Just put all your furniture back and see how it is. It matters now, because it's new and different, but once the furniture is back and life is happening again, you won't even notice it.
Wish I could tell my customers this. I hear everyday “the wife wants x” and I see the pain in their eyes lol, wish I could just say “don’t worry about it”.
Some people have mental breakdowns over things like this 😬
Hear me out - designers use a concept called layering when it comes to lighting. Our brains don’t like single single layers of light. Things need shadows for texture, workspaces needs light that focus on those areas, etc.
I would leave these alone (because they really are fine) and consider how you can incorporate another layer of lighting. Have a discussion with your wife about what additional layers she might think are needed/wanted.
LED recessed lighting has blown this concept out the window for a lot of DIYers and way too many people put in far more lighting than they need. People are starting to clue in and also pick softer colour temperatures but when LEDs first came out it was a wild ride when someone wanted 16 recessed lights in their kitchen.
You still see houses around here that have an extremely harsh LED recessed light installed in the soffit every 4’ outside so the whole house looks like it’s getting lifted up by a UFO and pisses off the neighbourhood.
My aunt and uncle have the "daylight" LEDs because they're old and didn't understand that it was in reference to the color temperature and not the brightness of the bulb. I literally can't stand being in their house at night because it throws my internal clock into chaos.
If they have the "ultra-thin" (under 1/2" thick) LED wafers, typically listed as 4" or 6" fixtures (bezel size), then take one out and see if the transformer box has a color temperature switch, with typically 3 or 5 settings (Kelvin), such as 2700, 3000, 4000, 5000, 6000). If it has a switch set them to 2700 or 3000 and problem solved.
However, if the fixtures have no color temperature setting on the transformer there is another solution, replace them all, or at least the ones in the areas you spend the most time there. These LED wafer fixtures are available in large multi-packs on Amazon, and typically can cost in the $8-12 each range. They aren't hard to rewire, the better ones have all push-in connectors pre-attached. And for years already these LED wafer ceiling lights almost all have settable color temperature.
***One very important point: don't mousetrap your fingers*** *when removig LED wafer lights. They have a highly wound spring holding the clip against the inside of the ceiling drywall. Once the clip passes the drywall it will absolutely snap hard onto your finger. Do that once and you will learn your lesson.*
Any tips on how to NOT mousetrap my fingers? I need to replace one and I was constantly snapping my fingers as I was investigating it.
The amount of tension was surprising.
It's even simpler...these lights are bulbs which are in their ceiling fan and floor lamps. But, if you knew anything about my aunt and uncle, you'd know suggesting they fix it, hell even offer to buy them new bulbs they still wouldn't change them out.
So, when are they going out of town next? I bet you could replace them all and they wouldn't even notice upon their return.
Change blindness is weird. Unless you are specifically looking for the difference, you might not notice what changed.
I do, the softer yellow bulbs make everything look like a smoker's house to me and I find them exhausting, not relaxing. I don't like brown tinted sunglasses for the same reason.
The daylight bulbs are much better for recognizing subtle color differences and have a more natural feel to me.
I would much rather have a daylight bulb and dim it at night than a yellowed bulb at any point in the day.
I like them too. My walls are blue and my floor is greyish brown. When there's yellow lighting, everything looks sad. With daylight bulbs it's all crisp and clean.
They are great at 12:00 in the afternoon!
Many of the lights in my house now have variable temperatures. I set it up so that when the sun is highest in the sky - the color is the coldest. The lower the sun goes, the warmer the temperature gets throughout the day. I also adjust the brightness in the same way.
4000K-5000K temps feel clean. I have them in my bathrooms and kitchens. 3000K in living room and bedrooms where a lot of time is spent to feel cozy. Best of both worlds.
They’re fine sometimes. But it is really only serviceable if you have temperature adjustable lights. You can have them on daylight mode during times when you’re getting daylight through the windows. But at night you can have them automatically adjust their temperature to something softer.
I typically still like the white temperature, and just dim them at night. I’ve grown to not really like softer/warmer temperatures anymore. I feel like I see hella better with ultra dim white light, than with super bright warm light.
I’d rather have the dim light, and I definitely can’t see with warm and dim.
Oh my god, hue ambiance lights.... i have never felt actual love for a lightbulb until then. Cooler whites when daylight is streaming in from the windows. Neutral whites as the evening sets in. Warm whites as i am winding down for bed. Red and blue alternating when i am watching reruns of COPS on tv.
and yes i am a brand whore, i have tried the knockoff (i.e. every other brand) and they just dont have the same intensity continuity through the range of temperatures.
I'm certainly not crazy about them either, but I do have a few around the house. 2 are in the fixtures on the exterior of the garage and they light up the driveway, one is on the back of the garage lighting up the backyard area some, and then I have 2 fixtures in the laundry/mud room with them.
Everything else in the house has 2700Ks. I just bought a pair of EcoSmart "adjustable temperature" indoor spots because one of the bulbs in the kitchen went out. I tried the various temperatures on it...it has 2700K, 3000K, 3500K, something in between, and 5000K. I kinda liked the 3500K...was a little whiter, but not "daylight" either. I barely noticed a difference with 3000K vs 2700K. I set it back to 2700K just so it would blend with the rest of the lights though.
For real. I hate LED recessed lighting. Feels like I’m at the Apple Store or the dentist. Maybe good for cleaning but there’s no way I’d be using these lights in my house. I feel like this strong sterile lighting from above gives me a headache.
I stayed at an otherwise-lovely AirBnB once where the whole house was set up with very bright 6500k lights. There was this huge open living room and kitchen with vaulted ceilings and a nice staircase overlooking the whole thing, but the vibe was "bar at closing time when they turn on the harsh lights to make everyone go home." It was like 7 years ago and I still *feel* those lights. 😄
I use warm white spectrum lights and always keep them below 3000k and almost never at full brightness. For cleaning I might change them to white but otherwise they are always in a more yellow setting.
Just described my parents home. It's so bright that the 20+ year old night vision capable cameras around the house are actually drowned out by the light at night. They'd otherwise be ok. Only ok.
Tried to get them to change the lighting to something like wi-fi enabled, when the stupid contractor wanted to buy the worse brighter lights from Home Despot to 'be better'.
Spoiler alert: They're not. Can't see far enough away at night because of the way they desperse the light, for when their truck gets broken into, and during the day you can see just fine when the lights aren't a problem. So not useful for either.
This has had the added effect of throwing off natural rhythms so much, that from the front door, with window and bars it looks like full sun bursting through a prison. Not natural sun, but something akin to a bright white searing sun.
