ᐅ Assistance with Lighting Design Planning

Hello everyone,

My partner and I are currently thinking about the lighting design for our house. We had an appointment with a lighting consultant, but it was quite disappointing. Besides showing us some very beautiful, but also very expensive fixtures, he barely contributed any ideas we hadn’t already thought of ourselves. So, we’ve started making some initial plans on our own. Unfortunately, my partner doesn’t like indirect lighting or similar options :-((((, so our first plan is probably a bit “unusual.” However, I’m very open to (including special) ideas.

We would like to mostly use recessed spotlights and, in the living area, wall lights as secondary lighting. The children's bathroom and guest WC will have simple lighting at the mirror.

We are not happy at all with the master bathroom. Do you have any ideas for that?
Do you have any other suggestions?

Thanks in advance for constructive feedback.

Greetings from sunny Aachen,
Christian

Legend:
Red – Ceiling spotlights
Blue – Standard ceiling light
Green – Wall light (interior)
Yellow – Wall light (exterior)

Cheaper in dozens?
Sorry, but I find a) the number of spotlights too many, as well as b) the number of rooms where they are supposed to be used.
But maybe it’s a matter of taste, and I’m not following the mainstream?!

ONeill schrieb:
Thanks in advance for constructive feedback.

Far too many spotlights.

I like suspended ceilings with indirect lighting (stretch ceilings?). However, that requires at least 10 to 15 cm (4 to 6 inches) of extra ceiling height, which as far as I know, no one has in new builds. Therefore, we are only using standard ceiling outlets and regular lights.

ONeill schrieb:

We are really not happy with the master bathroom.

Me neither; I would probably put on makeup everywhere except my face

I also don’t like ceiling spotlights; not too many at once. To me, they make the room feel like an office. I prefer a subtle and targeted approach; @ypg and I have something in common again.

Regards, Bauexperte

Good morning everyone,

thanks for the initial responses. The general consensus seems to be against having too many spotlights. Personally, I find spotlights quite stylish, but of course, it’s worth discussing the form and quantity.

1. How have you solved this? Do you possibly have some pictures? Feel free to send them via private message.

2. I also like dropped ceilings with indirect lighting, but I haven’t been able to get my girlfriend on board with that idea. If she did agree, the problem is that there wouldn’t be enough space in my new build. The ceiling height is 2.50 m (8 ft 2 in). Would that make the rooms feel too cramped? What about having a dropped ceiling just along the edges of the rooms?

What other suggestions are there:

1. I could imagine hanging a nice pendant lamp over the dining table. We’ve considered that, but obviously that would fix the table’s position firmly. Moving it later would be inconvenient because of the lamp. However, I wonder how often people actually rearrange their tables? And if you plan to keep the setup permanent, the lamp could probably be adjusted or moved.

2. I could also see wall lights working well in the hallway. That seems quite nice. The spotlights at the stairs should remain, although it might also be possible to illuminate the steps themselves. That’s still undecided.

3. I would like to have spotlights nicely arranged over the workspace. But would that be enough for the kitchen lighting, or would the workspace need its own separate light? If so, the spotlight group could be removed, which I would prefer. My girlfriend is concerned it might be too dark, and she would like the kitchen wall to be illuminated somehow. Are there options for that?

I find this topic quite difficult because it’s hard to visualize the overall effect. The lighting consultation was quite disappointing. Do you know where one could see lighting setups in real life? Perhaps in model home parks?

Thanks in advance for any suggestions and feedback.

Best regards,
Christian

Hello Christian,

I know a good, but not exactly inexpensive, lighting studio. If the travel time to Hilden is acceptable for you, I can gladly send you the link.


Bauexperte