from a professional point of view downlights are placed 1 metre from each wall in the corner of the room then every 2 metres. Think about what you are going to use every room for then ZONE your lights to suit. The higher the ceiling the more spread out your lighting is ie 9' ceiling 2 metre pool of light on the floor. Downlights directly over a vanity will light the wall and mirror but not much of the room, use a light above the mirror for specialty lighting. Use a downlight that has minimal heat throw backwards as they are better in limited spaces. Wall lights give a great ambient feel and can be dimmed as well, led wall lights beside the stairs will look amazing and give great lighting with no heat, there are a million options. PIR sensor in the pantry will turn on and of when needed

Hi Michele,

The advice given above from Warren is spot on. Just be careful there are so many LED downlights on the market and you can't just go by the wattage It used to work like that with halogens and fluro's but there are other factors involved with LED's that create a good downlight.

Things to look for:

Lumen output: 800lumens -1000lumens is good (brightness) - Always go warm white

CRI: 92+ (this is a rating out of 100. The higher the number the more even the colour of the light)

LED chip: Cree, Citizen or Sharp have proven to be reliable for us

Dimmable - not all downlights are dimmable

Good warranty - 3-7 years on good downlights

We sell downlights from a supplier called Premium Lighting and are more than happy to help you out. We highly recommend them and have just finished our own home renovation with their Titanium range which recess into the ceiling for less glare. We also have put every ZONE on a dimmer switch and we use them all the time.

Again if you would like any further assistance please feel free to contact us at www.ledoutdoor.net.au or call us on (08) 8278 5269

Kind regards

Andrea

LED lighting has made such a difference to how you can illuminate your home now and they give excellent light so you don't need the number of downlights as before. Strip lighting on stairs, for example, can look amazing and add wow to your home.

Be guided by the experts above, or a good electrician should be able to give you practical advice. In some rooms one downlight can even be enough if you plan on having other feature lighting.

Pendant lights for your bedroom will look great, but look at what wattage the lights you choose will take and whether you will need any other lights in the room. I have always been very minimalist in my home and try to keep to one light in each room for general access lighting and have alternative feature lighting for atmosphere.

For example, I just have one LED downlight over my desk in my bedroom for when I'm working and a lamp each side of my bed for other times, and this is all I need. In my lounge room, I put two pendants, hung at different lengths in one corner of the room as a feature and I have two table lamps for when extra light is needed, but for watching TV or just generally entertaining and relaxing, the two pendants on their own are enough. Like you say, nothing is worse than over lighting a room, it totally loses any atmosphere.

Your home theatre for example, could only need two downights for when you need a good light for cleaning and such, otherwise for general use, some wall sconces will give subtle lighting to the room. Have the two types of lights on separate switches naturally.

One important thing I always suggest people be mindful of in work areas especially is to place lights so you don't work in your own shadow. One example is the kitchen sink or hotplates - put the light slightly to one side for better visibility.

Michele,

I originally followed the rule of downlight lighting positions as found when I googled it but my electrician said I had way too many. His explanation is that LED's throw a much farther fan of light and approx 2mtrs apart in any direction is perfectly adequate as described above and also agree with dimmers in each room to tone down the brightness if necessary. Of course if you have roof access, it is relatively simple to add more lights in the future but very difficult and messy to find you have too many and need to remove some which no one would ever do, so then you can fall back on the dimmer again.

As for your comment about display homes being overlit, I wonder if they are fitted with cool lights which are much brighter than warm lights, or it might simply be strange to see homes lit up like Loona Park during the day?

In my bedrooms, after the electricians talk, the largest being is 5.4m x 4.5m and the smallest being 3.2 x 3.9m, I have placed 4 equally spaced downlights at about 800mm off the walls and in the centre, a fan (no light) and pandants over the bedsides instead of lamps. I have one downligh in my laundry 3.9m x 2.5m. My bathroom is quite large at 3.9m x 3.6m and I have again four evenly spaced downlights, a tastic in the centre and wall sconces beside the mirror.

Hope this helps you get some sort of idea of just how many or how few downlights you really need, in non important rooms at least.

Hi Michelle,

My advice is to layer the lighting. Combine wall lights with ceiling lights. Gone are the days when downlights have to be positioned in a grid pattern. I often position downlights directly over the area needing illumination. for example 3 over the bed spaced 500mm apart will add an architectural look. The same applies over the dining table. Not every corner of the room needs to be lit. And as others have suggested, use a dimmer.

A smart lighting design enhances the ambience of the home. If you need any further advice give us a call on 02 8577 6444. We wil be more than happy to help