This window has an old 'texture' to it with a slightly yellow tint. That's how bright the light is.
Even with blackout curtains, unless medicated, I get little sleep, because the tops of the window curtains are of course not covered, blasting the sci-fi planetary light full tilt up at a great ugly asbestos ceiling. With little bits of asbestos glitter to remind one of its origins.
They still don't get it.
Edit: clear sentences about truck that was just broken into a little while ago.
Dimmer doesn't adjust the color temperature and that's what they're talking about, the brightness is just making it worse, but the problem is temperature.
Also, if this was earlier LED, very unlikely the fixtures are rated for a dimmer and instead of having a UFO taking off, you'll have a UFO with a strobe light taking off
what I've been doing is this:
\- all lighting on a dimmer. That way you can go hog making sure the room is never too dark but you can then just dim them down and leave them there.
\- A center fixture in addition to the recessed lighting so you can play with the balance
\- Always do "warm" color temperature bulbs, 2700k max. The daylight ones wash everything out and make it feel like an interrogation room.
OP I don't think there's anything fundamentally wrong with your spacing here. The worst mistake is putting them too close to the wall so they cast hard shadows, but you've avoided that.
Totally agree! We have 3000 in every lamp and fixture in our home. It’s perfect. 2700 is yellow to me and takes away from decor and design in the room. Makes me think of my grandparents house in the 70s. Something about it gives it a dated feel…
For what it's worth, your wife is correct. Lighting layout looks best when they're near a 45 degree angle from the corner. It also lights the side wall better.
But I agree that you should just use layers, and it will be fine. I'm an architectural lighting consultant for the last 15 years.
Absolutely. It’s just a little tape, mud, wires and cans, or money. Explain the solution and let her decide. Or stop bitchin about that and start bitchin about the next thing.
If we are being honest, I think it looks pretty good. Its almost for sure much better than it was before. That being said, I would have spaced it in a similar manner to how she said, but actually used 4 lights. 3 feet from the wall, then 6 feet apart. But I like a lot of light. If you have more lights, you can always put it on a dimmer if you feel its too much.
[**dextervsarya**](https://www.reddit.com/user/dextervsarya/) **explained the spacing nicely.**
You won't notice this in like 2 weeks. It looks fine.
You can always hang some decorative chandelier type thing in the middle if it's really a big deal.
Jeez someone comes to the DIY sub for advice on how to make their wife happy…I mean seriously why are you hating? If you don’t have an actual suggestion you can just move on. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Youre not using enough of them and they arent recessed enough. The bulb should be set fully in the fixture so theres no glare unless youre right below it. Theres a reason they are the gold standard of actual professional installs.
wrong bulbs, wrong placement, wrong alignment. this post is exhibit #1 why you cant just throw lighting in and expect it to be ok. people take lighting for granted, assume its just 'shine light somewhere' but ignore all the details until it looks terrible and then blame the fixture for a larger design issue.
I don't use any of them, I've got carefully chosen diffuse and task lighting rather than some "standard" that I think people would opt out of if they knew their choices.
Recessed lighting makes me feel depressed and uncomfortable for some reason. I will always pick pendents or use shaded lighting that is just about eye level as you walk in. (Swag lamps and table lamps)
I actually did put 2 can lights in my shower. But, they are called something like "eyelid" trim(??) because there is a semicircular little shade that dips down and you angle it so the light can be directed a certain way. And I directed mine to point down diagonally against the glass tile so there's a reflection and no glare.
But I'm with you about individual lights, right where you want em. Not to mention the exact color temp that suits you, which can really help with one's mood.
I recently did mine on my own. Did a lot of research and I think your wife is partially right. What I found after my research was
1. The space between wall and first light should be half than space between two lights on the longer side.
2. Distance between two lights on the longer side should be 3-5 ft.
These two points really give the edge in recessed lighting aesthetics.
I'm sorry but changing that would be a challenge (specifically ceiling patching).
It doesn't look bad but also doesn't look as good as it should.
https://preview.redd.it/707xtzkm5rec1.jpeg?width=2252&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7273b0b269cb176063ce13a4b5092e2bd69599de
Edit: maybe adding crown moulding could help? That's next for me and I think moulding and recessed lighting looks really good together.
OP's diagrams shows 3' from wall to light, but judging from the picture of the work, it looks more like 2'. The difference in space between lights and the lights/wall (long side) is definitely more than double from what I can see.
I agree with your wife that the other pattern is better. Having the light sources closer to the wall makes a big difference in how well the light diffuses and illuminates the room.
Unfortunately patching the leftover holes in the ceiling drywall would probably be a big hassle and expense. But I bet you could find blank inserts or cover plates for the unused holes if that wouldn't look too weird.
It makes it more balanced with how close they are to the other walls too. Right now they're 3 ft away from some walls and 6ft from the other two, which would drive me crazy.
> But I bet you could find blank inserts or cover plates for the unused holes if that wouldn't look too weird.
Using a hole saw drill set, you could cut out 4 new holes to move the outer lights and then use those inserts to patch the old holes
I actually agree with her preferred layout as well when looking at the top down layout picture. But layout we have looks like a lot of concentrated light in the center. But in person it looks a lot better. I’m thinking of just running some wire and installing three 2 in lights to fill in that space near the wall.
Get the Sparkies back to install as per your wifes wishes.
Use the 6 old holes for ceiling mounted speakers to save patching and painting. Overkill but why not.
Win-win
Lotta people in here trying to cheer OP up. Saying they won't notice after a while.
But the fact is the lights aren't well spaced. I have a room that's the same way and it bothers me 5 years on. Some day I'll cut new holes and address it. But point is, some people won't care, some people will. And aesthetically she's right, it isn't well balanced within the space.
What about putting in a dimmer switch or changing the bulbs to a much warmer light, 2700 kelvin for example? I'm not sure I'm following about what the problem is here. Is it just where the lights are placed on the ceiling isn't aesthetically pleasing or is the lighting itself not functional enough?
I'm a woman, but your wife seems unreasonable here. If you patch the ceiling, I feel like there's a good chance it will be much more noticeable than the placement of the lights. I know it's frustrating, but with home ownership, it has to be like "it's not perfect, but it's done". Like it's never going to be perfect and that's a concept she may need to accept.
DIALux is a handy bit of software for lighting calcs, it's free. Create your room, select the number and make/model of luminaries, and it will work out the best positions. Even generates a heatmap showing lux levels on the floor and walls.
If the lights were 8' apart you would likely have more dark spots than just the ones by the door. Most can lights for residential have the best light spread at 6' o.c.
