Good morning everyone,
I would like to ask for advice from experienced recessed ceiling spotlight users.
Since I need to decide between two options, I would be very grateful for any ideas. The spots should not be installed in a suspended ceiling but directly into the precast concrete ceiling, as we have raised the room height on purpose and do not want to lower it again unnecessarily.
Option 1:
In the kitchen on the ground floor and in the bathroom on the upper floor
Option 2:
In the entrance hallway on both upper and ground floors
Implementing both options would be too expensive, and we don’t want the house to look like a spaceship. The architect mentioned that in the kitchen, placement needs to be considered carefully to avoid casting shadows.
A few details about the spaces:
The kitchen is located on the south side, has two windows, and an opening to the dining area with a glass sliding door, size 12.5m² (135 ft²)
The bathroom, also on the south side, is 10m² (108 ft²)
Entrance hallway on the ground floor (double door with side glass panels) is 12m² (129 ft²)
Entrance hallway upstairs with gallery is 11m² (118 ft²)
How many spots roughly do I need? I have no idea yet...
I would appreciate any help very much.
Best regards
I would like to ask for advice from experienced recessed ceiling spotlight users.
Since I need to decide between two options, I would be very grateful for any ideas. The spots should not be installed in a suspended ceiling but directly into the precast concrete ceiling, as we have raised the room height on purpose and do not want to lower it again unnecessarily.
Option 1:
In the kitchen on the ground floor and in the bathroom on the upper floor
Option 2:
In the entrance hallway on both upper and ground floors
Implementing both options would be too expensive, and we don’t want the house to look like a spaceship. The architect mentioned that in the kitchen, placement needs to be considered carefully to avoid casting shadows.
A few details about the spaces:
The kitchen is located on the south side, has two windows, and an opening to the dining area with a glass sliding door, size 12.5m² (135 ft²)
The bathroom, also on the south side, is 10m² (108 ft²)
Entrance hallway on the ground floor (double door with side glass panels) is 12m² (129 ft²)
Entrance hallway upstairs with gallery is 11m² (118 ft²)
How many spots roughly do I need? I have no idea yet...
I would appreciate any help very much.
Best regards
Only a kind of empty housing is installed, meaning that lamps or possibly just the light bulbs can be easily replaced there. However, the location cannot be changed afterwards, which requires good planning.
In principle, the brightness can be influenced quite well by the lumens of the individual spots, as long as it’s not a case of 1 spot per 10m² (100 ft²). More problematic is that LEDs generally have a rather narrow beam angle, which can be further limited by certain lamp housings. If the spots are too far apart, it results in uneven lighting. This looks very unattractive (especially on dark floors). However, an architect should be able to calculate this, since it only depends on the beam angle and room height. I would rather add accents with additional lamps if needed.
Ultimately, based on my experience:
Of course, you can buy lamps for 10€ at the hardware store or IKEA. But if you want something nice and functional, lamp prices quickly add up. This is almost regardless of whether it’s a ceiling light, wall light, spots, etc.
I would consider what kind of light is needed in each room:
- very bright / rather dim / variable
- direct (spots, directional lights) or indirect
- natural or cool white
This usually helps me decide on a lamp type quite quickly. It becomes more complicated when other light sources are added, such as stair step lighting, illuminated baseboards or ceiling moldings, indirect ceiling lighting, star ceiling lights, mirror cabinets, etc.
In principle, the brightness can be influenced quite well by the lumens of the individual spots, as long as it’s not a case of 1 spot per 10m² (100 ft²). More problematic is that LEDs generally have a rather narrow beam angle, which can be further limited by certain lamp housings. If the spots are too far apart, it results in uneven lighting. This looks very unattractive (especially on dark floors). However, an architect should be able to calculate this, since it only depends on the beam angle and room height. I would rather add accents with additional lamps if needed.
Ultimately, based on my experience:
Of course, you can buy lamps for 10€ at the hardware store or IKEA. But if you want something nice and functional, lamp prices quickly add up. This is almost regardless of whether it’s a ceiling light, wall light, spots, etc.
I would consider what kind of light is needed in each room:
- very bright / rather dim / variable
- direct (spots, directional lights) or indirect
- natural or cool white
This usually helps me decide on a lamp type quite quickly. It becomes more complicated when other light sources are added, such as stair step lighting, illuminated baseboards or ceiling moldings, indirect ceiling lighting, star ceiling lights, mirror cabinets, etc.
