Downlights for upstairs bedroom.

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Whilst renovating an upstairs bedroom, I'd quite like to modernise the lighting. I'd like some opinions and recommendations regarding fitting some downlights.
A friend suggested to me that I fit some Robus RF201 lights but what I'm really interested to know is, would it be possible to fit say four recessed, dimmable LED lights that can be operated by remote control and if so, can anybody recommend a particular set up?
 
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Fitting lights one has to look at what the lamp is pointing at. A group of 3 LED lamps pointing at a white ceiling will light the area far better than same three lamps pointing at the carpet. This is the main problem with down lights, often they are not pointing at neutral reflective surfaces so preform really bad.

Dimming has to be compared with cost. This is specially true for LED lamps. Small wattage LED lamps are cheap but as the power increases and as one adds dimming the cost sores.

If you look at warmer climates where CFU have been used for a long time to keep rooms cool you will see often set up with a 1/3 and 2/3 split so two switches can give off, 1/3, 2/3 or full lights however to do this in old UK house often means some rewiring.

I think where the house is wired with low output lamps in mind they can work well but in my house main room has just two points where lights are fitted and even with a 5 bulb fitting this leaves dark areas.

Upstairs you likely have more assess and this it the major point. Getting extra cables to the switch and adding wiring and switches as well as lights can work well. I have three switches at door ceiling, left of bed and right of bed. On left of bed two switches for left of bed lamp and main ceiling and to right of bed also two switches right of bed and main ceiling all hard wired.

There are now remote switches either looking like standard switch or like TV remote. Need batteries changing from time to time but easy to fit. However some can still only be used with tungsten lamps when using dimmer.

I chased down the wall for bed side lamps but you could use ceiling mounted lamps instead however for main lighting the LED down light is rather limited in angle of output and not really suitable. Also makes room look like a planetarium. May be that's what you want? I have 4 x 1W LED lamps in the bed room which have a problem in they will not switch fully off. They always glow a little. Wiring was done before LED fitted and it would seem one does have to be far more careful where cables run with low wattage LED.

1W LED is really too small but the 1.6W LED used in living room give off same light as 8W CFU they replaced. I would consider I would need around 6 x 1.2W LED lamps to fully light bedroom. Plus the bedside reading lamps. But this assumes light reflected from ceiling not with bulbs facing down.
 
Whilst renovating an upstairs bedroom, I'd quite like to modernaise the lighting.
"Modernise" does not mean putting in lights which are designed to not light up rooms.


I'd like some opinions and recommendations regading fitting some downlights.
They are useless at lighting up rooms, they will be horrible to look at when in bed, and they will need you to build sealed enclosures over them in the loft so that you can reinstate the insulation and stop draughts.

I recommend not fitting them.
 
It is uncomfortable, even painful, when someone shines a torch in your eyes.. So why suffer it when lying in bed looking at the ceiling.
 
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Thanks for your comments, I hadn't thought of some of those points.
Any suggestions as to what I could do to smarten things up?
 
yes it's the length of the cable, and yes, the lamp is replaceable, although it is an odd lamp
 

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