ᐅ Is an additional cost for high-quality lighting fixtures necessary?

You still ended up with an inexpensive designer :p
There are definitely significant differences between cheap, affordable, and mid-range options.
Cheap lights tend to flicker or buzz, have varying color temperatures, beam angles, poor craftsmanship, and so on.
You can’t simply replace lamps in a lighting design because cheap replicas have different specifications.

There are also huge differences when it comes to spotlights. We have several (> 200). For ours, we have 20 years of spare parts availability, and almost everything can be replaced. We bought them online after long negotiations. On average, each spotlight including the DALI power supply costs around 400€ (~$430). We have various types of spotlights.

There is no limit at the high end either. Design classics from well-known manufacturers can easily cost five figures.

AMNE3IA schrieb:

@Bauenaberwie
I am very interested in professional lighting design.
Would you be willing to show us your plan and share some details?

We sent our floor plans and exterior elevations to the supplier. They put some thought into it, and during an on-site appointment, we discussed where the lights should be placed. They showed us the individual lamps, and then the number of lamps was determined based on lumen output. We place a lot of importance on indirect lighting, which is why, for example, there is no direct lighting planned in the hallway upstairs. The design was free of charge and included as part of the supplier’s service, naturally with the intention of selling the recommended lamps. We don’t plan to buy all the lamps from them, but we do want to install an LED strip along the staircase that will be embedded in the plaster. For that, we won’t go for a $50 strip that might fail after two years. We will definitely buy that from them.

In December, we also had a lighting plan created at a local lighting showroom, which involved two appointments. We wanted to have our own amateur knowledge reviewed and balanced. We didn’t expect miracles, but we definitely received input at two or three points that we will actually implement.

To avoid making a long story even longer: we will certainly buy some lamps there. However, for some lamps (a gold fabric lamp for the bedroom, 850 euros), I definitely do not see the added value.

rick2018 schrieb:

You’re still lucky to have found an affordable planner :p
There are definitely clear differences between cheap, affordable, and mid-range.
Cheap ones tend to flicker, buzz, have inconsistent color temperatures, beam angles, poor build quality, and so on.
You can’t just swap lamps in lighting planning because cheap copies have different specifications.

There are also huge differences in spotlights. We have several spots (> 200). For these, we have a 20-year spare parts supply and (almost) everything can be replaced. We bought them online after lengthy negotiations. On average, each spot with DALI driver costs around €400 (we have various types of spots).

There is no upper limit. Design classics from well-known manufacturers can quickly cost five figures.

We also want to use spotlights (surface-mounted spots) for lighting. The ones shown to us there cost about €250. Online, they start at around €30-50. The question now is whether mid-range spots, for example at €100, could be equivalent to those costing €250?

Bauenaberwie schrieb:

The ones shown to us there cost about 250€ (about 270 dollars). Online, they start at around 30-50€ (about 35-55 dollars). The question now is whether the spots priced around 100€ (about 110 dollars), which is the middle range, can be equivalent to those costing 250€.

Maybe not equivalent. However, they should still be of good quality at that price. Photos help. My recessed spots for kitchen lighting were even cheaper. Very simple design (you could also say basic, but perfectly suitable in appearance and lighting options), quality workmanship. So, it depends on the specific case. In the office, only Occhio lights are installed in all variants. However, as office ceiling lights, they look cheap and out of place there.

It’s the same everywhere: you get what you pay for. Of course, spots costing 50€ also provide light. So do those for 100€. But if you want to buy replacements in 20 years, you will have to spend 400€. And if the lighting is professionally planned, you have to— or at least should— stick to the originally specified products.