Thank you very much for your tips!
Since the kitchen layout is already planned, I would discuss it with my architect so we can plan it properly.
I find it difficult to plan everything on paper because the house is not built yet and it’s hard for me to visualize it. Imagination is not my strong suit, I admit.
Regarding lighting, I can only say that I want it to be natural and bright.
Since the kitchen layout is already planned, I would discuss it with my architect so we can plan it properly.
I find it difficult to plan everything on paper because the house is not built yet and it’s hard for me to visualize it. Imagination is not my strong suit, I admit.
Regarding lighting, I can only say that I want it to be natural and bright.
Your architect is a smart man.
Nowadays, I consider recessed spotlights to be outdated. They are a leftover from the early 2000s and overrated. The cost-performance ratio is often not justified. Usually, there is too much light where it isn’t needed. We were also tempted to install them in the bedroom and bathroom four years ago. In the bedroom, the lighting serves mainly for ironing; in daily life, we use more indirect lighting and reading lights. Thankfully, the bathroom lights are dimmable.
In your kitchen, I don’t see a real need for spotlights either. Today, there are simple, flat ceiling fixtures with two or more bulbs that, when placed centrally, light up the entire room (up to about 14 m² (150 ft²)).
Our kitchen ceiling light is rarely turned on—maybe once a week in winter. Task lighting at eye level is much more valuable!
Nowadays, I consider recessed spotlights to be outdated. They are a leftover from the early 2000s and overrated. The cost-performance ratio is often not justified. Usually, there is too much light where it isn’t needed. We were also tempted to install them in the bedroom and bathroom four years ago. In the bedroom, the lighting serves mainly for ironing; in daily life, we use more indirect lighting and reading lights. Thankfully, the bathroom lights are dimmable.
In your kitchen, I don’t see a real need for spotlights either. Today, there are simple, flat ceiling fixtures with two or more bulbs that, when placed centrally, light up the entire room (up to about 14 m² (150 ft²)).
Our kitchen ceiling light is rarely turned on—maybe once a week in winter. Task lighting at eye level is much more valuable!
Downlights are great anywhere you want an even and relatively strong light output. That’s exactly the kind of areas you mentioned.
Downlights in the kitchen are ideal, but you really need to have the kitchen layout finalized first. It’s important that the downlights are placed above the countertop as well, not just behind the person standing at the countertop. But with a bit of careful planning, this is definitely manageable. In the bathroom, you also want it nicely bright, ideally with dimming options. In the hallway, downlights look good, though the brightness requirements there aren’t necessarily high.
In living rooms, in my opinion, downlights are out of place; they never create a cozy atmosphere, as another contributor already mentioned.
I would reconsider and think about whether it’s worth spending a bit more now to install downlights in the kitchen, bathroom, AND hallways after all.
Downlights in the kitchen are ideal, but you really need to have the kitchen layout finalized first. It’s important that the downlights are placed above the countertop as well, not just behind the person standing at the countertop. But with a bit of careful planning, this is definitely manageable. In the bathroom, you also want it nicely bright, ideally with dimming options. In the hallway, downlights look good, though the brightness requirements there aren’t necessarily high.
In living rooms, in my opinion, downlights are out of place; they never create a cozy atmosphere, as another contributor already mentioned.
I would reconsider and think about whether it’s worth spending a bit more now to install downlights in the kitchen, bathroom, AND hallways after all.
Thank you for your response!
Recessed lights were not planned for the living room; I would prefer to use floor and pendant lamps there.
In the kitchen, recessed lights are definitely needed, plus lighting installed under both wall cabinets.
The hallway is also a consideration for me because the coat rack will be placed under the stairs, and the light under the stairs does not provide sufficient illumination.
How much does this usually cost? At the moment, I can’t quite imagine it. I have read something about €60 per recessed light including installation. Discussions with the architect are still pending.
Recessed lights were not planned for the living room; I would prefer to use floor and pendant lamps there.
In the kitchen, recessed lights are definitely needed, plus lighting installed under both wall cabinets.
The hallway is also a consideration for me because the coat rack will be placed under the stairs, and the light under the stairs does not provide sufficient illumination.
How much does this usually cost? At the moment, I can’t quite imagine it. I have read something about €60 per recessed light including installation. Discussions with the architect are still pending.
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