ᐅ Stair step lighting or wall-mounted light

Hello everyone,

We are currently planning the staircase lighting in our new build. The builder has planned a wall-mounted light fixture centered on the staircase. The staircase itself is an open-riser design with white risers.

Personally, we find step lighting much more attractive. Therefore, we have planned 5 spotlights per staircase (1 on the left, 3 along the long side, 1 on the right).
Now we are wondering if this will provide enough brightness. It should replace the main lighting, not just serve as ambient light.
Can anyone give me a recommendation on this?
Thank you all.

That’s a matter of personal taste and also depends on the type of lighting. What I personally like (but that’s just my preference) are LED strips under the stair treads. You can choose any color you want (depending on your mood) and, of course, also adjust the brightness. And if you like, you can even control it remotely from abroad via mobile phone.

Is this relatively easy to do yourself? I could imagine that the electrician charges a fortune for it...

I think this is exactly where I would work very carefully to ensure that the result looks good and, ideally, almost invisible. It is important to understand that both the LED strips and the step lighting are specifically designed to illuminate the area you walk on (the steps). They are not meant to light up the entire room, and honestly, for walking around at night, I would find that far too much. That’s why I would illuminate the steps themselves (with strips or small wall lights) and also use additional “normal” lighting.

Actually, I would have preferred to leave out the wall light, but then the recessed lights should be a bit brighter, right?
Additionally, the question came up whether the last spot on the right side might cause glare when walking straight toward it.
Thanks again for your help.

You usually use these recessed spotlights with a trim, so the light only shines downward. This way, it doesn’t glare into the eyes of someone climbing the stairs.