Putting in recessed lighting...?s

[The DirtMerchant]

So I'm trying to nice up my place before selling it. One of the changes is putting in recessed lighting
to replace the plug in lamps I have scattered around.

Is there a rule of thumb distance the light should be away from the wall?
Or is it just personal preference?

I'm just putting in two lights above the area where my TV currently sits
and one in the middle of an adjoining wall.

 

[heeman]

I took this from lightingdirect.com

I had the same question when putting in the recessed lights in the HT.

I put 4 in our HT, if this was a mutlti-purpose room, I would have used more for a brighter space. 12.5 wide x 17.5 deep, 8' ceilings. I put them about 3.5' from the side walls and about 5.5' from the front/rear walls.

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Q: How many fixtures do I need?

A: That will depend on the room size and function along with the recessed lighting fixtures you choose to use. In general, for standard 8 foot ceilings, 100 watt recessed lighting fixtures will be spaced 2 feet apart. 150 watt recessed lighting fixtures will be spaced 3 feet apart when using Par or R-Type bulbs or 4 feet apart when using standard “A-type” bulbs.

 

[Orbison]

For starters, it depends on whether you want the light to "wash" the wall or not - i.e. position close to the wall so it puts a lot of light on the wall or farther out so it just shines on what's below it. Other considerations would be symmetrical locations on the room ceiling, etc.