A good general rule for placement is to divide the height of the ceiling by two. The result is the amount of space to leave between each light. For example, recessed lighting spacing for an 8-foot-high ceiling would be 4 feet between each light. This will provide good spacing for general room lighting.

How many recessed lights do you need per square foot?

Measure your room to see how many fixtures you will need. A common rule of thumb is that you use one recessed light for every 4 to 6 square feet of ceiling space. Doing so provides even, overall illumination.

How far away from upper cabinet should be recessed lights?

How far should recessed lights be from the kitchen cabinets? If you have upper cabinets, another good rule of thumb is to center the lights with the edge of your countertops. In most homes, that means that lights will be roughly 25 inches from the wall.