Downlights

If you're the sort of person who prefers to see the light produced by light fittings but not the fittings themselves recessed lighting may well be the best option for your home or office. Applied thoughtfully and installed properly, recessed lighting/down lighting can add a subtle air of contemporary glamour; as well as making smaller spaces feel larger than they actually are. Usually fitted into a ceiling opening, recessed lighting is a very common feature of new homes and renovations, but can also be fitted into existing homes using housings specifically designed for a pre-existing construction.

While you'll often see recessed lighting used for accent lighting (for highlighting a particular feature of a room) and general lighting, it is also well suited to task lighting; above a kitchen sink or a workbench for example.

• Baffles to reduce glare and focus the light
• Eyeball lenses so that you can shape the aperture until you achieve the desired effect
• Down lights, to send, often overlapping, cones of light directly down
• Wall washers which can help to open up a room when directed at objects on the walls
• Open trims, which let all of the light through - these decrease wastage and are probably the most environmentally sound choice

Another issue to consider when looking at different options for lighting your home with recessed lighting is the kind of lamps you're going to be using, there are two main types: directional lamps control the flow of the light by using reflectors and lenses while diffuse lamps mainly provide omnidirectional light. Whatever you decide to go with, you should consider using fluorescent rather than incandescent bulbs - they last much longer and are far more environmentally friendly.