Discover the best recessed lights for creating ambiance or accent illumination with this selection of dazzling options.
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10 Best Recessed Lights to Buy for Your Home
Recessed lights provide unobtrusive illumination, lighting up your living space without taking up space themselves. Because they sit outside of the perceived “room” they’re in, they help make ceilings appear taller and keep the focus on the objects they illuminate.
The two main parts of a recessed light are the housing (the part behind the ceiling) and the trim (the visible elements outside the ceiling), which come in a variety of styles. Whether you’re renovating your home or simply looking to upgrade your lighting, finding the best recessed lights can make a significant difference. Read on for the top-rated options on the market, plus insights on how to choose the perfect ones for your home.
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Best Overall Recessed Lights
Canless Adjustable LED Lights
These Commercial Electric LED Recessed Lights are a great balance of features and price. We love the easy-on night light feature (activated by a quick on/off flip of the wall switch) and the ability to select the color warmth before installation. You can choose to change the setting later, but it involves taking the light apart and reassembling it. These lights put out a bright 900 lumens at full power. They’re also wet rated, dimmable and come with a five-year warranty. Bonus: Check out this guide on recessed lighting installation.
Lumens: 900 | Color temperature (K): 2000, 2700, 3000, 3500, 4000, 5000 | Wattage: 15 | IC Rating: Yes
Via Amazon.com
Best Budget Recessed Lights
Halo Airtight Lights
If you’re building new or doing an extensive tear-out remodel, these Halo recessed lights, which come in a six-pack, are hard to beat—especially for the price. Plus, it also includes the white baffle trim for each light.
There’s nothing thin or slim about them, but they’re IC-rated, allowing them to come in contact with insulation, and their Air-Tite design minimizes any air seepage into the ceiling cavity. We also like the amusingly named “Got Nail!” feature, although it’s really just a standard nail ready to be hammered into place.
Lumens: 0 | Color temperature (K): 0Â | Wattage: 75 | IC Rating: Yes
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Best LED Upgrade for Existing Recessed Lights
Feit Smart Canned Recessed Lights
Looking to upgrade an existing incandescent recessed can light to a more energy-efficient LED model? There are a number of upgrade kits, but it can be a struggle to find one that is both dimmable and WiFi-enabled. However, this LED upgrade from Feit ticks all those boxes.
The adapter simply screws into the existing can light socket, then the ultra-thin trim pops onto the front of the light’s opening. It’s compatible with almost all dimmer switches, and you’ll immediately get the energy savings of an LED light along with the ability to custom select the light color temperature. Not to mention the welcome fresh face on your old fixtures.
Lumens: 1000 | Color temperature (K): 1000Â | Wattage: 11.1 | IC Rating: No
Via Lowes.com
Via Lowes.com
Juno Canless Wafer Recessed Downlight
The unique design of recessed lights allows them to be sealed against water penetration, making them a perfect choice for a shower installation. Lights like the Juno LED Recessed Light provide safe lighting in a shower setting. The Juno is IC-rated, and the relatively shallow depth of two-and-a-half inches makes for an easy installation. But it also has the one truly essential item for a shower light: it is “wet-rated.” (Some manufacturers describe their lights as “shower-rated” in an attempt to be extra clear about the intended use.)
Do not confuse “damp-rated” products with “wet-rated” lights. Damp-rated lights are designed for areas like enclosed porches that encounter moisture but no direct wetness. Damp-rated lights are unsafe for shower use.
Lumens: 850 | Color temperature (K): 3000Â | Wattage: 11 | IC Rating: Yes
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Best Recessed Lights for the Bathroom
Halo Narrow Beam Downlights
Outside of the shower, recessed lights aren’t a common lighting choice for a bathroom. This is normally because the downward-cast light puts large shadows on your face, hiding details in the mirror and making it difficult to shave or apply makeup. Luckily, gimbal (swiveling) lights like the Halo HLA4 Narrow Beam Downlights can save the day!
