Lighting is one of the most important aspects of every elegant home design and something that every homeowner (new or existing) needs to consider. The kitchen is usually one of the busiest rooms in any home. Therefore, its lighting has to be both functional and stylistically pleasing.
A good kitchen lighting design should ensure that the entire room has no dark corners. This post will provide all the details you need to achieve a functional and beautiful lighting setup.
Kitchen Task Lighting
Kitchen task lighting is a way of providing target illumination in specific areas for accomplishing simple kitchen tasks.
First think about some of the common activities you perform in the kitchen, and where you do them. For instance, washing will have you be placed over by the sink.
Let's briefly discuss some of the best areas to light below.
The Cabinet And Drawers Interiors
Imagine if your cabinets and drawers feature lights that turn on as you open them like your fridge when it opens. That would be cool right?
A LED soft strip (also known as tape light) could do this easily. You could also use an LED puck or dot lights to highlight individual cabinets. For glass door cabinets used to display glass or chinaware, you could create backlighting using a soft strip.For drawers with switch and motion sensors, the sensors should be wired to a soft strip. This means the lights can turn on when the drawer is opened and go off once it is closed.
Kitchen Countertops
Countertops are the surface working area of the room below the upper cabinets. The best way to light them is to light the upper cabinets. Some cabinets usually have shiny surfaces like marbles or granite, so it is better to use a diffused light source. However, for a matte surface, LED pucks or dots could be used.
Kitchen Sinks
The sink area is the most frequently used workplace in the kitchen. You should consider placing lights above the kitchen sink.
Kitchen Accent Lighting
Accent lighting uses light to draw attention to some architectural or art details in the kitchen. As standard, the lighting should be at least three times brighter than the surrounding light in the room.
Create An Interesting Design With Oversized Lighting
Oversized lights are usually daring but beautiful. Don’t be scared to be incorporate large lights. If positioned properly, they would spread warm light all over the room. Should you decide to have large lighting, it is worth noting that they need to be kept high enough so they do not interfere with the eyes.
Use Lighting To Illuminate Texture And Bring In-Depth
It is important to know how to use light effectively in order to create depth and illuminate the texture of fixtures in the room. When kitchen lighting is set close to natural surfaces, the lights and shadows will help to enhance texture and bring the materials to life.
It is very important to use lighting with excellent colour rendering properties so that materials can be seen in their true form.
Use Wall Lights Instead Of Downlights
Kitchen wall lights are very stylish and more creative than regular ceiling downlights. They prevent the walls from being bare and are also great for task lighting. You can also opt for adjustable wall lights and get dimmer controls in order to keep your design options open.
Use Linear Lights
Linear lights are very stylish and classy. They usually form beautiful lines and often draw attention. To achieve this, you could use a strip light or parallel rows of spotlights.
Control The Lighting Of Your Kitchen
Ensure you are always in control of your kitchen lights. You can make sure the lights in your kitchen are dimmable and adjustable. This depends on the mood or vibe you want to achieve.
Add A Rustic Touch To Your Design
A rustic design usually adds a touch of class and elegance to your kitchen lighting. You can select a light fixture that gives off a rustic vibe.
Match The Light Fixtures With The Cabinets
If you’re unsure of what to do, you could always match the fixture colours with the cabinets. This is an old tactic that tends to rarely fail.
Accessorise Your Space As If It Was Your Wardrobe
If you think of your lighting fixtures as pieces of accessories in your kitchen, it would be fun to design. The light fixtures should not only be functional but should also be elegant and dazzling. This would create a nice ambience especially if you have controls for dimming the lights.
Be free to incorporate your style into this design and not just go with random opinions.
Consider Heights Before Installing Lights
You may need to first consider the height of people using the kitchen as compared to the height of the ceiling for your kitchen ceiling lights. Ensure that you do not install dropdown light fixtures that would harm tall people in the house. For small kitchens with little natural lights, you’re advised to use wall lights.
Consider Your Kitchen Space
You need to take into consideration how big or small your kitchen room is. Should you have a fairly small kitchen that features central fitting, you may end up casting your shadow everywhere in the room.
Make use of big spaces by mixing and matching different varieties of fixtures. You should however be careful and stick to a theme so that all the pieces can be visually harmonised.
Be Creative With Colours
Colours are the extra touch that helps breathe life into your space. Here are some amazing colour ideas:
Combine White And Gold
The use of gold can usually portray a royalty and class feel. Pairing it with white always leaves an elegant finish.
Try Black
It might have popped on your mind to try black, but you’re unsure of the outcome. Well, here's your sign to create an all-black light fixtures kitchen.
Rose Gold
Rose gold is a very gorgeous and elegant colour. It would pop more when the fixtures contrast with the kitchen cabinet's colour or when paired with other appliances.
