ᐅ Recessed downlights for general lighting

Hello everyone,

we are currently building a single-family house and have installed recessed downlight housings with a diameter of 180 mm (7 inches) for the general lighting (layout according to the attached plan).
Now we are looking for suitable recessed spotlights to fit these housings.
What luminous intensity would you recommend per spotlight to ensure good visibility without being too harsh?
What beam angles would you suggest to avoid uneven light spots on the floor?

We would greatly appreciate your experiences and recommendations.

To avoid having lighting only in certain spots, I would go for 120-150 degrees.

That aside, may I ask if you also planned for regular lamps? I find the spot planning simply awful (way too many, unnecessary, and uncomfortable).

In the dining room and living room, standard ceiling lights are planned.
In the other rooms, lighting will be installed only in specific spots (at the mirror cabinet, bedside lamp, over the cooker hood, etc.).

Fleckvieh schrieb:

In the other rooms only in specific spots (at the mirror cabinet, bedside lamp, range hood, ...)

Then please consider alternative lighting options for the other rooms. Ceiling spotlights do brighten up a room, but they don’t create a cozy or comfortable atmosphere. Think about
- floor lamps
- table/sofa/ windowsill lamps
- wall lamps
- indirect lighting
- accent lighting
- even candles can be planned for

Spotlights are really only used when, simply put, you just want bright light. But there are plenty of situations in the house, especially in the living room, where spotlights simply fail (for almost all situations, spotlights are not the solution).

I’m not as “anti-spotlight” as some others here, but basically the order is wrong.

You start with
- The desired brightness in room X
then
- The desired fixture
and finally
- The number and placement of the fixtures

Not the other way around. You also need to consider the light beam angle and where obstacles might interfere (shelves, people, range hoods…).

Otherwise, I’m in favor of dimmable 24V spotlights. Either in warm white or tunable white.

I’m quite happy with the Constaled 31639, but for that, more than just the spotlight itself has to fit.

Hello,

if already implemented, the lights should be as bright as possible (lumens), with as wide a beam angle as possible, and absolutely always dimmable. Ideally dim2warm / warmglow.

The simplest option is GU10 spotlight holders with suitable bulbs (e.g., Philips warmglow 80W). If budget is not an issue, premium spotlights such as those from Occhio are also a good choice.

If still in the planning phase, avoid the following spots:

• In the bedroom, on the left and right beside the bed, replace with bedside lamps or possibly pendant lights above the nightstands (nice but less flexible)
• All spots in the dining room; instead use a pendant light over the table
• Bathroom and toilet spots, but don’t forget the mirror light

The spots serve only as general lighting; ambiance is created with feature lighting and indirect lighting. Dimmable spots can support the latter at very low dim levels (5%).

Best regards