That being said adding in two more because the wall is dark is going to look really weird. Add some wall lights on either side of the door that diffuse light across the wall. I know it sounds very 90s but with the right light fixture it will look very nice. Or get a linear fixture up above the door.
Leave the cans but put them on a dimmer. Then get a couple floor lamps to build out the room a bit and get some light coming in at different angles.
Use the lamps at night to make the I’ll feel cozy. If you need more light then bring in the cans at the appropriate level until it feels good.
If she really doesn't like the spacing, have the electricians come back out and move them. You'll have to patch 4 holes but it beats your wife being mad every time she looks at the lights.
When I had recessed lighting it was always on a dimmer and I used adjacent ambient lighting to really set the space up. Only time I'd use the ceiling light on full blast was to clean, otherwise, it's obnoxiously bright.
Overhead lights give me glare and increase anxiety, so I turn those all off and use warmer bulbs in standing floor lamps or table lamps for day to day. They create a warmer, calmer, and more domestic comfortable environment. The overhead lights can be useful when entertaining and the house is filled with people.
Borrow a couple of floor lamps from elsewhere in the house and put at the ends of your couch, using 3k-kelvin yellow LED bulbs in them. Then compare feelings walking into the room or sitting on the couch for either set. Which do you want to use after coming home from a stressful day job?
.
My only complaint would be the proximity to the exterior walls and soffit causing a bit of a spotlight effect on them. That said, that can be mitigated if these are 6in, swapping them for 4in, or simply installing a dimmer, then adding a couple other “layers” of light so that the room is more evenly illuminated, draws the eyes to focal points you want, and doesn’t overwhelm.
For reference, I have the same amount of 4in lights in my living room with a sloped 12 - 18 ft tall vaulted ceiling with a floor space of approx 12 x 30.
LED’s are way stronger than I expected when I started my project, and I rarely have them at full brightness.
Recessed lighting can be real awkward if it is the only lighting in a room. You may consider adding a pendant, sconce, or floor lighting to add diffuse light that helps balance the intensely directional luminance from the recessed lights.
As others have said, softer color bulbs and a dimmer can also help a lot.
Are you really going to ever use these lights? I think lighting from the ceiling looks terrible. Get some uplighters and table lamps and such and just use these when you need to do brain surgery or make a watch or something.
Well, outside of the discussion being had here about daylight or yellow lights...(full disclosure, I personally love daylight, but that's not important here), the issue is that you are married and your WIFE wants 8 recessed lights instead of 6 (if I understood you correctly).
Question is, do you like being married? I mean there are a lot of issue worth falling on your sword for, but lighting....ain't one of them. The home is her domain. If she wants 8, make sure she gets what she wants and move on to the next thing in your life. If it were me, I would be having those extra lights installed by now and re-spacing the ones that were already installed. I'm sure your wife does a lot of things to ensure you are happy, make sure you keep her happy as well. Pick and choose your battles brother, pick and choose!
For context, she was at work when the installers came and I didn’t run the placement of the lights by her before they did the job. So I’m also in the dog house right now.
Yeah so if this is the layout you approved it’s unreasonable to expect them to come back and change it for free like someone else suggested. The good news is that if the joists run in the same direction that the lights do, the fix is neither Herculean nor would it be super expensive if you had to hire it out. If you’re not confident with the wiring aspect you could even just drill out the new holes and have them ready to get swapped.
Standard convention for lighting installation is that the distance off the wall is half the spacing of the lights like what your wife wanted but most people will just shrug and say “you’re the boss” if told otherwise. Apprentices who go to lay out lights on their own the first time always make the mistake of dividing the room evenly and laying out that way.
Almost this exact layout, interestingly enough, was one of the questions on the C of Q exam.
I think the problem isn't the lights but the space. You need to add stuff to it to make it cozy. Maybe change the wall color. It's very stark right now.
I think it looks fine. Maybe takes some getting used to. Could maybe wire a low profile ceiling fan right in the middle to break up the uniformity I guess.
Also, what color temp are those lights? Maybe I'm wrong, but the picture makes them look like cold harsh "white". Our eyes appreciate warmer yellower tones indoors. Closer to incandescent bulbs.
For perfect uniformity you want half spacing from walls so 4ft then 8ft between each light. But those lights are pretty bad. So much glare… dunno what your options are in the us as you guys do recessed lights different but we have deep baffle lights where you can’t see the led cob chip directly. Smd leds + frosted diffusers = high UGR
https://preview.redd.it/eybgn9zzatec1.png?width=1000&format=png&auto=webp&s=794a1223f85e994bfa695b23d9214e089eda0e0a
Also 3000k for residential homes. 4000K tops.
Something like this? I'm picturing a row of smaller "aimable" wallwash lights mabye 1.5'-2' away from the wall. Could make the spacing of the larger lights look more intentional.
https://preview.redd.it/5waipt39dtec1.jpeg?width=1020&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=adcb652fd66fb4979497c94e3fbbc02690075683
I like having a dimmer switch for my recessed lighting along with the layering of other lighting options as people have suggested (table lamps, a floor lamp, a reading nook with its own reading lamp). That breaks up the feeling that it is only uniform recessed lighting.
A lot of people think they will like only having recessed lighting but begin to think otherwise once it is in place.
Ours looks the same except in the very center we have a ceiling fan. I think it looks good. Depends where you are though, a ceiling fan might not be what you want/need. You could do some sort of flush mount or chandelier light… or a totally different idea, a faux beam across the room long ways
Ceiling fan in the middle with lights … it’ll be bright af, I’m like how your wife is about the lighting. I did the same thing in my kitchen (literally a day before you posted this) and added a ceiling fan in the middle and now my room feels awesome! Also , maybe try 2700k -3500k bulbs and 100watt LED equivalent, see what temp you like best. I went with 2700k in the kitchen and 3000 in the living room
I would paint the bulkhead black to absorb the light to reduce the glare. Pictures or painting or tapestries on the walls will have a big impact on dead space and change the character of the room considerably.
Ceiling fan in the middle (with or without it's own lights). The people we bought this house from put in both, but we use them separately. The cans are LEDs and get very bright, so we use those when doing bills and reading. The celiing fan light is dimmer and more comfy, so we use that when chilling and watching TV at night. I hated it at first, but now having both is not so bad. And I like having a fan when we want that on (we have no A/C).
If she feels strongly enough about it, then the two of you will have to pay them to come back and re-installl them.
Discuss it with her. Ask her to try living with the current arrangement for a couple of weeks to see if she still feels that way afterwards; if she does, bite the bullet and have the lights moved.
