Lighting design for open floor parlor

Hey! Looking to get some insights from the community on lighting decisions for my open floor parlor level.

The room is laid out as (front) living –> kitchen –> dining (back) and currently has 12 recessed cans in the ceiling. I’m removing the ceiling (to add insulation, decouple, and double sheetrock to help with sound transfer from the floor above) which seems like the right time to make changes to the lighting. The recessed lights not only hurt the soundproofing but they also bath the whole room in total even light. There’s no drama, warmth to it really.

I was thinking about adding 2-3 pendants above the kitchen island and then maybe another one above the dining table. Any other considerations I should keep in mind? Recommended resources?

Also, are there designers who focus on this that’d be worth working with?

Guest User | 4 years and 6 months ago

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Guest User | 4 years and 5 months ago

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Delayed in getting back, thanks for the replies JPDA & Brokelin. I don’t particularly care for the recessed lights at all but see them in so many renovations that I didn’t want to get rid of all of them without first understanding why. Part of the issue is that it’s 4 lights per switch and with the open floor plan if you turn 1 switch on you’re pretty much lighting most of the room.

I’m leaning towards keeping 2 of the 4 that are over the cabinet and stove area to help with lighting for cooking but then swapping the other 2 out for pendents over the island. Putting them on separate switches to allow for just the pendents. Then, likely remove all the others in favor of a chandelier over the dining area and maybe another ceiling fixture over the living room area. Then, also have a floor lamp or wall lamp/scone in a couple other places.

Appreciate the advice! (and welcome more from others who have it) With the soundproofing in the ceiling there’s a lot less flexibility to make changes and I’m thinking about my own use and future owners as well.

JPDA | 4 years and 6 months ago

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Most people don’t like recessed downlights because they haven’t seen them used properly. They definitely shouldn’t be the ONLY source of light, and they are ideally placed in such a way that they add drama and focus to certain areas and are used in conjunction with other light sources.
Adding pendants of varying size and height will help lead your eye to specific zones within the space (sitting area, dining table, kitchen counter etc) and help to break up the open plan.

brokelin | 4 years and 6 months ago

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Other than the fact that they reduce soundproofing and provide uneven lighting, do you like the cans? I’d consider taking them out. There’s a whole bunch of people (count me as one) who don’t like them in older homes. I much prefer lighting provided in any other style more appropriate to the period of the home – pendants, sconces where wall space free of furniture permits, and the use of freestanding floor lamps and table lamps.) Your living and dining rooms will look so much better.

I can see keeping some in the kitchen if you like them – the room is no doubt modernized well beyond the original, so the can lights don’t look out of place there, and you need brighter lighting for tasks in a broader area than in most other rooms, and there often isn’t the floor or table space for lamps, and you might not want them in the way in there anyway.