# Forum Home Renovation Lighting  Please CRITIQUE my lighting layout!

## wrexter

Hi All, 
Trying to suss out lighting for the new house, please take a look at my layout below and let me know what you think! 
Much appreciated!!    *The Lights* 
1. CREE 5x3w LED Downlights   LINK HERE 
2. MR16 (Low volttage) Downlight Kit (White)   
3. Wooden Pendant    
4. 600mm woven round pendant    
5. Square oyster   
6. Exterior Wall Light   
7. Square steel pendant light

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## Smurf

The study immediately stands out. Downlights (of any type) will create awful shadows if handwriting is done (as you might reasonably expect do in a study). 
I'm not a fan of halogen downlights in general, due to the amount of power they consume, but in this case my point is a purely practical one. The quality of light produced is not really up to the task if the study is intended to be used as an actual study / office.

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## wrexter

> The study immediately stands out. Downlights (of any type) will create awful shadows if handwriting is done (as you might reasonably expect do in a study). 
> I'm not a fan of halogen downlights in general, due to the amount of power they consume, but in this case my point is a purely practical one. The quality of light produced is not really up to the task if the study is intended to be used as an actual study / office.

  Thanks for the tip smurf, 
what type of light would you reccomend?

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## LinesElectrical

> The study immediately stands out. Downlights (of any type) will create awful shadows if handwriting is done (as you might reasonably expect do in a study). 
> I'm not a fan of halogen downlights in general, due to the amount of power they consume, but in this case my point is a purely practical one. The quality of light produced is not really up to the task if the study is intended to be used as an actual study / office.

  Great advice.   
I am a fan of halogen lights well the part where people pay me to repeadably fix them any way but I have to totally agree they are a completely useless and distracting light source for any area that requires reading they cause horrible glare and shadow issues. 
However they can be used in long narrow studys to create visual interest by illuminating a large painting or simmilar. 
Personally I wish that i had never installed any in my house at all they are a homeowners curse. 
Since it looks like your doing a heap of work I would stonly suggest installing motion sensors in strategic places in leau of switches like carports, laundry, entrance halls. You can still have switches but they work best as overrides with the sensor being always on. 
Its often more efficent and creates a sense of automation whitcj makes the home more inviting exciting and comfortable.

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## M.V. Electrical

> Thanks for the tip smurf, 
> what type of light would you reccomend?

   For my money you can't go past fluorescent lights for functionality and these days there is a myriad of design choice, no longer are they those ugly, flickering metal boxes hanging off your ceiling.

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## r3nov8or

We pretty much have a central light in each room (several of them under ceiling fans) complimented with table and desk lamps for certain tasks and moods. Only downlights are for kitchen tasks under the overhead cupboards, and in two glass feature cupboards (and probably only ever use them again if the mood is for selling/open days). Not a fan of downlights for general room lighting.

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## Smurf

> For my money you can't go past fluorescent lights for functionality and these days there is a myriad of design choice, no longer are they those ugly, flickering metal boxes hanging off your ceiling.

   Agreed. If you want to use the study as an actual study / office then you really ought to be installing the type of lighting you'd find in a real office.  
Apart from board rooms and foyers, I've never seen halogen downlights used in an office and there are 3 reasons for that. 
1. Very high maintenance compared to other light sources.
2. High energy consumption and cost.
3. They just don't provide good lighting for that usage. 
For my own home office which is simply a spare bedroom with desk in it, I've just got the one central light that would normally be expected. I have however put a big globe in it to provide reasonable lighting. It's good enough, but not ideal for handwriting due to the shadow from a single point source of light. It's far better than downlights however.  
I used to have a 200W globe in it but eventually that blew and I replaced it with a 160W self-ballasted mercury vapour lamp. High wattage CFL's have since appeared in the shops and are more energy efficient so I might get one someday. 
If it were me and I were building a study / office, I'd put fluorescent tubes in without a doubt. They are by far the best lighting for that sort of use even if not the most aesthetically pleasing (though personally I don't mind them). 
Kitchens are another place that benefits from diffused lighting so as to reduce shadows. It's not as critical as in the study / office, but it's still not a bad idea.

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