There are few topics more divisive among designers than recessed lighting.

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“I’m not a hater, but I hate can lights,” quipped Leanne Ford on an episode of The Expert Podcast. Host Jake Arnold agrees, “I have clients who get scared and want to put tons of them everywhere ‘just in case’,” he says. Rather than flooding a ceiling with spotlights, many designers are ditching recessed fixtures in favor of purposefully underlit spaces that exude warmth, mystique, and romance.

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While table lamps, pendants, and sconces emit a welcoming glow, cans stand unmatched in their ability to cast bright, ample lighting over a large surface area. So is recessed lighting worth the investment or should you skip it entirely? 7 Experts weigh in.

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Those in Favor

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Proceed With Caution

Everything is bigger in Texas, including the homes—which is why Katie Davis is pro can light, but never as the sole fixture in a room, “I use a lot of lamps and pretty pendants or chandeliers,” she says. “Large rooms sometimes need recessed lighting for functionality, but if I can avoid it, I try.”

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A Light Source for Every Scenario

Clara Jung of Banner Day Interiors has a maximalist mentality, especially in utilitarian spaces: “We try to include at least four types of lighting in a kitchen,” says the Expert. “We have under-shelf strips, sconces, pendants, and recessed lights. They all serve different purposes. You can't just focus on the one time a day you're chopping vegetables.”

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Those Opposed

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Put Overhead Lighting to Bed

For Shannon Eddings, spotlights are nothing but a hindrance to evenings of rest and relaxation, “I encourage people not to install tons of recessed cans. Harsh overhead lighting is not conducive to a romantic, conversational atmosphere,” she says. Instead, the Expert recommends installing eye-level wall fixtures.

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Lower Your Lighting (Not Your Standards)

A decorating hill Cameron Ruppert is ready to die on? Swapping out can fixtures in favor of more ambient sources, “I have a very strong opposition to them and I avoid them at all costs,” she says. “They feel cold and they cast shadows on your face. The lower the light source is, the cozier the room will be.”

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Avoid if you Can

In this sprawling Connecticut country home, Georgia Tapert Howe was adamant about ditching the spotlights in favor of more ambient sources, “Clients often think I’m crazy when I suggest pulling out all the recessed spots, but in this instance, they just weren’t needed.”

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Say Goodbye to Sterile Lighting

There’s a time and place for everything, and according to Leanne Ford, can lights belong in the OR: “We’re not performing surgery in the kitchen,” she says. “ Ambient lighting is so important, I always feel better when the lights are darker. It makes the biggest difference in a space.”

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Set Up Your Space for Success

If there’s one decorating ‘don’t’ on Anne McDonald’s radar, it’s unflattering, overhead lighting, “It doesn't matter what is happening with the furniture, the fabrics, or even the architecture. If the lighting sucks, everything sucks, period,” says the Expert. “No one wants to be in a poorly lit space.”

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