Anna Kettle wrote

What do you think of LED downlighters? As a design feature

They work well in plenty of situations and a lot better than
plenty of alternatives like those stupid fake chandeliers.

I will nail my colours to the mast and say that
I think they are useful over kitchen worktops

I prefer strip lighting under the overhead cupboards
for that and with island benches too. And the entire
ceiling as a bright panel works well there too.

and in places like corridors and cupboards.

I like them in the main rooms too.

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

Thats not a problem in the main room when you have
different lighting when watching TV or reading a book
etc and trivial to completely automate that with a decent
system like the Philips Hue so that it happens auto when
you turn on the TV to watch it in the evening etc.

I dont have the TV on all the time.

And the alternative to downlights have
other problems in the main room too.

Makes no sense to have one size fits all in those rooms now.

Same with the bedrooms, no point in the same
lights for reading a book in bed, ****ing, going
to bed, getting dressed when getting up in the
dark etc and with decent modern light systems
trivial to automate those scene changes too.

Now this may just be me. I don't like looking
at those filament bulbs either and I always
make my own lights obscure.

When I still read printed books, I preferred to
have the light over my shoulder so no need
to conceal it for that. But now I only read
ebooks for the other convenience of being
able to do it anywhere and have the entire
immense library in my pocket anywhere so
the lighting for that isnt a problem anymore.

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

I actually prefer the aesthetics over those stupid fake chandeliers,
wall lights, pendants, floor lamps, spot lights etc.

I also like the entire ceiling as one bright surface
but its currently not affordable with led lighting.

(what is beautiful about rows of dots on a ceiling. Nothing)

The lamp holder is completely invisible.

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.

Corse it does when individual taste varys so much,

Why stand out from the crowd?

That can make a sale if done right but also restricts
your market because some won't like that approach.

What do you think?

I gave that up, it just makes my head hurt.