Browse Forums Lighting + Lighting Design 1 Dec 17, 2011 2:07 pm Hi, Anyone with an eye for interior decorating - I need you!!! I need some lighting help... we have 3.6m ceilings in our living/dining area and I'm very confused about which lighting to choose... I will post some pics which might help - it is only a frame at this stage so you will have to use your imagination a little... This photo was taken standing on the edge of the living room looking toward the dining area. The dining table will sit in front of the window. There is a stacker sliding door that has been put into the opening to the left (which opens to the deck). There will be a gas log fire and built in TV unit on that same wall (left hand side of photo) Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Have thought about getting this light above the dining table Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ This photo has been taken the other direction looking to the living space. The kitchen is on the left (lower ceiling) Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ We were thinking about putting maybe 2?? of these pendants over the living area Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Some other points worth noting: We are going to go for one or the other but not both different lights in living/dining. We are thinking that we will not have any pendants in the kitchen (partly because the ceiling drops down over the island bench and if we put pendants over the island they will be off centre). We have feature glass sliding doors (external not cavity) going in to the study (where the man is standing) and another into the playroom (next to dining area - can't see in photo) Any ideas/ suggestions/ opinions will be appreciated on the actual lights or positioning. It is the higher ceiling that is really throwing me, I'm finding it difficult to imagine. Thanks heaps. Re: Best option for living/dining room lights - opinions ple 2Dec 18, 2011 7:06 am What's your budget and what sort of look do you want (modern or traditional)? Having gone through this exercise, there are great lights out there, but it must work with the rest, and fit your budget. Get a single Wow! piece; no point distracting the eye with too many things. Re: Best option for living/dining room lights - opinions ple 3Dec 18, 2011 8:03 am Thanks for reply. Yes, we definately don't want to over do the wow! Are you saying 1 wow light is enough or we have too many other things in room, such as feature doors, fire, etc. so we shouldn't do pendant lights at all??? I am fully open to any suggestions!!!!! We will have low recessed wall lights in this area and downlights above the built in cabinets. We are definately building a modern home and our budget is pretty flexible. We would be prepared to pay up to about $1500 for a light if we found something we really loved. The rest of the house is pretty standard, modern lighting. No big wow pieces except for 1 pendant in the entry which is also high ceilings. Re: Best option for living/dining room lights - opinions ple 4Dec 18, 2011 8:12 am Just another viewpoint.....why not have downlights through that area? I've got them through the whole house because imho they give a wow factor by their simplicity, also being a fresh-air fanatic with doors and windows open all the time pendant lights would be swaying in the breeze and this would drive me crazy...had them in one house, never again! Another option would be to live in the house for a while then make your decision, if it's a single storey house roof access will be OK for a retrofit. Not sure this helps? but another 2 cents worth!! LOL Re: Best option for living/dining room lights - opinions ple 5Dec 18, 2011 8:31 am Thanks Happy Camper, yeah, we have, and still are, considering the option of downlights throughout this area!!! In regards to retrofitting - We are 2 storey with a flat roof plus we want to get them in the correct spots. If we do a pendant light over dining, for example, we will only do one. If we do downlights we will probably do 2 over the table!!! Thanks again, I love '2 cents worth'.... sometimes on homeone we have to agree to disagree but mostly others opinions help alot... I appreciate all feedback!!! Any other ideas?? Re: Best option for living/dining room lights - opinions ple 6Dec 18, 2011 8:44 am That's Ok.....sometimes it's good to get another viewpoint because even though you might disagree with that point it might be enough to confirm your previous indecisions and there's nothing wrong with that. Mmmm retrofit in your case would be a little awkward, wouldn't it? LOL Re: Best option for living/dining room lights - opinions ple 7Dec 18, 2011 8:59 am We actually engaged the services of a lighting designer for our lights; one of the things we did not do is have many down lights, options more for up lights so you get indirect lighting and less harshness. You also don't need that many of them. Using several recessed PIL 48w up lights so our Louis Poulsen PH5s (we have two of them over the dining table". For Wow! lights, take a look at Louis Poulsen and Artemide; they have some great sculptural luminaries, but be prepared for 4 figures at least. They are statement pieces. Also saw some nice 3d printed luminaries, but the prices were also Wow!, with small 30cm luminaries in the $2000 range! Re: Best option for living/dining room lights - opinions ple 8Dec 18, 2011 9:27 am Thanks, I will take a look at those websites. We engaged the services of a lighting designer for our last home. The company did a lighting plan for free (they only stock expensive lights so they make their money selling the lights they suggest). We learnt alot during that process and would have done it again this time except they now charge $650 for the same service!!! The other local store offer the same service but when we spoke to them they didn't really suggest anything we liked and they just seem to want to sell as many lights as possible.... not really what is most appropriate for the space!!!! I agree uplights are fantastic.... & just discussing the responses so far we are definately now thinking that they are probably more suitable for the space. When I really think about it, in the last home, it was lovely of an evening to just have the recessed wall lights on without the downlights on. 30cm luminaries in the $2000 range.... probably not!!!!! Re: Best option for living/dining room lights - opinions ple 9Dec 18, 2011 5:14 pm This is what we have over the dining table (two actually, as it's a long table), but a series of these or this would be interesting. There are a whole lot more, but you get the idea. Re: Best option for living/dining room lights - opinions ple 10Dec 18, 2011 9:04 pm Hi Rocketship, Your new home is going to be gorgeous. A stunning design and lovely views. If it was me I would be inclined to just put a drum pendant over the dining table, and have downlights for the rest. You could put some of them on dimers. Re: Best option for living/dining room lights - opinions ple 11Dec 23, 2011 12:17 am PHL ..... Using several recessed PIL 48w up lights ..... This sounds like something I should know about !! Google isn't being my friend right now, can you please point me in the right direction to get me started ? Is an "up light" suitable for lighting a whole room, or are they more of an accent light ? Thanks, P_D . Block settled 07 June 2011 Our little piece of the Interwebs on HomeOne....... viewtopic.php?f=31&t=48577&start=0 Re: Best option for living/dining room lights - opinions ple 12Dec 23, 2011 6:32 pm It's an up light for whole room lighting. Looks similar to this. We are using it in 2 groups of 2 to light a 10 x 6m open plan living room, albeit with under bench lighting for the sik area, and a pair of downlights over the island bench. Re: Best option for living/dining room lights - opinions ple 13Dec 24, 2011 12:24 am PHL It's an up light for whole room lighting. Looks similar to this...... Ummm...... Quote: Glare free illumination on to the floors and walkways around buildings, forecourts and parking areas. Suitable for recessing into walls, columns or bollard features. So, although it's "designed" as a down-light, you just mount them "upside down" to turn them into an "uplight" ?? Thanks for that, I'll look into that and see what Mrs P_D thinks, it certainly sounds like a great idea ! Cheers, P_D . Block settled 07 June 2011 Our little piece of the Interwebs on HomeOne....... viewtopic.php?f=31&t=48577&start=0 Re: Best option for living/dining room lights - opinions ple 14Dec 24, 2011 8:46 am Sorry if I confused you, but the ones we have are specifically designed as uplights, so it's not as square. It's very similar to these, are, I think, from Germany, but not a brand name. They are referred to as Zed lights. Re: Best option for living/dining room lights - opinions ple 15Dec 24, 2011 3:47 pm PHL Sorry if I confused you, but the ones we have are specifically designed as uplights, so it's not as square. It's very similar to these, are, I think, from Germany, but not a brand name. They are referred to as Zed lights. PHL It's an up light for whole room lighting. Looks similar to this. We are using it in 2 groups of 2 to light a 10 x 6m open plan living room, albeit with under bench lighting for the sik area, and a pair of downlights over the island bench. LOL.....Thanks for that, and don't worry, I confuse very easily !! So with two groups of two lights, you mean something like this...... http://www.dedece.com/site/inc/cfm/imag ... ide220.jpg Two lights together "here" and another two lights together "over there" ? While acknowledging that you have specific task lighting in the kitchen area, do you find that these give enough "general" light in the living room ? Do you know what sort of globes you have in them ? Thanks, P_D . Block settled 07 June 2011 Our little piece of the Interwebs on HomeOne....... viewtopic.php?f=31&t=48577&start=0 Re: Best option for living/dining room lights - opinions ple 16Dec 24, 2011 4:19 pm Yes, the layout is exactly what i mean. These have 48w PL fluoro tubes, not halogens. We are still awaiting the finished product. As I said, we still have task lighting, wing twin halogen on our island bench, which will be angled so the beams cross rather than straight down, as well as the range hood lights, and a strip of high output German LEDs under the over sink cupboards. There should be plenty, but we have made provision for a further 2 four foot long T5 tubes per side in the bulkhead over the island bench. Re: Best option for living/dining room lights - opinions ple 17Dec 26, 2011 3:29 pm Hi, Thank you for your response Abby and your very kind words. We have now decided to put 3 lights similar to the uplights that PHL has mentioned in beside the high windows you can see in the photo - which we always thought we would do but I don't think I mentioned in first post. (Where did you source yours from PHL - direct from the website or a 'shop'?) Then we have 2 similar (skinnier) wall lights low to the ground (1 either end of the room). Square blacklight downlights over living room. A pendant over the dining table - the rectangular one pictured is the preferred one at the moment because it just seems like it would fit the area nicely and the wall above the window is going to be pretty plain so it will add some interest. Anyone else with any thoughts?? Thanks. Re: Best option for living/dining room lights - opinions ple 18Dec 26, 2011 4:11 pm can you post a floor plan? Internal and External Building and Colour Consultant Online - Worldwide http://www.denovoconcepts.com Re: Best option for living/dining room lights - opinions ple 19Dec 26, 2011 4:44 pm Here is a photo from my iphone taken of the second storey floor plan (my husband isn't really that keen for me to post it so I will have to delete it after a few days - thanks) we have had some minor changes since but you get the idea..... no measurements so to give you an idea of space, the kitchen island bench is 4metres. Thanks, I appreciate all ideas....
Re: Best option for living/dining room lights - opinions ple 20Dec 26, 2011 4:46 pm You can delete it now....I have it. Internal and External Building and Colour Consultant Online - Worldwide http://www.denovoconcepts.com Can anyone suggest a house layout where the kitchen-dining - living runs the length across the rear of the house left to right where our best view will be we… 0 4348 Hello all, bought a block of land and would like to find designs now. We want a void over the living/dining room. We’re looking at Savoy 32 from Eden Brae, are there any… 0 195 Hi, I'd like some advice on the best option please on the estimate options we've been provided from our builder. This is for the… 0 4071 |