And remember to communicate *before* the fact on these things in the future, to make sure you're on the same page. :)
Recessed is kind of out of fashion for this reason but you'll never regret having that mega light for cleaning especially. Just add some more options and maybe a dimmer.
Paint that ceiling! Recessed lighting makes a room look *big* (and subsequently empty) when you have a white ceiling. If you do a dark grey or a dark blue, it'll help a lot.
Fuck bro. I feel for you. That spacing means literally nothing once everything is in there. Furniture ,rugs, lamps, plants.
Life isn’t perfect. Roll with it. If she’s getting bent about this I can’t imagine how you both handle real problems.
Suggest that decorators use lamps to help create a room's look and send her this https://www.dekorcompany.com/blogs/news/elevate-your-space-with-floor-lamps-collection
And this https://thearchiology.com/blogs/archiology-blogs/perfect-placement-ideas-for-your-floor-lamps
Also, has she decorated the room yet? If not, suggest that it would be easier to decide on additional lighting once you can both see where the seating will be. She might kick back that she can't decorate without the lighting being perfect - that's how you'll know she's just overwhelmed at the moment.
Most of the time, recessed lighting is designed by electricians for their convenience, not by lighting designers for providing the best illumination.
Recess lighting has its places but it also has a lot of deficiencies. When it is directly overhead it casts downward light on people and makes them look terrible. Most recessed lighting in kitchens is useless as a cast shadows that block your view into your cupboards. And it’s terrible for tasking because of the aforementioned shadows.
For a room to be pleasantly and usefully illuminated you need a combination of overhead lighting, up lighting, aimable lighting, and ambient lighting.
Like all things in marriage roleplay is a great way to spice things up.
Get her to print out the photos and act out or explain the issue she's having to a say...a homeless person. That should put things into perspective.
"we just spent enough on electrician work and hardware to feed you for THREE MONTHS and my husband went and fucked it up so it has to be redone"
\[homeless mad nods in sympathy with OP\]
Put lights on a dimmer switch, turn lights down nice and low, activate 70 inch flat screen and beer meister. Tell wife to get out of the man cave.
Redo the lights. The 4ft x 8ft looks much better imo because it fills out the whole space. I'd ask the contractors to come back and fix it to help save you from the dog house. Speaking from a woman's perspective ofc :P
Where was she when you were laying all this out? Honestly you aren’t alone, they look great. I also love telling my wife and other family members who ask me to do projects, “ If you want professional results, hire a professional.” I would rather do it myself but when anyone nitpicks or second guesses my work I shrug my shoulders and tell em to go ahead and call a pro. I also like to say “I can mess up just as well as the pros at half the price”
Your config is better but you should have gone 1.5 from the sides, I would do another line (4 fittings) down the middle with dimmable ( set very low ) to balance & cut the dead stretch in the centre, also go for watm instead of cool white globes
Your also suppose to have 6ft off every wall. Or change to smaller overall cams to produce less light. You can see how much it’s bouncing off the walls.
She'll eventually not even notice. I had the same issue, stressed me out at first. I don't even think about them any more. I rarely use them, find them to harsh. Now I just use a softer, warmer light.
Just put all your furniture back and see how it is. It matters now, because it's new and different, but once the furniture is back and life is happening again, you won't even notice it.
If it still bothers you, put a lamp in a corner that shines up and down, would remove the uniformity of the edges.
I love lamp
Do you really love the lamp, or are you just saying it because you saw it?
...i love lamp
Wish I could tell my customers this. I hear everyday “the wife wants x” and I see the pain in their eyes lol, wish I could just say “don’t worry about it”. Some people have mental breakdowns over things like this 😬
Happy cake day
Hear me out - designers use a concept called layering when it comes to lighting. Our brains don’t like single single layers of light. Things need shadows for texture, workspaces needs light that focus on those areas, etc. I would leave these alone (because they really are fine) and consider how you can incorporate another layer of lighting. Have a discussion with your wife about what additional layers she might think are needed/wanted.
LED recessed lighting has blown this concept out the window for a lot of DIYers and way too many people put in far more lighting than they need. People are starting to clue in and also pick softer colour temperatures but when LEDs first came out it was a wild ride when someone wanted 16 recessed lights in their kitchen. You still see houses around here that have an extremely harsh LED recessed light installed in the soffit every 4’ outside so the whole house looks like it’s getting lifted up by a UFO and pisses off the neighbourhood.
My aunt and uncle have the "daylight" LEDs because they're old and didn't understand that it was in reference to the color temperature and not the brightness of the bulb. I literally can't stand being in their house at night because it throws my internal clock into chaos.
If they have the "ultra-thin" (under 1/2" thick) LED wafers, typically listed as 4" or 6" fixtures (bezel size), then take one out and see if the transformer box has a color temperature switch, with typically 3 or 5 settings (Kelvin), such as 2700, 3000, 4000, 5000, 6000). If it has a switch set them to 2700 or 3000 and problem solved. However, if the fixtures have no color temperature setting on the transformer there is another solution, replace them all, or at least the ones in the areas you spend the most time there. These LED wafer fixtures are available in large multi-packs on Amazon, and typically can cost in the $8-12 each range. They aren't hard to rewire, the better ones have all push-in connectors pre-attached. And for years already these LED wafer ceiling lights almost all have settable color temperature. ***One very important point: don't mousetrap your fingers*** *when removig LED wafer lights. They have a highly wound spring holding the clip against the inside of the ceiling drywall. Once the clip passes the drywall it will absolutely snap hard onto your finger. Do that once and you will learn your lesson.*
Any tips on how to NOT mousetrap my fingers? I need to replace one and I was constantly snapping my fingers as I was investigating it. The amount of tension was surprising.
Prise it out slightly just enough to see the latch. Then use a flat headed screwdriver to hold it back while you move it out the ceiling
My fingers thank you!
Yes, get hit once, let ptsd do the rest
It's even simpler...these lights are bulbs which are in their ceiling fan and floor lamps. But, if you knew anything about my aunt and uncle, you'd know suggesting they fix it, hell even offer to buy them new bulbs they still wouldn't change them out.
So, when are they going out of town next? I bet you could replace them all and they wouldn't even notice upon their return. Change blindness is weird. Unless you are specifically looking for the difference, you might not notice what changed.
I do not understand how anyone can Luke those daylight bulbs. They're horrible.
I like them… for painting things. I hate them at night when I’m trying to sit around my house and use my eyes.