Gimbal lights swivel, putting the light exactly where you want it. These Halo lights are built on gimbals that provide a 30-degree tilt, full 360-degree rotation and a 40-degree beam angle. In short, they can direct light on the walls or on your face as you stand in front of the mirror.
These Energy Star-rated lights are dimmable, IC-rated and wet-rated. (Most bathroom light fixtures don’t need to be wet-rated if they’re not in the shower, but it’s a nice feature regardless.) They come with a matte white trim kit that will blend in nicely with most ceilings.
Lumens: 650 | Color temperature (K): 2700, 3000, 3500, 4000, 5000Â | Wattage: 10.2 | IC Rating: Yes
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Best Recessed Lights for a Smart Home
Commercial Electric Integrated LED Kit
If you love the convenience of having a smart assistant and infinitely adjustable lighting options, then the Commercial Electric Smart Recessed Light Kit is an excellent choice. Both wet and IC-rated, this light’s main focus is on smart home interactivity.
Part of The Home Depot’s multi-vendor Hubspace platform, these lights can be controlled by the Hubspace App (available on Apple and Android smartphones) or directly through your home’s WiFi and smart speakers. Turn the lights on or change their color with a simple command, or set up timers for convenience or added security when you’re away from home.
One caveat: Although this light can be dimmed with the Hubspace app, it is not compatible with wall dimmers, so you won’t be able to adjust the lights the old-fashioned way.
Lumens: 540 | Color temperature (K): 2700, 3000, 3500, 4000, 5000Â | Wattage: 9 | IC Rating: Yes
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Best Recessed Lights for a Stairwell
Halo Recessed Step Light
Not all recessed lighting is designed to be mounted in a ceiling. In fact, overhead lighting in a stairwell can be inefficient, casting shadows that obscure the stair treads. Instead, consider a wall or stair riser-mounted recessed light like the Halo Step Light to illuminate your steps.
The IC-rated stair light is well-designed, with louvered trim to keep the light on the steps and out of your eyes, making it perfect for a nighttime safety light.
Lumens: 0 | Color temperature (K): 0Â | Wattage: 25 | IC Rating: Yes
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Best Recessed Lights for Outdoors
Hampton Bay Integrated Deck Light
We’ve already mentioned recessed lighting’s strong waterproofing, an essential trait for any electrical fixtures that could be exposed to rain. A great example is recessed lighting designed to illuminate walkways, such as the Hampton Bay Integrated Deck Light Kit.
These recessed deck lights are low-voltage for safe and easy installation, but you’ll need to bundle either a 12-volt or 15-volt transformer with your purchase. The cast aluminum and powder-coat finish can withstand exposure to the elements.
Lumens: 40 | Color temperature (K): 3000Â | Wattage: 10 | IC Rating: No
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Best Recessed Lights for a Narrow Clearance
Halo Airtight Canless Recessed Light Kit
The rise of LED lights has allowed manufacturers to create lights that fit in tighter spaces than ever before. A great example is the Halo HLB6 Downlight. This ultra-thin (only a half-inch deep!) light is perfect for remodels or upgrades. It’s dimmable and has a five-option color selector that can be set before installation. It also has the Halo Air-Tite seal to prevent air leakage into your attic. These lights are dimmable down to five percent capacity, and at full brightness shed 1,061 lumens—roughly equivalent to a 75-watt incandescent bulb—all while only consuming 12 watts of power.
Lumens: 1061 | Color temperature (K): 3000Â | Wattage: 13.8 | IC Rating: Yes
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Best Mini-Can Recessed Lights
Commercial Electric Trimless Lighting Kit
A finalist for The Home Depot’s Innovation Award, the 2-in Gimbal Light from Commercial Electric provides adjustable lighting in a tiny package. Its gimbal design is perfect for shedding light on artwork or accent walls without drawing attention to the light fixture itself, plus it’s Energy Star certified. IC-rated, wet-rated and airtight, these lights are an excellent way to push a room’s existing ambient lighting system to the next level.
Lumens: 370 | Color temperature (K): 3000Â | Wattage: 6 | IC Rating: Yes
