modern living room with recessed lighting in ceiling

Advantages and Disadvantages of Recessed Lighting

Lighting is one of the most essential elements in home decor. When done right, it combines style and functionality to light up spaces properly. If you’re building or renovating your house, you may have heard about recessed lights, also known as can lights. They differ from hanging light fixtures because they’re installed above the ceiling line. Here are a few advantages and disadvantages of recessed lighting:

Advantages of Recessed Lighting

One of the major benefits of recessed lighting is to provide more coverage area. Because recessed lights are spaced throughout the ceiling, it’s easier to light up every corner of your room uniformly. Homeowners usually opt for recessed lights in kitchens, living rooms, and closets.

Another advantage of can lights is that they come in a variety of styles. Although they’re notoriously more discreet than a chandelier, it’s a common mistake to think that all recessed lights look the same. For example, an eyeball trim can help with wall-wash lighting, while the reflector trim is more suitable for mirrored surfaces.  

Finally, recessed lighting is great for highlighting objects and art pieces. In this article, an architect from New York shares a few tips to add interest and ambiance to your rooms.   

Disadvantages of Recessed Lighting

While recessed lights work great in many cases, there are a few disadvantages that you may want to consider before installing them. First, you’ll have to cut holes in your ceiling. Then, you’ll have to run several cables—unless you use a junction box. If at some point you regret using can lights, this is all for nothing.

The other issue with recessed lights is that they are unidirectional, which means that you typically need more than one to light up your rooms properly. To avoid wasting money, do your research to find the type of can light that best suits your needs. If you need a little help, our specialists at JDP Electric can offer some advice!

We hope this blog sheds some light (pun intended) on the pros and cons of recessed lighting. JDP Electric has been serving the Fargo area for over 15 years, and we’d love to help you, too. Feel free to drop us a line or call us at (701) 232-1991 if you any questions or concerns.

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