Positioning of downlights in bedroom?

Question

Not sure what "downlights" are called in the U.S. They are small 12 volt halogen lighting which is fitted inside a gimble which is installed in the ceiling.

I am fitting these (probably four of them) to a large bedroom. Where should these lights be installed? Should they shine onto the bed or not? Any suggestions would be great. Thanks

Answer 1

First poster had it right -- 2-3' out of the corners -- typically aimed to wash the wall (hence the name "wall washers" :) -- all though we typically use 4" or 6" can lights. We normally only use the mini halogens if we're actually spot lighting a piece of art or similar feature.

For a large master suite with a lot of open floor space, we'll also do 4" can lights, either in a grid or row, flooding the open floor space.

Answer 2

It's unusual to install such lighting in a bedroom where you usually want more ambient lighting but if this is what you want you have to set the tracks and the lights to highlight where you want. I wouldn't put these types of lights over a bed where you normally would want bedside lighting you can control the amount of light you need on either side of the bed. If overhead lighting is important you may want to look at less intense overhead lighting fixtures. Personally I wouldn't put a overhead in any bedroom but if you do make sure you have a dimmer system on it.

Answer 3

For accent lighting We normally install them 30 inches from each corner of the room..... For reading over the bed, 12 inches from the wall and 12 inches offset to the reader.