Don't Stress! Here's How to Perfectly Space Can Lights in Your Kitchen
Installing recessed, or can, lighting is one of the most popular kitchen remodeling projects today. The goal is to illuminate the entire kitchen without any dark spots or shadows. But how do you determine the optimal spacing and layout? By following a few simple guidelines, you'll take the guesswork out of placing can lights and achieve perfect lighting for cooking, socializing, and more.
Read on to learn the typical spacing for standard ceiling heights, how to customize your layout, and handy tips for placing recessed lighting to get the most out of your kitchen.
How Far Apart Should Can Lights Be Spaced?
As a general rule, you should space can lights about half the height of your ceiling. For a standard 8 foot kitchen ceiling, that means placing lights roughly 4 feet apart. This evenly distributed spacing prevents dark spots while delivering sufficient overall illumination.
To determine the right interval for your kitchen, simply divide your ceiling height by two. For example, a 10 foot ceiling would require lights every 5 feet. Adjust accordingly for shorter or taller ceilings to maintain consistent coverage. The goal is to avoid visible shadows or dim areas in your kitchen.
Customizing Your Layout Based on Kitchen Size
While the basic spacing guideline is around half your ceiling height, you can tweak the distances based on the size of your kitchen. For smaller kitchens, spacing lights closer together at 2-3 feet produces uniform lighting throughout the compact room. You may only need 2-4 can lights total to sufficiently illuminate a small kitchen.
For much larger kitchens, you have more flexibility to spread lights further apart, up to 4-6 feet spacing. Keep in mind a spacious kitchen requires extra can lights, likely 8-12 total, to reach all corners and provide ample task lighting.
Focus Bright Task Lighting on Key Cooking Areas
While keeping lights evenly spaced delivers overall illumination, you'll also want to focus extra brightness on key kitchen tasks. Position lights slightly closer together above sinks, stoves, countertops, and other workstations where you need maximum visibility.
Islands benefit from recessed lights spaced evenly underneath—around 2 to 3 feet apart—to eliminate shadows. Reduce spacing to 2 feet for targeted task lighting around any food prep or cooking zones.
Guidelines for Placing Lights Properly
As you arrange your recessed lighting layout, keep these placement tips in mind:
- Allow 4-6 inches between lights and upper cabinets or walls to avoid glare and shadows.
- Avoid positioning can lights directly next to walls or in corners where they are less effective.
- Centered above kitchen islands, sinks, and cooktops are ideal spots for focused task lighting.
Choosing the Right Number of Recessed Lights
So exactly how many can lights should you install? The proper amount depends on your kitchen's size and layout as well as ceiling height. But a general rule of thumb is planning one recessed light for every 4-6 square feet of ceiling space. An experienced kitchen lighting electrician can recommend the ideal number of cans after assessing your specific space.
If unsure, it's better to install more lights than needed rather than too few. You can always leave extra lights off, but it's far better to prevent dark zones and shadows by having ample lighting. Plan for additional task lighting over key work areas like islands on top of your overall lighting.
Take Advantage of Dimmable Options
Many recessed light fixtures now offer dimmable capabilities. This allows you to control the brightness to suit different needs. You may prefer lower ambiance lighting over the dining table while keeping the cooking zones fully illuminated.
Dimmers add flexibility to tone down the lights for a quiet breakfast, while cranking them up to full brightness for meal prep. Choose dimmable cans to customize your lighting scene.
Now that you know the typical 4 foot spacing for 8 foot ceilings, or half your ceiling height, you can layout recessed lighting with confidence. Tailor the placement and number of can lights to fit your kitchen size and work zones.
With these simple guidelines, you can say goodbye to shadowy corners and enjoy perfectly even, task-focused lighting throughout your kitchen. No more angling for the light - just well placed can lighting exactly where you need it!