Lights Apparently the answer to how to choose recessed spotlights for our home or business may seem simple, it is simply a matter of choosing a spotlight that we like, right? In view of the conversations we have with our customers, not assessing certain factors before buying recessed spotlights has led them to “unpleasant surprises” that are difficult to solve.
Obviously the aesthetic factor is very important, but it is only one of those that we have to take into account. Here we will try to give you some tips that will help you before buying the spotlights.
What are recessed spotlights?
First of all, it is necessary to define a little the concept of “recessed spotlights” since within this term a multitude of products are covered, such as LED downlights.
A simple way to define a recessed spotlight:
«Like a small-sized lamp designed to be embedded in the ceiling (generally in plasterboard or plasterboard ceilings)».
It is the fact of being embedded in a ceiling that gives it certain characteristics that we have to assess before installing the lightr. Here we are going to talk about the following.
- Design.
- Light angle.
- Lumens (luminous flux).
How does design affect recessed spotlights?
The first thing is first and that is that we like the recessed spotlight, the price fits us and it adapts to the decoration we are looking for. It is a subjective aspect and that is why we are not going to focus on the focus from an aesthetic point of view, but on how its design influences other characteristics such as the angle of light.
One of the clearest examples are the collections of spotlights such as Vulcano , Gap and Swap . The main characteristic of its design is that the LED bulb is embedded in the bottom of the spotlight, this directly affects how the light is distributed and therefore we have to take it into account when we are going to place the recessed spotlights in our home or business.
These types of spotlights are recommended for highlight lighting or in environments where we want high visual comfort (the light source is hidden and less annoying) later you will see an example where it is better appreciated.
However, if we install a more “conventional” recessed spotlight in which we can rotate, direct the light and the bulb is flush with the ceiling, we will lose visual comfort but gain in versatility .
What kind of angle of light is best?
The angle of light is possibly one of the characteristics that customers pay least attention to when buying recessed spotlights and that possibly has the most influence on the final result of the installation . We are going to put 2 examples that we hope can help you.
Imagine that we want to install some recessed spotlights to illuminate a kitchen and that these will be the main and only light that we will have (no indirect or spot lighting). In this case, we must opt for LED downlights with a minimum light angle of 120º. The reason? If we have a greater angle of light, we will minimize the shadows, we will create a feeling of spaciousness (recommended in a kitchen) and we will not differentiate any area by importance.
Now we go with an example opposite to the previous one, we want to illuminate a room with recessed spotlights , this room has a wall with a beautiful canvas in the sofa area that logically we want to highlight. In these cases, the focus should not have an angle greater than 60º, the reason? As we have said in the previous example, wide angles create space but we lose the ability to highlight and highlight elements of the decoration.
With more closed angles and embedding the spotlights close to the wall, we achieve a “wall bath” effect that will cause the view to be directed to the desired area.
They are 2 opposite cases but we believe that they simplify the importance of the angles of light and why take it into account before installing the recessed spotlights.
Why are lumens important?
Historically, we associated watts with the amount of light from a lamp, bulb or focus, right? Well, now we have to forget about that. When choosing recessed spotlights, the watts are what they consume and the lumens, colloquially said, are the amount of light .
We are not going to get involved with technicalities such as energy efficiency, power factors, etc. The concept is “the more lumens, the more light”.
What is the recommended distance between recessed ceiling spotlights?
We are going to start by explaining that there is no exact recommended distance, why? Well, because that distance will depend mainly on 2 factors: the angle of light and the height of the ceiling . This means that if the LED recessed spotlight has 60º, the recommended distance is around 80-90cm, while if the light angle is 120º we can separate it up to 110-120cm. You can see it better in the image below.
Now will you tell us, does the height of the ceiling influence it? We always use the same example to explain it, imagine a flashlight in which you can regulate the angle of light, you will observe that the more angle the less distance “the light travels” and the more closed is the angle plus distance .
Well, we apply that to the ceiling and the same thing happens, if we have a 3-meter-high ceiling, very open angles are not recommended, since the light will hardly reach the ground, but if we have a “standard” ceiling of 2.40 meters -2.50mt we can choose spotlights with angles between 60-120º.
As we have commented at the beginning, there is no exact distance, we will have to assess the type of lighting we want and with these tips it will be easier for us to get it right.
Other tips:
- In humid areas such as the bathtub or outdoors, we must pay attention to the IP protection degree of the spotlight . Recessed spotlights or LED downlights with a minimum of IP44 are recommended.
- It is recommended to review the depth of the false ceiling installation to find out what is the maximum height of the spotlight that we can place.
- In installations with series recessed ceiling spotlights , the recommended distance between spotlights is 80cm to avoid shadows or dark areas.
- These tips are also applicable to LED recessed spotlights .
Now that you know how to choose them and the differences between them, you can see our catalog of recessed spotlights designed to illuminate living rooms, kitchens, corridors, businesses and all areas of your home!
