ᐅ Bathroom – Placement of Recessed Lights – Your Opinion?

Hello everyone,
I enjoy reading the forum and would now like to get your opinions. We are currently deciding on the ceiling outlets for the upcoming shell construction. I am a bit unsure about how and where to position the spotlights in the bathroom(s). I look forward to your tips and advice. If it’s not clear, the doors are on the left, and the windows on the right. The left floor plan is for the upper floor, the right one for the attic floor (suspended ceiling due to the pitched roof).

So far, I have planned for 4 spotlights (2x2) for about 6 sqm (approx. 3.2x1.8 m), dimmable, on a single control group (?), with 60 cm (24 inches) distance from the left wall and also 60 cm (24 inches) horizontally to the next row, 80 cm (31 inches) distance from the wall at top and bottom. Of course, the mirrors will have separate lighting, controllable independently.

What I am uncertain about:

• Is there enough light in the shower (1 spotlight), and is it well positioned? (We won’t have a rain shower, just a handheld showerhead.)
• Does the spotlight above the toilet cause glare? (I like to read there.)
• Is it too bright or glaring near the bathtub, even when dimmable?
• Does it make sense to have two control groups (top/bottom)?
• It should be bright enough, right? 6 sqm with 4 spotlights, even if they are not fixed yet.
• Fewer spotlights mean lower cost. In your opinion, would 3 spotlights (in a line) also be sufficient?

Even if you didn’t ask for it: just don’t install recessed lights. That’s such a 90s thing.
Personally, I would recommend and prefer a large, simple dimmable light panel, along with additional wall (or mirror) lighting, which is also more affordable.

Tolentino schrieb:

Even though you didn’t ask for it, just don’t use spotlights. That’s such a '90s thing. Personally, I would recommend and prefer a large, simple dimmable light panel, along with additional wall (or mirror) lighting (which is also more cost-effective).

Yes, I understand the “’90s” comment. That’s where I come from too (well, the ’80s).

Do you have a good recommendation for a panel? I’m thinking of Ledvance, but as far as I’ve found, they’re IP20 and not suitable for bathrooms.

We also have four spotlights for 6m² (65 sq ft), but they are not dimmable. This is completely sufficient. If less lighting is needed, we turn off the spotlights and use the lighting from the mirrored cabinet instead. However, this lighting is dimmable.

I was born in the 1980s myself, but not everything from the 80s or 90s was great (though I would definitely love to have Queen with Freddie Mercury back).

As far as I know, ceiling lights do not require a special waterproof rating unless they are installed inside a fully enclosed shower area (which would not apply in your case). Normally, they should be more than 2.4 meters (8 feet) away from any water outlet (no longer considered a protection zone).

At some point, I stocked up on panels at Kaufland for 40 EUR. I wouldn’t necessarily recommend those now, especially since they are not part of the standard range. But I wouldn’t specifically recommend anything in particular; I would just go for the cheapest option that still looks good to you and, if possible, allows you to adjust the color temperature and brightness.

We have two round surface-mounted panels of 14m² (150 sq ft) total, each providing 2000 lumens for finding pins and reading, a dimmable mirror cabinet, LED strips in the sauna, and a night light with a motion sensor to avoid waking up when going to the bathroom at night.