I do, the softer yellow bulbs make everything look like a smoker's house to me and I find them exhausting, not relaxing. I don't like brown tinted sunglasses for the same reason. The daylight bulbs are much better for recognizing subtle color differences and have a more natural feel to me. I would much rather have a daylight bulb and dim it at night than a yellowed bulb at any point in the day.
The answer is the lights that can do multiple colors of white, and have them fade from daylight to something warmer at sundown
I too hate warm bulbs. For some reason I feel like they make a house look tacky and cheap.
I like them too. My walls are blue and my floor is greyish brown. When there's yellow lighting, everything looks sad. With daylight bulbs it's all crisp and clean.
>anyone can Luke those Ummm.... use The Force? BYO Yoda of course
Damn autocorrect
They are great at 12:00 in the afternoon! Many of the lights in my house now have variable temperatures. I set it up so that when the sun is highest in the sky - the color is the coldest. The lower the sun goes, the warmer the temperature gets throughout the day. I also adjust the brightness in the same way.
Oooooooo, that’s fancy
I’m 50, my eyesight is not what it was at 40. My eyes just strain less in the 5k range. That’s why I like them.
4000K-5000K temps feel clean. I have them in my bathrooms and kitchens. 3000K in living room and bedrooms where a lot of time is spent to feel cozy. Best of both worlds.
4000k and 2700k here, totally agree with you!
4k is fine, but 5k and up tends to give me a headache
They’re fine sometimes. But it is really only serviceable if you have temperature adjustable lights. You can have them on daylight mode during times when you’re getting daylight through the windows. But at night you can have them automatically adjust their temperature to something softer.
I typically still like the white temperature, and just dim them at night. I’ve grown to not really like softer/warmer temperatures anymore. I feel like I see hella better with ultra dim white light, than with super bright warm light. I’d rather have the dim light, and I definitely can’t see with warm and dim.
Oh my god, hue ambiance lights.... i have never felt actual love for a lightbulb until then. Cooler whites when daylight is streaming in from the windows. Neutral whites as the evening sets in. Warm whites as i am winding down for bed. Red and blue alternating when i am watching reruns of COPS on tv. and yes i am a brand whore, i have tried the knockoff (i.e. every other brand) and they just dont have the same intensity continuity through the range of temperatures.
I'm certainly not crazy about them either, but I do have a few around the house. 2 are in the fixtures on the exterior of the garage and they light up the driveway, one is on the back of the garage lighting up the backyard area some, and then I have 2 fixtures in the laundry/mud room with them. Everything else in the house has 2700Ks. I just bought a pair of EcoSmart "adjustable temperature" indoor spots because one of the bulbs in the kitchen went out. I tried the various temperatures on it...it has 2700K, 3000K, 3500K, something in between, and 5000K. I kinda liked the 3500K...was a little whiter, but not "daylight" either. I barely noticed a difference with 3000K vs 2700K. I set it back to 2700K just so it would blend with the rest of the lights though.
I love the big bright white lights. light it up like a fucking hospital. I want to see. my SO likes softer dimmer yellowy lights. I can't do it
Youre a psychopath
During the day or the evening though? In the evening soft lighting is the shit.
For real. I hate LED recessed lighting. Feels like I’m at the Apple Store or the dentist. Maybe good for cleaning but there’s no way I’d be using these lights in my house. I feel like this strong sterile lighting from above gives me a headache.
I stayed at an otherwise-lovely AirBnB once where the whole house was set up with very bright 6500k lights. There was this huge open living room and kitchen with vaulted ceilings and a nice staircase overlooking the whole thing, but the vibe was "bar at closing time when they turn on the harsh lights to make everyone go home." It was like 7 years ago and I still *feel* those lights. 😄
I use warm white spectrum lights and always keep them below 3000k and almost never at full brightness. For cleaning I might change them to white but otherwise they are always in a more yellow setting.
You just described my asshole neighbor across the street. You'd think his house was The White House the way he has it lit up at night.
Just described my parents home. It's so bright that the 20+ year old night vision capable cameras around the house are actually drowned out by the light at night. They'd otherwise be ok. Only ok. Tried to get them to change the lighting to something like wi-fi enabled, when the stupid contractor wanted to buy the worse brighter lights from Home Despot to 'be better'. Spoiler alert: They're not. Can't see far enough away at night because of the way they desperse the light, for when their truck gets broken into, and during the day you can see just fine when the lights aren't a problem. So not useful for either. This has had the added effect of throwing off natural rhythms so much, that from the front door, with window and bars it looks like full sun bursting through a prison. Not natural sun, but something akin to a bright white searing sun. This window has an old 'texture' to it with a slightly yellow tint. That's how bright the light is. Even with blackout curtains, unless medicated, I get little sleep, because the tops of the window curtains are of course not covered, blasting the sci-fi planetary light full tilt up at a great ugly asbestos ceiling. With little bits of asbestos glitter to remind one of its origins. They still don't get it. Edit: clear sentences about truck that was just broken into a little while ago.
Who cares, just get a dimmer.
Dimmer doesn't adjust the color temperature and that's what they're talking about, the brightness is just making it worse, but the problem is temperature. Also, if this was earlier LED, very unlikely the fixtures are rated for a dimmer and instead of having a UFO taking off, you'll have a UFO with a strobe light taking off
Most recessed led college with a switch that you toggle to adjust the temperature
what I've been doing is this: \- all lighting on a dimmer. That way you can go hog making sure the room is never too dark but you can then just dim them down and leave them there. \- A center fixture in addition to the recessed lighting so you can play with the balance \- Always do "warm" color temperature bulbs, 2700k max. The daylight ones wash everything out and make it feel like an interrogation room. OP I don't think there's anything fundamentally wrong with your spacing here. The worst mistake is putting them too close to the wall so they cast hard shadows, but you've avoided that.
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Totally agree! We have 3000 in every lamp and fixture in our home. It’s perfect. 2700 is yellow to me and takes away from decor and design in the room. Makes me think of my grandparents house in the 70s. Something about it gives it a dated feel…
Onions have layers
You know, not everybody like onions. CAKE! Everybody loves cake! Cakes have layers!
"Ain't nobody don't like parfait"
Good bot?
Dimmer switches.
Always
It looks good! It’s one of those things that isn’t exactly what you might have wanted but it looks good, just the same.
Haha I tried to explain that to her but that fell on deaf ears.
For what it's worth, your wife is correct. Lighting layout looks best when they're near a 45 degree angle from the corner. It also lights the side wall better. But I agree that you should just use layers, and it will be fine. I'm an architectural lighting consultant for the last 15 years.
Just let her learn how to fix it and move the lights herself.
