How to do it: spotlighting that simply works
Most of us have stood in a room where the light either dazzles you or leaves the corners in shadow. The solution is rarely more spotlights – it’s the right spotlights, put in the right places. And fortunately, hitting the mark isn’t rocket science once you know the three dials you can turn.
Start with the light, not the ceiling. Decide how bright the room should be – warm and relaxed in the living room, clear and crisp over the kitchen worktop – and let that determine how many spotlights you need. From there it’s about spacing: keep the spotlights a fair distance from the wall so you avoid hard shadows, and spread them evenly rather than clustering them in the middle of the room.
Then there’s light quality, which a surprising number of people skip. Choose one colour temperature for the whole room, so you don’t mix warm and cool light, and go for high colour rendering if you want the food, the wood and people’s faces to look right. And whatever you do, don’t forget the dimmer – a room you can turn down is worth twice as much as a room that can only be switched on and off.
Ready to do the maths on your own room? Try the planner at the top of the page and get a concrete suggestion for the number and placement before you buy a single spotlight.