Lighting planning ceiling spots ground floor & upper floor

Hello everyone,

unfortunately, we are currently in the difficult situation of having to place the approximate spots for our future house.
Attached are 4 pictures where we have tried to place the spots as well as possible, once with furniture and once with measurements.

We would like to get some feedback so that the topic can be concluded.

The rooms with spots are:
Ground floor:
- Living room: They serve for lighting here when cleaning is to be done. There is still a normal ceiling light for dining and something in the corners for coziness. Possibly dimmable for events.
- Kitchen: They serve to illuminate the work surfaces here. In the middle of the kitchen island, the extractor hood will also have a light. On the side by the wall there are tall cupboards with fridge and oven etc. Possibly dimmable for events.
- Hallway: They serve solely to illuminate the hallway. We want to manage here without any additional light sources.

Upper floor:
- Stairs: For the basic lighting of the stairs. With motion sensor. Possibly dimmable when it is night.
- Hallway: They serve solely to illuminate the hallway. We want to manage here without any additional light sources.
- Bathroom: They serve for the complete lighting of the bathroom. Possibly dimmable when you want to take a bath.

We are very interested in suggestions and advice.
Thank you very much!

I am truly no lighting planning expert... but it looks a bit like hail damage.

I would put a little more effort into symmetry and spacing. Completely independent of the lighting result.

I'm certainly no lighting design expert... but it looks a bit like hail damage.

I would put a little more effort into symmetry and spacing. Regardless of the lighting result.

Haha, yes, that's probably true. I would take care of the symmetry once the approximate positions are fixed. Unfortunately, that's not so easy in the programs. So what roughly looks like a line should of course be on a line.

Way too many spots.

Kitchen: if they are supposed to illuminate the work surface, they should be above the WS, not behind it, otherwise you cast your own shadow. So if no wall cabinets are planned: 3-4 spots evenly distributed over the WS, if wall cabinets are planned, better to rely on lighting under the wall cabinets and only two spots in the ceiling between the two kitchen rows, just to keep the kitchen bright. If a hood with lighting is planned above the island, I wouldn’t illuminate the rest of the island with spots but with pendant lights at the height of the hood. Personally, I would completely do without the hood and plan good lighting over the whole island, but no spots, rather pendant lights (these can also be small lights like spots, but not in the ceiling).

Two spots in the shower??? There are nicer lights for the shower, have a look around. Otherwise, one central spot is enough there. The bathroom as a whole gets the charm of an operating room that way. One spot over the toilet, one spot in the shower, I would illuminate the washbasin over the mirror and then possibly some ambient lighting for the rest of the bathroom, if at all. An illuminated mirror reflects the light and makes it really bright.

Stairs: really with spots in the ceiling? Better put spots on the steps or a lit handrail.

In the living room: even if it is supposed to serve only as cleaning light: why two spots BEHIND the sofa???

Entrance: why two spots there? The hallway is narrow, one is enough, you can find your way to the guest WC that way.

In the living room, I would forgo the spotlights. Instead, use a light source above the coffee table as the main lighting. Maybe take 1-2 pendant lights behind the sofa at the top left corner. In the dining room, 1-3 pendant lights above the dining table. If spotlights, then position them closer to the wall and illuminate the wall as decoration. In the kitchen, 2-3 pendant lights above the cooking island and consider a downdraft ventilation system instead of a range hood. Center the spotlights between the kitchen unit and the peninsula. No lighting between the stairs and kitchen? It will be too dark in the hallway as well. Without exact distances, it is difficult to judge. Upper floor bathroom: In the toilet, maybe as an alternative to the spotlight, a wall light. Don’t forget the rain shower in the shower. Make sure the spotlight is not positioned above the rain shower. Instead of spotlights above the washbasin, as an alternative with two washbasins, use 3 wall or pendant lights. Light-mirror-light-mirror-light.

In the kitchen in front of the cabinets, 3 spots are sufficient. If you have a ceiling lamp in the living room and dining room, I would skip the spots here. Unless you want to illuminate a picture, vase, or artwork.

In the shower, I would reduce to one spot and make sure it is not directly above the showerhead. Otherwise, the light will be reflected by the showerhead and you won't have enough light in the shower!

At the stairway, I would place the spots facing the wall so that when going up, you don’t look directly into them and get blinded.