02 Jul How to plan your kitchen lighting

HOW TO PLAN YOUR KITCHEN LIGHTING
The 5 lighting areas to consider in your project

Your kitchen is the most important room in your home, it is where your family and guests often gather to eat, cook, socialize and spend time together; it represents a bonding area. But it is a challenging task to create a functional and pleasing lighting plan for this hardworking space. So here is a quick guide to help you to choose the perfect lighting design for the heart of your home that not only will tie your home together; it will tie your loved ones together.

First, consider the hardware you already have to create the perfect match with the lighting and the final look you want. Then look for the shade styles, sizes, and materials, they will affect the lighting and the overlook of your kitchen. If you are looking for a more streamlined contemporary look material polished Chrome and Polished Nickel are good choices, but if you want a more eclectic vibe, something “vintage” like wooden and stone materials will suits you better. Finally, don’t forget about the color of the bulbs; think about the color of your kitchen, for example, if you have a lot of white in there then you’ll want a warm tone for the bulbs. But those with darker kitchen lighting may need a higher Kelvin number, choose bulbs that emit ideal color temperature.

Now that you know what you want, let’s break down all the lighting areas. The key to ambient lighting is to provide a consistent light layer.

1. Ceiling Lighting

 The ambient lighting is the base layer, this light will give the main vibe, and it bolsters the natural light of your kitchen.  It usually goes well with flush and semi-flush mount lights, pendant lighting, LED panel lights, and LED spotlights.

2. Over wall Lighting

Sconces are frequently used in these areas; they are perfect to spotlight your sink or where you prepare food. Thanks to their adjustability you can direct the light to where it is needed the most, also consider the use of a dimmer switch

3. Plinth Lighting

With LED spots you can display lighting on glass cabinets or illuminate areas of your kitchen where you need punctual lighting like under cabinets; in fact, installing under cabinet lighting is the best thing you can do to improve functionality and provide a nice ambiance to your kitchen.

4. Unconventional Spots

LED strip lights are numerous little individual lights that come on a strip, they are very versatile; they can be installed in areas where conventional lighting cannot. You can place them under the lower cabinets to illuminate the path for additional mood and safety lighting at night, or in pantries to help you easily spot ingredients.

5. Kitchen Island

If your kitchen already has great ceiling lights, your island is where you can get very creative and find styles and colors that complement your kitchen style, a decorative fixture can change the feel of the room.  If you are going for a high-end upscale look, then you may consider adding a chandelier for a better source of ambiance light or a pendant with shade to focus the light on what’s beneath the lamp. Most of the time this area has a multipurpose task like washing the dishes, prepping, cooking, and serving meals so that is where you want to add additional support lighting.  

Extra TIP: Nowadays it’s becoming much more popular for kitchens to be opened up into multi-purpose spaces, such as kitchen/dining rooms or kitchen/living spaces so it’s important to realized and consider that the lighting of this area plays a major influence on the mood and atmosphere of the house.