All You Need to Know About Kitchen Lighting
Kitchen lighting is often an afterthought when designing a new kitchen. However, creating a well-planned out kitchen lighting scheme can set the mood for cooking, eating and entertaining. Kitchens Bangor can help you to design a multifunctional kitchen, with a lighting plan that can evolve to cater for relaxing, dining, office or homework and entertaining family and friends.
Cleverly planned lighting can also help to hide a number of sins – it can make a small kitchen appear larger, disguise unflattering architecture or just compensate for poor natural light. North Wales kitchens know how important it is to get the planning done properly, especially when it comes to storage and lighting. Follow these helpful steps and you’ll be guaranteed to get the kitchen lighting right first time.
How to Plan your Kitchen Lighting
All the kitchen experts agree, the best time to install a new lighting scheme is right at the beginning of the project, just at the planning stage. If you leave it until later on it can become an afterthought with very limited possibilities.
Carefully consider the areas of your kitchen and think about the various activities that will be happening on a daily basis in the space. Some areas, such as food preparation zones, above the hob, and the sink will likely require some task lighting. Whilst other areas such as, dining will scream for mood and accent lighting. For example, if people are going to be sat in the kitchen whilst you cook, you’ll want them to enjoy a sit down in softer light so they can relax.
Put effort into researching all the different types of kitchen lighting available; consider the size and functionality of the kitchen and the amount of natural light that it receives. You can then work out whether you have the right environment to include the below options in order to sculpt the perfect kitchen atmosphere.
How to Control your Lighting
The standard on/off switches are all well and good, but the time of the dimmer switch has come. They are brilliant for creating a soft, ambient glow by decreasing the power to the light source. There is also the option to go all-out, why not consider a flexible control system?
The ultimate scene-setting device, the intelligent light systems on the market today allow you to create and recall preset light patterns at the simple touch of a button. Some of these systems can be controlled via a smartphone, tablet or through the home WiFi.
How to Get the Perfect Fit
If you are buying your lights off the shelf, always employ a qualified electrician to ensure that everything is installed safely. For the best results, consult an interior designer or even a specialist lighting designer that will have a vast knowledge of the many fixtures and fitting on offer to you.
Know the Different Types of Kitchen Lighting
Task lighting – this refers to the brightest lights in the kitchen, which precisely target the main working areas in the kitchen, such as the worktops, sink and cooker. A good example of task lighting is to have under-cupboard spots fitted directly above hob, sink and worktop areas as this will provide bright, focused task lighting. You do need to make sure that they are positioned as close to the front of the edge of the cupboard, otherwise you’ll only be illuminating the back of the worktop.
Mood lighting – a rise and fall style feature above the table that can be pulled down for a cosy and romantic candlelit supper, or raised for everyday practical meals. If possible, try and make sure that your lights are controlled separately so that you can create different moods with the mere flick of a switch.
Pendants – using a series of beautiful pendant lights or even just a single statement piece above the dining area will help to differentiate between the different zones in the kitchen. With styles ranging from striking ceramics, on-trend copper, and shiny industrial shapes there’ll be a pendant light out there for you. By hanging the pendants low over the table, you create the feeling of intimacy or position them high over a kitchen island – this provides a great source of light and it also adds some intrigue by breaking up the solid lines of cabinets.
Feature and accent lighting – an added little boost to the lighting scheme can come from including feature and accent lighting. They can guide the eye and create specific points of interest around the room, and it also adds to the overall light level when it is combined with just ambient lighting such as pendant. Accent lighting might consist of LED lighting on shelves, in cupboards or in little niches.
Natural light – never underestimate the power and benefits of natural light in your kitchen. The inclusion of skylights, French doors and large windows will help to flood your kitchen with daylight. This bounces off the surfaces in the kitchen to give a bright and functional space in a highly practical room.
Top Kitchen Lighting Tips
- Ensure that the light switches are compatible with the style and flow of your kitchen.
- If you have low ceilings, you will need fewer downlights; include too many and the light will become overpowering.
- Use spotlights on dimmer switches so you can easily alter and control the light levels.
- Don’t put lights too close to the cabinets, as if you have low ceilings, the glare from the lights could actually discolour the veneer.
- Include mood and task lighting in the scheme, so that when you’ve finished cooking; you can switch off the bright task lights and instead have softer ambient lighting for eating and socialising.