CHOOSE KITCHEN LIGHTING
Kitchen lighting needs to be chosen with precision because it’s
the one area of the home—other than a workshop
or home office, perhaps—where you need spaces to be lit well enough for you to work.
Include ambient lighting, too, and accent
lighting to show off any design elements.
CHOOSE YOUR LIGHTING
How you light your kitchen depends to some degree on its size. If it’s a tiny room, you will probably want to focus on ambient and task lighting. You can be more creative if the room is large or part of open-plan living space.
AMBIENT
Most kitchens have overhead lighting in addition to task lighting.
If you have a large open-plan, eat-in
kitchen and living space, adding a dimmer
switch will allow you to lower the brightness of the overhead lighting once the cooking is over and the eating
begins.
TASK
Task lighting is a must for a kitchen, whatever its size.
Position it directly over the countertop
so that no shadows are cast as you bend forward to chop vegetables, for example. If your kitchen is small and lighting
options are limited by your budget, designate
a task area—ideally near the cooktop—and ensure that it is lit well.
ACCENT
Accent lighting can make a room seem larger. Place lights on
the underside, on top of and inside glass-panelled
wall cabinets, and at baseboard level to stretch your space and highlight your kitchen’s design. Or use
accent lighting as you would in a living room, focusing spotlights on pictures or
an impressive range, for example.
CHOOSE YOUR LIGHT FIXTURES
It is important to create a space where you and your family
will enjoy spending time, as well as one that is practical for cooking. The goal should be to choose a combination
of fixtures that will cover all your lighting needs.
CEILING LIGHTS
RECESSED DOWNLIGHTS
Recessed downlights provide a feeling of natural daylight, which
is good in a room where you may spend a lot
of time, and their virtually flush design makes them good for low-ceilinged rooms. Install them
with a dimmer switch so that you can lower
the light levels when you want.
PENDANT
Pendant lights work particularly well in kitchens if they are
hung low over an island unit (but not a cooktop),
countertop, or dining table. Consider hanging
a line of three for a more interesting and illuminating option. Look for extractor fan options that look
like pendant lighting.
SPOT AND TRACK LIGHTS
Adjustable spot and track lights allow you to direct light exactly
where you need it. Consider the position
of these lights if they are the only task lighting in the room so that you don’t cast shadows as you
work. Install them with a dimmer switch so
that you can alter the mood of the room easily.
ADDITIONAL LIGHTING
OVER CABINET
Swan-neck fixtures are installed at the front of the top of wall
cabinets to cast light down onto the doors and illuminate preparation areas. Or, you can have lights concealed
on top of the cabinet—they simply light the
space above the unit. Both types create decorative
accent lighting in the evening.
UNDER CABINET
Under-cabinet lighting provides task lighting when you are preparing food and also creates additional decorative lighting if you are dining in the kitchen.
The lights should be mounted toward the middle
of the underside of a wall cabinet so that the light is evenly distributed and doesn’t cast
shadows.
TOE-KICK SPACE LIGHTING
Highlight your kitchen floor using toe-kick space lights. These
lights are available as LEDs or halogen lamps and come in a range of designs installed
in the plinth panel around the bottom of your kitchen cabinets.
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