ᐅ Is a ceiling height of 2.40 meters with recessed spot lighting sufficient?

Hello everyone,

I am currently renovating a house and we are now considering the lighting and how to implement it. Our rooms currently have a height from the top of the screed to the bottom of the ceiling plaster of 2.50-2.53m (8 ft 2 in – 8 ft 4 in). To properly install recessed LED spots, it seems necessary to lower the ceiling by about 70mm (3 inches). When the floor covering is installed, another 15-20mm (around 1 inch) will be added in height. So, in the end, you can expect a clear height of about 2.40m (7 ft 10 in).

Now the question is: Is that enough to feel comfortable? This applies to three rooms of 10-20sqm (108-215 sq ft) on the upper floor, as well as a large room combining living, dining, and kitchen areas. I am looking forward to your opinions.

Thanks in advance!

You can definitely live with 2.40 m (7 ft 10 in), which is perfectly fine. However, especially in the living/dining area, I would consider choosing alternatives to recessed ceiling lights. Alternatively, you could partially lower the ceiling only in specific areas.

Better to use other lamps (e.g., flat LED panels) on the ceiling than to lose 7cm (2.8 inches) of ceiling height because of annoying recessed spotlights. In my opinion, I wouldn’t even spend half a second considering lowering the ceiling height in all rooms for that.

It probably depends on what you are used to.
Personally, I could accept it in secondary rooms such as (guest) bathrooms, storage rooms, pantries, or utility rooms, even in the hallway. But not in living areas, kitchens, or bedrooms for adults or children. I would personally rather avoid recessed spotlights there. There are many other attractive ceiling lighting options available.

Just for comparison: The building regulations in Berlin now require a clear ceiling height of 2.50m (8.2 feet) for living spaces!

Is there any other reason to lower the ceiling?
There are also very shallow recessed spotlights (30mm (1.2 inches)) with integrated LEDs instead of GU10 bulbs.
But as others said, try to avoid lowering the ceiling if possible!

2.40 meters (7 ft 10 in) is quite common and perfectly sufficient. However, I find downlights in living areas uncomfortable; indirect lighting is a better option there.