Last week, Chris and I walked through the house and came up with a lighting plan for the entire house. I have a feeling that once we have the lighting optimized, we’re going to wonder how we’ve made it this long living in the dark. It’s strange because we have plenty of windows in our house, but beyond those windows are thick, tall trees, blocking a lot of the natural light, and a lot of our electricity in the main areas has been cut off with the renovations. Consequently, we’re tackling this from the inside and installing so many lights. We’re talking flush mounts, semi-flush mounts, chandeliers, pendants, sconces, and of course, recessed lighting.
Our Go-to Recessed Lighting
We get asked about our favorite recessed lighting a lot. This is our FAVORITE recessed lighting! We’ve installed the 4″ ones in our last two homes. I’m such a fan of these because they are ultra slim and don’t require any can or light housing. They’re 4″ in diameter, and you can even choose the color temperature you want. (I’m 3000K or bust!) Super easy to install and I love that the edging surface is really flat and doesn’t jut out. We’re going to be installing these in multiple places in the house.
Believe it or not, recessed lighting can be a bit controversial. I get it, and I don’t get it. I’d say recessed lighting wasn’t so common until about 15 years ago. Before that, rooms typically had just one central light source and maybe some table or floor lamps. Some are saying that recessed lighting is a trend that’s fading and that it’s time to simplify towards more traditional lighting. I say, put me in a box and I’ll find a way out. For instance, Anissa of House Seven Design added adorable flush-mounts in her kitchen. A great alternative to recessed lighting, and it adds so much interest to the space!
Are we installing recessed lighting in our house? Yes, and I’m really happy with that. Am I venturing out to lighting alternatives to recessed lighting? Also yes.
Specifically in our home office, we’re actually installing multiple flush mounts to the space. It’s a big room with a blank ceiling, and it’s in serious need of a lighting glow-up. I thought that adding multiple flush mounts would add some interest to the ceiling, and it’s a great alternative to recessed if you want to switch things up.
I cannot with this  Jean Stoffer Design‘s kitchen lighting! Mix and match those metals, and I see 1, 2, 3, 4 (if you look closely) lighting varieties in here! Outstanding.
Another beautiful example of multiple sources of lighting from Lauren Liess that doesn’t include recessed cans.
Alternatives to Recessed Lights
In the spirit of the debate, I thought it would be fun to share a round-up some great flush-mount alternatives to recessed lighting. I can see any of these appearing multiple times in a room. Which team are you on?
1. Gwynn Isle Dome Ceiling Light $85
2. Schoolhouse Flush Mount $107
3. Sculptural Glass Cone $99
4. Cadence Flush Mount $484
5. Hannah Bare Bulb $138 (Out of stock)
6. Metal Bell Flush Mount $169 (Out of stock)
7. Tapered Metal Hood with Brass $169 (Out of stock)
8. Nodes 1 $299
9. Cadet Flush Mount $196 (Out of stock)
10. Vintage Glass $199 (Out of stock)
11. Curved Metal Bell  $199 (Out of stock)
12. Pittock Semi-Flush $218 (Out of stock)
13. Young House Love Cone Pop $239
14. and 15. Crawford Flush Mount $319-99
16. Crawford Glass Flush Mount $339
Lighting is all the rage these days, and for good reason. It can truly make or break the look and feel of a room overall, which is why I’m so passionate about everyone knowing the difference between Lumens and Kelvins in any light bulb. Be sure to read this post, and also check out this Instagram Reel for a quick talk-through on lighting. A beautiful light fixture isn’t going to solve anything if your light bulbs are too orange, or too fluorescent, or too dim, or too bright. So I would say if you’re struggling with lighting in your home, maybe start with your light bulbs. It could change everything.
I like your choices..
Correction to list of fixtures: #4 (Cadence Flush Mount) is $206-$334-$484 (for S, M,L) as of 6/20/26.
Also, a misspelling in the paragraph below the list: it’s ‘fluorescent’ (but you knew that, :-) ).
We’re refreshing this post with some new picks for those out of stock, so stay tuned!
I loved this post! The tips on recessed lighting were super helpful, and I appreciate the alternatives you mentioned. It’s great to see different options that can add character to a space! Thanks, Chris and Julia!
I like the idea of flush mounts, but with only 9ft ceilings in my home, I worry putting too many will make my room feel smaller. Right now the lighting in my home is dismal. At least adding in some canned lights will brighten rooms up a bit. What do you think about solar tubes. The bedroom hallway is extremely dark in the middle of the day with all the bedroom doors closed (for reasons of keeping cats out of my room and our puppy out of everyone’s rooms – she chews EVERYTHING). We live in OK and get pretty good sunlight around the house. I had an idea to install a solar tube to bring in natural light but I don’t know the pros and cons or if there are major drawbacks. Love all your ideas and advice!
Gosh your posts always seem to arrive right on time for me- thank you! My trouble is deciding! We recently bought a 90s home and there are so.many.light.fixtures. to update.
Would you suggest using 3000k for a bathroom as well?
Yes!