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Design Dilemma
kim_tyson

Lighting plan

10 years ago
Hi all, just about to embark on our lighting/electrical plan for our house, our builder seemed to suggest we just go over the plans and put where we want pendants, downlights, power points, etc. we have no idea so would love some input from anyone!

Also, we need to have LED downlights as per basix requirements, but we love the warmer yellow-ey colour of the halogen and have found the LED to be too white and not pleasant.. Anyone have some suggestions for the best way to go? I'll attach our plans for your perusal :)

wondering if anyone h
Featured Answer
  • PRO
    10 years ago

    @Uyenvy Le covered what you need wonderfully.


    We just finished building our place and I would add:

    - points for fairy lights or party festoon lights

    - we put low wattage low level lights in hallways and toilets so overnight guests can find their way and/or you can go to the loo in the middle of the night without switching the main light on.

    - only use LED spotlights outside where you think you need it for security. An MCG style floodlight does not create a nice ambience at a party.

    - a light for when you are BBQing outside - you don't want the colour of the meat to match the night sky all because you couldn't see properly.

    - points in cupboards for charging things like cordless vacs, robot vacs.

    - get those powerpoints that have a built in USB cable attachment. Make sure they go everywhere people dump their phone, including bedside tables.

    - consider loads of dimmers so you can crank it up if you are say, cleaning, but can keep it soft the rest of the time.

    - roughly plan where you will put your furniture and think about where you would sit and read a book or mag for lamps. Floor lamps look amazing

    - don't forget power to your kitchen island.

    - don't just stick heaps of downlights in a grid pattern - you aren't a convenience store :) We found that lighting suppliers and builders tend to want to overlight the spaces.

    - Consider how you can bounce light around the room rather than just point it straight down. For instance -a pitched ceiling or a wall.

    - pick some beautiful feature lights asap (whether they be wall or pendant) for certain spots - island, over the coffee table, bedrooms, powder room, covered outdoor area? Then adjust your downlights accordingly.

    - don't forget LED strip lighting for under shelves or joinery. Some people like led strips at the bottom of the kitchen cupboards but remember that may just be lighting up the dirt and dropped food!

    - don't forget fans. they can come with an led light kit but they are bright and they do not dim! You need to plan the relationship between fans and any feature hanging lighting carefully. You also need to consider fan effectiveness and position accordingly.

    And lastly, do your switching plan as @Uyenvy Le said. I did mine in 5 minutes in front of the electrician and botched it. Try to walk around the house, imagining where you would enter and exit, where you would stand if for instance, you were cooking and there wasn't enough light. Choose positions for that. Don't forget the location of two way switches.

    Good luck!


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