On Wednesday, 19 February 2020 09:16:26 UTC, Anna Kettle wrote:
Memory lane ...
I first posted here before uk.d-i-y existed, when it was just a topic in uk.misc
And then posted regularly on the newsgroup for several years as I was doing up my medieval farmhouse in Suffolk. I still recognise a few names from back then theskullster, R D S, Dave Plowman, John Rumm, The Natural Philsopher all look familiar. Others too. Hello!
One of the things I always enjoyed about UK.d-i-y was the breadth of independent thought and that has brought me back (to google groups this time) with a question to punt in the air
What do you think of LED downlighters? As a design feature
I will nail my colours to the mast and say that I think they are useful over kitchen worktops and in places like corridors and cupboards. I totally dislike them in living rooms and bedrooms cos when I recline back in a chair or in bed they are staring me straight in the eye
Now this may just be me. I don't like looking at those filament bulbs either and I always make my own lights obscure. Other people don't seem to have an issue with them.
Or could it be that splattering a property with downlights is an easy design option and no-one ever thinks about the aesthetics (what is beautiful about rows of dots on a ceiling. Nothing) or the glare
I am looking at the wiring diagram of a barn conversion which we are doing for sale and downlights are specified everywhere. I am trying to decide whether I should scrub them, which would be cheaper and which I think would be better. Or whether the fact that the property is for sale makes a difference. Why stand out from the crowd?
What do you think?
Anna
Welcome back.
Downlights have several downsides.
- horrid glare when not standing
- patchy shadowy uneven lighting
- shining light at a carpet is not a recipe for energy efficiency.
- far more fittings are needed per lighting job due the unevneness & reduced spread of the light.
Despite this they have been popular due to their association with cinemas & ability to make surfaces a bit less boring.
http://wiki.diyfaq.org.uk/index.php/Uplighters
I'd be inclined to look at other similarish properties for sale & see what works well, what doesn't.
NT