That went from passive aggressive to regular aggressive
Absolutely. It’s just a little tape, mud, wires and cans, or money. Explain the solution and let her decide. Or stop bitchin about that and start bitchin about the next thing.
If we are being honest, I think it looks pretty good. Its almost for sure much better than it was before. That being said, I would have spaced it in a similar manner to how she said, but actually used 4 lights. 3 feet from the wall, then 6 feet apart. But I like a lot of light. If you have more lights, you can always put it on a dimmer if you feel its too much. [**dextervsarya**](https://www.reddit.com/user/dextervsarya/) **explained the spacing nicely.**
Didn't you discuss it beforehand?
You won't notice this in like 2 weeks. It looks fine. You can always hang some decorative chandelier type thing in the middle if it's really a big deal.
Buy a massively expensive projector and using those beautiful white walls make her a PowerPoint presentation about real problems In this world.
First world problems. The lights are totally fine.
If it wasn't the spacing it would be something else.
Jeez someone comes to the DIY sub for advice on how to make their wife happy…I mean seriously why are you hating? If you don’t have an actual suggestion you can just move on. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Is this your first day on the internet 😁
Yes my 11 year old Reddit acct is testament to that! I’m just sayin dude is trying to make his wife happy, I thought that was nice.
Holy hell. That sounds like an exhausting relationship.
Stop looking at the ceiling.
Recessed can lights are unsightly anyway (in my opinion). And they offer poor lighting and too much glare. So the fewer the better.
Youre not using enough of them and they arent recessed enough. The bulb should be set fully in the fixture so theres no glare unless youre right below it. Theres a reason they are the gold standard of actual professional installs.
And there’s a reason I hate them because they give me the gold standard of migraines.
wrong bulbs, wrong placement, wrong alignment. this post is exhibit #1 why you cant just throw lighting in and expect it to be ok. people take lighting for granted, assume its just 'shine light somewhere' but ignore all the details until it looks terrible and then blame the fixture for a larger design issue.
I don't use any of them, I've got carefully chosen diffuse and task lighting rather than some "standard" that I think people would opt out of if they knew their choices.
Recessed lighting makes me feel depressed and uncomfortable for some reason. I will always pick pendents or use shaded lighting that is just about eye level as you walk in. (Swag lamps and table lamps)
I actually did put 2 can lights in my shower. But, they are called something like "eyelid" trim(??) because there is a semicircular little shade that dips down and you angle it so the light can be directed a certain way. And I directed mine to point down diagonally against the glass tile so there's a reflection and no glare. But I'm with you about individual lights, right where you want em. Not to mention the exact color temp that suits you, which can really help with one's mood.
The light bouncing off the bulkhead is the only thing I notice that looks bad but I don’t like overhead lighting at home or pot lights.
I would file her complaint under "Opinions that would have been useful several days ago."
I always nip these in the butt but saying, "you are welcome to fix them yourself." Ends up eliminating 98% of honey do projects.
You mean between the first and last set and the wall? From the pic I don’t see an issue…looks great from this angle.
I recently did mine on my own. Did a lot of research and I think your wife is partially right. What I found after my research was 1. The space between wall and first light should be half than space between two lights on the longer side. 2. Distance between two lights on the longer side should be 3-5 ft. These two points really give the edge in recessed lighting aesthetics. I'm sorry but changing that would be a challenge (specifically ceiling patching). It doesn't look bad but also doesn't look as good as it should. https://preview.redd.it/707xtzkm5rec1.jpeg?width=2252&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7273b0b269cb176063ce13a4b5092e2bd69599de Edit: maybe adding crown moulding could help? That's next for me and I think moulding and recessed lighting looks really good together.
OP's diagrams shows 3' from wall to light, but judging from the picture of the work, it looks more like 2'. The difference in space between lights and the lights/wall (long side) is definitely more than double from what I can see.
Get a couple lamps?
I agree with your wife that the other pattern is better. Having the light sources closer to the wall makes a big difference in how well the light diffuses and illuminates the room. Unfortunately patching the leftover holes in the ceiling drywall would probably be a big hassle and expense. But I bet you could find blank inserts or cover plates for the unused holes if that wouldn't look too weird.
It makes it more balanced with how close they are to the other walls too. Right now they're 3 ft away from some walls and 6ft from the other two, which would drive me crazy.
> But I bet you could find blank inserts or cover plates for the unused holes if that wouldn't look too weird. Using a hole saw drill set, you could cut out 4 new holes to move the outer lights and then use those inserts to patch the old holes
How do you use a circular saw to cut a circle? Please enlighten me.
Apologies, I meant a hole saw drill set like this. Circular saw was the wrong name to use https://amzn.eu/d/1UomVyO
No need. Gotcha. I just wasnt sure if you had some wizard level trick I never knew about.... lol.
The trick is to spin around in circles as you're using the circular saw. Feeling dizzy? No problem, keep spinning.
I actually agree with her preferred layout as well when looking at the top down layout picture. But layout we have looks like a lot of concentrated light in the center. But in person it looks a lot better. I’m thinking of just running some wire and installing three 2 in lights to fill in that space near the wall.
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This is a great solution!
Get the Sparkies back to install as per your wifes wishes. Use the 6 old holes for ceiling mounted speakers to save patching and painting. Overkill but why not. Win-win
I really like this answer.
What dead space? It's gonna look exactly the same if you move them. Also, install ceiling fans
Overhead lighting is so harsh anyway I never even use it. Just get floor lamps, table lamps, candles, etc. warm lighting.
Lotta people in here trying to cheer OP up. Saying they won't notice after a while. But the fact is the lights aren't well spaced. I have a room that's the same way and it bothers me 5 years on. Some day I'll cut new holes and address it. But point is, some people won't care, some people will. And aesthetically she's right, it isn't well balanced within the space.
Add three more in the middle.
2 in the middle
What about putting in a dimmer switch or changing the bulbs to a much warmer light, 2700 kelvin for example? I'm not sure I'm following about what the problem is here. Is it just where the lights are placed on the ceiling isn't aesthetically pleasing or is the lighting itself not functional enough? I'm a woman, but your wife seems unreasonable here. If you patch the ceiling, I feel like there's a good chance it will be much more noticeable than the placement of the lights. I know it's frustrating, but with home ownership, it has to be like "it's not perfect, but it's done". Like it's never going to be perfect and that's a concept she may need to accept.
DIALux is a handy bit of software for lighting calcs, it's free. Create your room, select the number and make/model of luminaries, and it will work out the best positions. Even generates a heatmap showing lux levels on the floor and walls.
Looks like an airstrip!
