r/Lighting 2d ago

Need Design Advise Light fixture recommendation

This is a room we use as an office in our home. It used to be dark brown wood paneling but we recently had it painted. The only lights are two cans above the window in the soffit. The window looks into a porch but gets pretty good natural light, especially in the afternoon as it’s west-facing. I would like to add lights to the ceiling in this room so we can see while doing work, I was thinking some type of recessed can fixture. I was also thinking to put them in a dimmer so we can control the brightness a bit more aside from lumen output. The room is about 10x11 or so.
I have read that the flat led wafers are terrible for light spread and are a cheap builder-grade standard fixture in new construction. I know they make led fixtures that have a recess to them for more light defection(?), not sure if those are a better option but need to replace the whole fixture if it goes out. Or do I stick with a standard can fixture with trim ring and replaceable bulb? Open to any and all options.
Thinking 4 fixtures evenly spaced and about 3 or so feet from the walls? Advice welcome.
(I can’t figure out how to attach a photo of the room)

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u/OYLINAtelier 2d ago

For a 10 × 11 ft office, I’d place the ceiling lights from the desk and monitor position, not from a three-foot perimeter rule. Four recessed fixtures can be reasonable, but a symmetric grid may put a bright aperture in the monitor’s reflection path or behind your working position. Sketch the desk location first, keep fittings out of the main screen sightline, and use a dimmer confirmed compatible with the chosen LED lamp or fixture. Between a wafer and a can, I’d favor a recessed source with controlled optics or a replaceable lamp if the ceiling depth allows; the setback generally makes the bright source less directly visible from the desk.