Ceiling spot as lighting in the ceiling

Hello, yesterday I spent hours planning spots in different rooms (kitchen, living room, bathrooms).

Late in the evening I simulated a spot in my apartment, that is, I removed 2 of 3 GU10 LED lamps and placed the remaining one vertically downwards.

I found the result shockingly bad. Of course, it's only 1 spot, but even if you repeat the spot every 1.2-1.5m, the light is completely different. Only the tiles on the floor are illuminated. When you stand underneath, you look like a ghost. The reflections on the ceiling and especially the wall surfaces are completely missing, and it's these that bathe the room in a pleasant light.

Now I think almost all the spots (kitchen: 9-10, living room: 5-6, bathroom: 9-10, hallway: 4) should be almost completely omitted.
Only the worktop/sink gets 2 spots and the shower (cabin) 1.

Have you decided on ceiling spots? If yes, are you happy with them?

Pleasant side effect: I save a lot of money.

Do you know the difference (apart from the outwardly identical construction) between a spot and a floodlight?

Your lamp probably had a beam angle of 30-36°, there are also ones with significantly more (usually up to about 110°). In my opinion, there is also a clear difference whether you use 3W LEDs or 5W LEDs.

What you (and almost everyone else) call a spot are actually floodlights.

If you want spots, you get point (English: spots) lighting.

As a rule, with 5W 110° at a distance of 80-100cm in hallways or living rooms you get quite far, in the kitchen it may be less with 60-70cm, above the countertop also more if you work with "real" spots.

For the shower... is a rain shower planned? Then you are always standing in the shadow. But even without... do at least 4 spots... believe me, we don’t have that. You survive it, but I would definitely do it differently now.

And definitely none above the bathtub... You always get dazzled.

I would choose 1.20 m distance as the maximum distance, and only for linear arrangement. That is 1.70 m diagonally.

Thank you for the tips. A distance of 60-70cm will be incredibly expensive (every core drilling with a hole saw costs a lot of money). I don’t want to do it myself.

My LED GU10 light sources were: a) Osram 5.3W 36° b) Ebay 8W 90°

The 8W 90° was of course better, but it didn’t convince me. Yes, they are more like floodlights.

No, a rain shower is not planned. A completely normal shower with a built-up cabin and glass door.

Here is my planning from yesterday.

Better leave those Ebay things alone.

We did it with 15W China Ebay LEDs and have already replaced almost every light twice due to defects (in 18 months). The first time also with Ebay things. The second time I had enough. Since then, I have replaced them everywhere with 5W Philips 110° with diffuser. Since then we have peace (but they cost 9 instead of 3 euros).

For planning: That’s not acceptable!
Bathroom: away from the tub, at least 50cm distance, or you will permanently shine light into your face. Spots directly above the sinks, otherwise shadows on the face. Additional mirror lights planned? Makes definitely sense with ceiling spots. Shower, at least a second spot.

Kitchen: Definitely put the spots above the countertop, otherwise you get shadows there as well.

Living room... No experience. Maybe better a coved edge there as ambiance with spots and a classic lamp in the middle? All switchable separately?

I only have the spots in the ceiling in my bedroom and hallway and wouldn’t want to have it like that throughout the whole apartment.

Nowadays you can do so much with the lighting of rooms, so I find it a shame to design light only from top to bottom.
In the bathroom, living room, kitchen (except for work light on the counter), and bedroom, I illuminate the bed light via the wall and slantingly on the ceiling. I find that much better, even though I don’t have the optimum everywhere yet.

I was also glad that I only dealt with the lighting details after the floor was in and also a few pieces of furniture and pictures were already there. Because you quickly get completely new ideas again or realize that the originally planned setup is okay but it could have been done differently.

Besides, with core drilling you hardly have or let’s say only have little opportunity to change the lighting later on, etc.

This is certainly not a new-building method, but if you have the option, for example through a suspended ceiling, to have a certain flexibility in terms of lighting, I would wait for that.
I also find track systems that work completely without core drilling an interesting alternative.
Nice lamps do cost quite a bit of money again, but when you add up core drilling once, it’s probably not that much more.

So if I were you, unless it’s already too late, I would first check out a few stores and get some lamps and ideas.

You can also google and see what other people with maybe similar rooms or furnishings have done.

Otherwise, you or you all have to consider which type of light you are. That sounds a bit silly, this “type of light,” but some prefer it bright and cold, others rather dimmed and warm.

For example, I would illuminate the shower in your bathroom and maybe a spot above the bathtub. But is the spot above the bathtub really pleasant when lying in the tub looking at the ceiling?
Maybe a second circuit that only lights the corners in the bathroom for bathing and showering with warm light so it’s a bit more romantic?
The light for mornings before work or when doing your hair in front of the mirror can be a bit brighter and more practical again.

In your kitchen, I think you should illuminate the dining table with 2 or 3, maybe even 4 spots (depending on how big the table is). Better to switch one spot off blind than to have one missing.
Your worktop will be way too dark like that. I have a spot directed at the worktop every 65 cm and that is good/okay. That means it should not be less.

The same goes for the table in the living room, that will be too dark for you as it is.

In the sofa area, indirect light behind you for watching TV works very well and feels pleasant. At least I think so.
You could maybe put LED strip lights under the sofa or maybe also in the corners of wall/ceiling.

Generally, I find you don’t place the spots far enough into the corners, and I basically recommend two circuits for every living room: one for “working” and one for “enjoying.”

In my 20m² bedroom I have 11 LED spots with 4.5W. That is bright, good for dressing and doing makeup in front of the mirror. The spots have 2700K; I guess those with 3000K and above will appear somewhat brighter and you could do without one or the other, but with the 4 you have in your living room, you simply won’t get there (at least that’s what I think).