The kitchen has become one of the most important rooms in your home. Gone are the days when the “lady” of the house spends hours alone cooking without interaction from family and friends. It’s now a necessity that kitchens become comfortable, functional and have perfect lighting. We have to consider that the kitchen is no longer the place for food prep, it has become a social gathering point, needing task orientated and ambient lighting after the kitchens functionality is completed.
New and contemporary kitchen designs now tend towards the open plan concept so lighting has become more important than ever. Since many kitchens are now located directly off a main room, avoid anything that is too bright and incorporate dimmable, adjustable lighting.
So now you might ask, what are your choices and how to avoid mistakes……
Recessed lights can be considered task lighting as they illuminate a room without the shadows. Place these wherever your tasks take place, including over your chopping area and sink.
Provide a lower level lighting and consider pendants which create ambiance and warmth to the kitchen. They are ideally placed over an island which establishes a dramatic and contemporary styling. Height placement is usually up to the kitchen user but try place them outside the line of sight of standing and sitting guests.
Under-cabinet and footer lighting should be mounted under the fascia board and behind the toe space, so they are hidden from view. The lights should be directed down as to not shine in any one’s eyes. These create either great task lightening or ambiance lightening dependant on lights used.
The only true mistake on can make with kitchen lighting is having too many lights. When designing your kitchen take note of the natural light and design your lighting around this. The internet is a fantastic tool to look for inspiration……..so do your homework first and enjoy the end result.
