GU10 positioning in living room

[digitalspace]

Hi there,

My mums living room measures 4m x 3m and she's decided on having 8 GU10 downlighters. The trouble is we're debating on where to put them, as I know downlights have a very narrow beam so we're trying to avoid shadows etc. I'm aware the suggestion of having downlighters are a bit of a marmite topic on here and personally if it were my place I probably wouldn't go for them however her mind won't be changed so I'm just trying to maximise their performance by having them fitted in the right places.

Please take a look at my awfully crude drawing; the green circles are the suggested downlight positions, brown boxes are the settees and the black rectangle is a wall mounted 37" TV. The drawing isn't perfectly to scale. We've made it so the lights nearest to the walls are 600mm from either wall. One thing is there's a gap in the middle of the room... will this matter a great deal? My friends living room is larger than mums and he gets away with 8 gu10's in the same layout and this is all I have to go on...

Lastly, what do people think of these lamp holders? I've read JCC are highly rated and as there's loft space above I thought it best to go with fire rated ones.
5 x JCC JC94213BN Fire Rated Brushed Nickel Downlight Mains GU10 | eBay

ANY advice is greatly appreciated

Kind regards

 

[Darkwood]

Where your awful crude drawing then ?

Ignore OP has since added it!

 

[digitalspace]

I'd forgotten to add it! However I can't even see my OP any more?

 

[Octopus]

0.8m from the walls, no more than 1.4m apart

 

[Darkwood]

The 2 lights 2 row down would be more effective if brought into the mid point only half the distance though to give a more balanced light effect.

You have 3 vertical columns at the moment 1,2 and 3 - drag the second light down in column one so it sits halfway between columns 1 and 2 and same with second light down column 3 dragging it in halfway between columns 2 and 3.

Have the 4 corner lamps on one switch and the Cross around the centre on another switch this lets you have full room wash, perimeter wash or central wash.

 

[Octopus]

oh and junk the idea of GU10's - does your mum really want 300w of lights?? talk her up to led's

EDIT: JCC LED 7's are highly rated - not the GU10 junk.

 

[Kate]

LEDs LEDs

 

[MDJ]

Ceiling rose

 

[RyanCheetham]

I would do 9 JCC7s on a dimmer. Use your layout but throw in a central one and move out from the wall abit like the 0.8m as suggested

 

[telectrix]

as above. come out from walls to 0.8-0.9m. and use SMD LEDs . wider spread than the spot LEDs.

 

[amlu]

talk your Mum into some gu10 track fittings and install some track around the room. modern ones should look good enough, light positions fully adjustable.

 

[Octopus]

talk your Mum into some gu10 track fittings and install some track around the room. modern ones should look good enough, light positions fully adjustable.

Yuk!!!

 

[telectrix]

double YUK.

 

[ArseyDee]

Make mine a TRIPLE........

 

[Andy78]

Consider it quadruple disaproval.

 

[MDJ]

talk your Mum into some gu10 track fittings and install some track around the room. modern ones should look good enough, light positions fully adjustable.

It is a living room not a shop display, terrible suggestion, stick with a pendant and have a floor lamp and be done with it LOL

 

[varilite]

Only like down lighters in kitchens and bathrooms

 

[digitalspace]

Thanks ever so much for the advice guys. I've tried spacing the light positions 0.8m from the walls instead but I've ran in to problems with the joists above the ceiling being too close to the prospective light. The only solution I've found is to have the lights nearest the door spaced 0.8m and the ones opposite 0.6m from the wall. I'm worried about keeping both sides in 'sync' and how that will be lost... Meh,anyone else come across this kind of scenario?

Those JCC LED lamps aren't really an option atm due to their expense.I suppose I could always upgrade to GU10 LED lamps later once they've come down in price.

Also, are these JCC holders any good? 5 x JCC JC94213BN Fire Rated Brushed Nickel Downlight Mains GU10 | eBay

Is this wire appropriate to use for wiring them all up in the loft (I'd join the earth wire at each lamp in a single choc block to keep the CPC) : Tower Flex Heat Resistance 3 Core 438069 White 0.75mm x 10m, 5018486438069

Lastly,I'm almost certainly going to buy these boxes so I can lay loft insulation back over the lamps (there's a lot of damp in the loft so want to keep as much insulation down as possible)..What do you reckon? 12 X Downlight Insulation Guards, spotlight protection cover loft recessed steel | eBay

Thanks again ;-)

 

[Silly Sausage]

Strictly by the regs, you'll need to crimp your flex ends.
You'll have to look it up yourself!

 

[ArseyDee]

There's nearly always a balancing act. What layout works for the room versus joist positions. I don't think 0.6m and 0.8m from respective walls is gonna be too noticeable.