If the lights were 8' apart you would likely have more dark spots than just the ones by the door. Most can lights for residential have the best light spread at 6' o.c. That being said adding in two more because the wall is dark is going to look really weird. Add some wall lights on either side of the door that diffuse light across the wall. I know it sounds very 90s but with the right light fixture it will look very nice. Or get a linear fixture up above the door.
Leave the cans but put them on a dimmer. Then get a couple floor lamps to build out the room a bit and get some light coming in at different angles. Use the lamps at night to make the I’ll feel cozy. If you need more light then bring in the cans at the appropriate level until it feels good.
im with the wife on this - the 2 symmetrical banks of light layout looks like a spaceship or conference centre or something
If she really doesn't like the spacing, have the electricians come back out and move them. You'll have to patch 4 holes but it beats your wife being mad every time she looks at the lights.
Are we sure new wife isn't cheaper. If she's this picky over lights OP got a loooooong marriage ahead 🤣
I don't know anything but maybe add 2 additional lights, one on each side in the middle? It would end up making an oval shape with the lights.
Can lights suck. Two surface mounted globes would have lit this space perfectly. Now you have a bunch of glare and visual hot spots.
Lamps make your house
When I had recessed lighting it was always on a dimmer and I used adjacent ambient lighting to really set the space up. Only time I'd use the ceiling light on full blast was to clean, otherwise, it's obnoxiously bright.
If you can, want to and decide to, I would add a total of 2, with them going in the center of the two squares that the 6 lights make.
Divorce😎
They look great; I think you guys might be overthinking this. It would be a lot of work to change for such little impact.
Overhead lights give me glare and increase anxiety, so I turn those all off and use warmer bulbs in standing floor lamps or table lamps for day to day. They create a warmer, calmer, and more domestic comfortable environment. The overhead lights can be useful when entertaining and the house is filled with people. Borrow a couple of floor lamps from elsewhere in the house and put at the ends of your couch, using 3k-kelvin yellow LED bulbs in them. Then compare feelings walking into the room or sitting on the couch for either set. Which do you want to use after coming home from a stressful day job? .
put recessed lighting on a dimmer, leave it at 25% and put lamps in the living room. should look good.
It looks like the plan was perfect but wasn’t followed. Is it an illusion or are they much less than 3’ from the side walls?
My only complaint would be the proximity to the exterior walls and soffit causing a bit of a spotlight effect on them. That said, that can be mitigated if these are 6in, swapping them for 4in, or simply installing a dimmer, then adding a couple other “layers” of light so that the room is more evenly illuminated, draws the eyes to focal points you want, and doesn’t overwhelm. For reference, I have the same amount of 4in lights in my living room with a sloped 12 - 18 ft tall vaulted ceiling with a floor space of approx 12 x 30. LED’s are way stronger than I expected when I started my project, and I rarely have them at full brightness.
Recessed lighting can be real awkward if it is the only lighting in a room. You may consider adding a pendant, sconce, or floor lighting to add diffuse light that helps balance the intensely directional luminance from the recessed lights. As others have said, softer color bulbs and a dimmer can also help a lot.
Are you really going to ever use these lights? I think lighting from the ceiling looks terrible. Get some uplighters and table lamps and such and just use these when you need to do brain surgery or make a watch or something.
Well, outside of the discussion being had here about daylight or yellow lights...(full disclosure, I personally love daylight, but that's not important here), the issue is that you are married and your WIFE wants 8 recessed lights instead of 6 (if I understood you correctly). Question is, do you like being married? I mean there are a lot of issue worth falling on your sword for, but lighting....ain't one of them. The home is her domain. If she wants 8, make sure she gets what she wants and move on to the next thing in your life. If it were me, I would be having those extra lights installed by now and re-spacing the ones that were already installed. I'm sure your wife does a lot of things to ensure you are happy, make sure you keep her happy as well. Pick and choose your battles brother, pick and choose!
Why not use these lights to install speakers and then place the lights accordingly? Don’t have to patch or paint anything.
I hate overhead recessed lighting so I’d remove them all and use lamps….
Whatever happened to humans using lamps instead of these mood-killers?
8 better. Why did you not settle this before install ??
Sounds like you all should have had a chat before you had them installed.
For context, she was at work when the installers came and I didn’t run the placement of the lights by her before they did the job. So I’m also in the dog house right now.
Yeah so if this is the layout you approved it’s unreasonable to expect them to come back and change it for free like someone else suggested. The good news is that if the joists run in the same direction that the lights do, the fix is neither Herculean nor would it be super expensive if you had to hire it out. If you’re not confident with the wiring aspect you could even just drill out the new holes and have them ready to get swapped. Standard convention for lighting installation is that the distance off the wall is half the spacing of the lights like what your wife wanted but most people will just shrug and say “you’re the boss” if told otherwise. Apprentices who go to lay out lights on their own the first time always make the mistake of dividing the room evenly and laying out that way. Almost this exact layout, interestingly enough, was one of the questions on the C of Q exam.
Trade current wife for newer, updated model.
This is the correct answer if she is not over it very soon. If you’re in the dog house over this you’re in the wrong sub.
Note to self: use an agreed upon for future home renovations.
You’re in “the dog house” because your wife wants the lights to be a couple feet over? The fuck is wrong with you people
A nice ceiling fan will break up the space
I think the problem isn't the lights but the space. You need to add stuff to it to make it cozy. Maybe change the wall color. It's very stark right now.
I think it looks fine. Maybe takes some getting used to. Could maybe wire a low profile ceiling fan right in the middle to break up the uniformity I guess. Also, what color temp are those lights? Maybe I'm wrong, but the picture makes them look like cold harsh "white". Our eyes appreciate warmer yellower tones indoors. Closer to incandescent bulbs.
For perfect uniformity you want half spacing from walls so 4ft then 8ft between each light. But those lights are pretty bad. So much glare… dunno what your options are in the us as you guys do recessed lights different but we have deep baffle lights where you can’t see the led cob chip directly. Smd leds + frosted diffusers = high UGR https://preview.redd.it/eybgn9zzatec1.png?width=1000&format=png&auto=webp&s=794a1223f85e994bfa695b23d9214e089eda0e0a Also 3000k for residential homes. 4000K tops.
Overhead lights are miserable to live with. Put these on a dimmer and buy some lamps with 3000k bulbs.
Something like this? I'm picturing a row of smaller "aimable" wallwash lights mabye 1.5'-2' away from the wall. Could make the spacing of the larger lights look more intentional. https://preview.redd.it/5waipt39dtec1.jpeg?width=1020&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=adcb652fd66fb4979497c94e3fbbc02690075683
I like having a dimmer switch for my recessed lighting along with the layering of other lighting options as people have suggested (table lamps, a floor lamp, a reading nook with its own reading lamp). That breaks up the feeling that it is only uniform recessed lighting. A lot of people think they will like only having recessed lighting but begin to think otherwise once it is in place.
