Please give me your opinion on soffit lights (photos included!)
Short question: Which do you like better - 25 degree (left) or the 40 degree (right) PAR30 spot? There are 2 photos with different exposures - the real exposure is somewhere in between.
More details:
Our 1969 home has Lightolier soffit lights that go around the entire perimeter of the house. There are 31 bulbs total, 6' - 8' apart and 7' - 8' above ground or wrap-around deck.
An electrical/lighting consultant that I trust told me that the fixtures take PAR30 short neck bulbs, and recommended Satco LED. The beam spread is up to me, but he said he would not go with a narrow 10 degree spot. The previous owners put in A19 bulbs that look splotchy (and ugly to me) because of the wide spread of light. I bought 40 and 60 degree Satco PAR30 LED lights, and also have a 25 degree Sylvania PAR30 halogen light.
The 60 degree light is too wide.
So, my question to you - of the 2 lights in the photos, which do you like better - the 25 degree (left) or the 40 degree (right). The 40 degree Satco has higher lumens than Sylvania, so it is difficult to get a great photo. The real "look" is somewhere between the exposure in the 2 photos I provide.
I'm leaning to 25 degree, and I will get Satco LEDs for all. But I appreciate any feedback.
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Please give me your ideas--Pics included.
Comments (16)Honestly, I think your house looks great. I wouldn't go overboard with accessorizing. I would suggest leaving the curtains up in the living room as they give some color and interest without being overbearing (the shears alone would make it a bit sterile). Put a nice simple print over the mantle. Wouldn't put anything else on the walls in the living room. Wonder if the upstairs hallway runner would be better served in the foyer. That space could use a larger rug and the hallway will be fine without one. Agree the foyer table should be dressed up more. The wall space above would be great with a small/medium sized decorative mirror and the table top could use a couple decorative items (maybe you have a couple of nice candlesticks for the table). OR, you could put an nice buffet lamp on the table and a greenery arrangement. For the second bedroom, take the desk out and move the bed away from the window (center it more on the wall). Third bedroom, either remove the curtains or change out the quilt to something solid. The patterns compete with each other (although each alone are very nice). You could change out the hardware on the cabinets, but I think buying some plush towels and a bath mat would be good enough. You can get everything you need at Walmart, Target or any store that sells home decor items. You have done a great job!! I would be thrilled to see your house if I were looking in your area....See MoreOpinions Needed! Where to end backsplash? Photo included
Comments (52)I love the framed pictures at the end of the wall, but this is just my own petty little opinion, I think it would call less attention to the backsplash dilemma if the pictures were centered on the wall space between the door and cabinet shelves end. That way you would never even think about the backsplash and just look at the pictures and not wonder why they weren't centered on the wall, which in turn would lead to explaining the dilemma about the splash. I know that was a run-on sentence...sorry!!!...See MoreQuickly please- give your opinions on kitchen trim choices
Comments (9)1. Straight valence. Generally I'd say no valence, but in your case I think the valance adds form as well as function. Form in that it helps to draw the eye down to the cabinetry as your focal point. In the pic without a valence, the soffit stands out (because the window disappears so deep into it) and draws the eyes up. 2. I think the beauty molding (but the pic is had to see on my ipad). Good luck. Looks like you will have one *gorgeous* kitchen whatever you decide! This post was edited by taggie on Thu, Aug 28, 14 at 13:32...See MoreHelp me choose soffit lighting please!
Comments (4)Thanks everyone for your input! I asked the electrician to put in samples of the regular rope light and the LED rope light. So glad I did. The LED rope light is not white at all, it is an ugly yellow :( He also put in a sample of Xenon linear lighting which is a nice white color...but it is very expensive (must buy the track system, separate bulbs, transformers, etc) and it gives a more "scalloped" look versus a continuous look. So obviously the Xenon linear is out due to budget. Someone on another thread suggested a white balance system where you can control the warmth/coolness of the light color...but that is even more expensive than the Xenon linear. So for the rope, if I had to choose between amber and bright yellow, I'd have to choose the warmer amber color......See MoreAdam Calabrese
6 years agolast modified: 6 years agoFollow-up in case anyone ever comes back to this thread via a search. I know that I sometimes find an old discussion thread and wonder about the conclusion.
The lights are used when we are outside in the
evening, such as when the dogs are taking care of business in the courtyard or
when we are grilling or sitting around on the deck and want some light. So I would say the use is about half & half for aesthetics and useful light. We want light but not too much light. These
are not security lights that are left on overnight.I posted the same question to a neighborhood online group ("Nextdoor"), and once I made it clear that these were not security lights left on overnight (to those concerned about light pollution), 25 degrees was the overwhelming recommendation of the ~12 people that replied.
In the end I chose Satco S9410 bulbs: 25 degrees, 2700K, 13 W
(50 W eq.) PAR30 LED. I think that they look better,
especially since we have dimming capability on all loads and will probably run them ~50-75% capacity, where I think they look best.I attach 1 more photo with Satco 25 degree (S9410) on left and Satco 40 degree (S9415) on right. Dimmer is off (ie, 100%). Both of these bulbs have 1000 lumens. I tried to set exposure on my phone camera to remove most of the hot spots - the remaining hot spots are not there in real life.
The full beam spread is now mainly a function of the recessed fixture. However, you can see the narrower main beam area (intensity) on the 25 degree light.
Due to circuitry in the lights they run a bit hot at full voltage. Not so hot that I couldn't unscrew them, but hot enough that I had to use fingertips only. Someone else with more sensitive skin would have had to wait a few minutes for the lights to cool before removing them. The temperature does decrease with dimming - which is good for discouraging bugs, and another reason to run them at 50-75% capacity.
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