a few pendants over my island and under cabinet lights for task lighting. Most lighting designers will tell you that you should have several types of lights - general lighting, task lighting, and accent lighting. |
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| Maybe I should go with something like this [img]http://www.tahoekeyshome.com/images/cfl.jpg[/img] |
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| What I have looks dated ... You are correct - the most efficient and effective lighting is out of style. That's why you want to get rid of it. I wouldn't, but then I'm not planning to sell my home any time soon ... There are more stylish lighting options which provide respectable lighting performance and decent efficiency, without causing heat loss/gain through multiple holes in the ceiling. That's why I suggested surface and pendant mount fixtures, but not recessed. BTW, I like your picture. That's very attractive! :) But I'm afraid it won't work in my house. Our ceilings are too low. :) |
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| I have seen your other posts and see your view on recessed lighting. I am trying to do a compromise between energy and style. I am not going to do the halogens as first planned and will do recessed CFLs. Your thoughts? |
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| We put CFL's in cans in our kitchen ceiling and are happy with the light they provide. If you use air-tight, insulated cans, the heat loss/gain from holes in your ceiling is alleviated somewhat. My only issue with the CFL's is that they take several minutes to warm up fully. They start up at maybe 25% of full brightness. We'll probably replace them with LEDs once the price comes down more. The plan you posted above will probashould plenty of light with limited shadows. |
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| Boy I wish there was an edit function on this board. The last paragraph should read: The plan you posted above should provide plenty of light with limited shadows. |
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| Won't it end up costing you more to replace them with LEDs later? Won't you have to replace the entire can? I'd be more inclined to go with LEDs now. Plus, apparently the quality of lighting is better. What is the price difference? Any suggestions for good LED recessed lights? |
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| The LED bulbs just screw into the same can. We picked the CFLs up for about $30 a six pack compared to $50 for each LED. The LEDs weren't even available when we got the CFLs. The way the price has dropped since they came on the market, I wouldn't be surprised to see them for $25 each a year from now. |
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- Posted by johnorange (My Page) on Tue, Dec 28, 10 at 16:17
I understand outdated monstrosities....  This fixture put out lots of light....but then the kitchen was awfully small too. I remodeled and enlarged and changed to can lighting and a ceiling fan with its light. I haven't been impressed with the can lights but then I haven't finished all of the other lighting so hopefully it will fill out then. I intend to hang pendants over the bar area.  |
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| The way the price has dropped since they came on the market, I wouldn't be surprised to see them for $25 each a year from now. Posted by robj on Sat, Dec 4, 10 at 10:29
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