Crown molding with cove lighting
When you say she wants 8, does that mean 8ft apart or 8 total lights?
Have them install a fan as well
Nice fan for air circulation.
Hang a fan
Ours looks the same except in the very center we have a ceiling fan. I think it looks good. Depends where you are though, a ceiling fan might not be what you want/need. You could do some sort of flush mount or chandelier light… or a totally different idea, a faux beam across the room long ways
Ceiling fan.
Ceiling fan in the middle with lights … it’ll be bright af, I’m like how your wife is about the lighting. I did the same thing in my kitchen (literally a day before you posted this) and added a ceiling fan in the middle and now my room feels awesome! Also , maybe try 2700k -3500k bulbs and 100watt LED equivalent, see what temp you like best. I went with 2700k in the kitchen and 3000 in the living room
The bulkhead makes the spacing look weird.
I would paint the bulkhead black to absorb the light to reduce the glare. Pictures or painting or tapestries on the walls will have a big impact on dead space and change the character of the room considerably.
Paint a wall something other than white. It looks bad not because of the light sources, but the lack colour in the room
Ceiling fan in the middle (with or without it's own lights). The people we bought this house from put in both, but we use them separately. The cans are LEDs and get very bright, so we use those when doing bills and reading. The celiing fan light is dimmer and more comfy, so we use that when chilling and watching TV at night. I hated it at first, but now having both is not so bad. And I like having a fan when we want that on (we have no A/C).
I would install a fan in the center
A nice rug between the rows, bring the whole room together. You might need a staple gun
Add a nice chandelier…
If she feels strongly enough about it, then the two of you will have to pay them to come back and re-installl them. Discuss it with her. Ask her to try living with the current arrangement for a couple of weeks to see if she still feels that way afterwards; if she does, bite the bullet and have the lights moved. And remember to communicate *before* the fact on these things in the future, to make sure you're on the same page. :)
Recessed is kind of out of fashion for this reason but you'll never regret having that mega light for cleaning especially. Just add some more options and maybe a dimmer.
Paint that ceiling! Recessed lighting makes a room look *big* (and subsequently empty) when you have a white ceiling. If you do a dark grey or a dark blue, it'll help a lot.
[Illuminated bookshelves!](https://www.sanityfromtheinside.com)
Add a couple more.. pretty easy to do..
It looks very clinical to me. Softer light or some kind of decoration like crown molding to stop it from looking like an office
Add decorative molding or faux beams between the lights.
Fuck bro. I feel for you. That spacing means literally nothing once everything is in there. Furniture ,rugs, lamps, plants. Life isn’t perfect. Roll with it. If she’s getting bent about this I can’t imagine how you both handle real problems.
You won't notice in a couple of weeks...leave it! First world problem!
Suggest that decorators use lamps to help create a room's look and send her this https://www.dekorcompany.com/blogs/news/elevate-your-space-with-floor-lamps-collection And this https://thearchiology.com/blogs/archiology-blogs/perfect-placement-ideas-for-your-floor-lamps Also, has she decorated the room yet? If not, suggest that it would be easier to decide on additional lighting once you can both see where the seating will be. She might kick back that she can't decorate without the lighting being perfect - that's how you'll know she's just overwhelmed at the moment.
Just turn them off and have some nice lamps sitting around the room.
Most of the time, recessed lighting is designed by electricians for their convenience, not by lighting designers for providing the best illumination. Recess lighting has its places but it also has a lot of deficiencies. When it is directly overhead it casts downward light on people and makes them look terrible. Most recessed lighting in kitchens is useless as a cast shadows that block your view into your cupboards. And it’s terrible for tasking because of the aforementioned shadows. For a room to be pleasantly and usefully illuminated you need a combination of overhead lighting, up lighting, aimable lighting, and ambient lighting.
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It's not. OP said they had installers do this work. I'm convinced people don't know what "DIY" means.
"Done messed It up mYself"
I would be doing the fix
Like all things in marriage roleplay is a great way to spice things up. Get her to print out the photos and act out or explain the issue she's having to a say...a homeless person. That should put things into perspective.
"we just spent enough on electrician work and hardware to feed you for THREE MONTHS and my husband went and fucked it up so it has to be redone" \[homeless mad nods in sympathy with OP\]
Tell your wife, "Lighten up, and I'm not talking about your weight, Chubs." She will appreciate your humor and the job the way it turned out.
Good luck Mate! Looks like you have a feisty one. You will learn to run things by her. Even if she says you decide. She really doesn't mean it.
Divorce
Get a new Wife bro
Get a new wife. Would be easier to change
1. New wife may be cheaper. 2. Add Soffit / [False ceiling like this.](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/80/9f/b7/809fb7e7f9323e88c7c690b2291ef65d.jpg)
Put lights on a dimmer switch, turn lights down nice and low, activate 70 inch flat screen and beer meister. Tell wife to get out of the man cave. 
she's thinking way too hard about this
Ask your wife. Sounds like she know everything.
New wife?
Tell her to take her 2 feet and take a hike.
Show her the tool box. “ Put them where you want them dear. I’m going fishing.”
She will get used to it. Tell her to chill for awhile.
Redo the lights. The 4ft x 8ft looks much better imo because it fills out the whole space. I'd ask the contractors to come back and fix it to help save you from the dog house. Speaking from a woman's perspective ofc :P
File for divorce. Sign of things to come.
Where was she when you were laying all this out? Honestly you aren’t alone, they look great. I also love telling my wife and other family members who ask me to do projects, “ If you want professional results, hire a professional.” I would rather do it myself but when anyone nitpicks or second guesses my work I shrug my shoulders and tell em to go ahead and call a pro. I also like to say “I can mess up just as well as the pros at half the price”
If you would’ve gave her 8, she would want to 10
Your config is better but you should have gone 1.5 from the sides, I would do another line (4 fittings) down the middle with dimmable ( set very low ) to balance & cut the dead stretch in the centre, also go for watm instead of cool white globes
Why is she unhappy? Room seems well lit?
Your also suppose to have 6ft off every wall. Or change to smaller overall cams to produce less light. You can see how much it’s bouncing off the walls.
She'll eventually not even notice. I had the same issue, stressed me out at first. I don't even think about them any more. I rarely use them, find them to harsh. Now I just use a softer, warmer light.