ᐅ Alternative options for recessed lighting

Created on: 9 Sep 2016 20:04
M
Momad
Hello,

what alternatives are there to LED recessed downlights in a concrete ceiling?
My builder wants 120€ per spot (halogen housing), which unfortunately exceeds our budget.
L
Legurit
10 Sep 2016 10:37
That’s not really a valid argument... with designer lamps, you get a designer piece that enhances the room... with spotlights, you just have spotlights. Good standard lamps are available from around €60 (for example, Honsel Valor 21382), and you might need about 4 for a living-dining area instead of 12-15 spotlights.
M
Momad
10 Sep 2016 10:54
@Simone: Yes, it is a precast concrete slab.
Exactly, I calculated it once, and to achieve proper lighting only in the living room, I would need about 20 spotlights, which would cost around $2,400 for top-quality developer-grade gold spotlights.
$50 for the housings plus $70 for wiring, etc.
Y
ypg
10 Sep 2016 12:05
I’m not sure what kind of lighting you want to install in your living room, but in our case, the ceiling lights have only been turned on about four times a year. Most of the lighting comes from a floor lamp and a standing lamp. I also don’t find it subtle when the entire ceiling is covered with those fixtures.

In the hallway and kitchen, you do need main lighting, which I can understand. LED lights are not always the best option either.

We have surface-mounted halogen spotlights in the kitchen, which I also shared in a thread here once. They are rarely used, though—mostly the direct task lighting is used. You might want to look for “ich glaube” by Philips.
Weimy11 Sep 2016 10:09
Hello,
the choice of spotlights is really a matter of personal taste. We already have quite a few in the living/dining area, but they are arranged in different circuits so that not all of them are on at the same time. Additionally, they are dimmable. We will also have a designer lamp above the dining table and a floor lamp in the couch area.
Everyone chooses according to their preferences and budget!
WildThing12 Sep 2016 08:07
How about a track lighting system instead of recessed lights? Or perhaps the drywall option?
We installed surface-mounted spotlights in the bathroom because the costs for recessed cans in the thin concrete ceilings were too high for us.

However, I would now recommend doing recessed lighting from the start! Later on, it can be quite stressful and, when accounting for drywall work or the effort to install surface-mounted fixtures, it’s often not much cheaper in the end.