Kitchen lighting has been evolving in the past years. Traditionally, kitchens have bulbs and chandeliers hanging over the homeowners’ heads when they prepare their meals. These lights have become aesthetically pleasing fixtures while increasing the kitchen’s visibility.
Suppose you’re planning to install new kitchen lighting fixtures anytime soon. In that case, you may need to know why kitchen lights are necessary. In addition, you may be interested in some tips to make the most of these kitchen lights. For that purpose, here’s an article to guide you. So, read on!
Why Kitchen Lighting Matters
1. It Provides Appropriate Illumination
Kitchen lights are installed to illuminate the kitchen to guide people as they prepare meals, wash dishes, and do other chores. With proper lighting, homeowners can navigate the kitchen safely, especially if they’re busy doing culinary tasks. Adequate kitchen lighting prevents homeowners from injury as they can see clearly when they chop ingredients or boil water.
Nowadays, you can choose among the various types of light according to your style and purpose. You can try under island lighting to create a floating effect and make it aesthetically pleasing. You can also install pendants over the counters and island to illuminate these spaces. You may also pick lighting fixtures with 3,000 to 4,000 lumens for appropriate light intensity.
If you’re thinking of the amount of light for a specific kitchen space, you may consider the following type of lighting according to illumination:
- General Lighting
This provides the light necessary to prevent spaces from being dark. This type offers enough light for the in-between gaps in the kitchen.
- Accent Lighting
This is installed to highlight some parts of the kitchen, such as the kitchen island, counters, or shelves.
- Task Lighting
As its name suggests, task lighting suits the spaces where work happens. It may be in the countertops and islands where food is prepared or the sink where the utensils are cleaned.
2. It Improves The Kitchen’s Atmosphere
In addition to providing illumination, kitchen lighting also improves the room’s ambiance. Depending on the type of lights, the chandeliers and lamps can visually turn a tiny kitchen into a bigger one. Its various light intensities can also influence the kitchen’s setting, thus influencing people’s mood.
Since kitchens have become the extended versions of dining and living rooms, one should select appropriate lamps and bulbs. You may consider installing colored lighting to set up the mood in the kitchen. You may also opt for lighting fixtures with dimming and brightening effects for the same purpose.
3. It Enhances The Aesthetic Qualities
Kitchen lighting improves the aesthetic qualities of a kitchen not just because of brightness and color but also the design and style. You may check the following options if you’re into installing new sets of kitchen lighting fixtures:
- Recessed Lights
These refer to the hidden lights in the recessed portions of walls and ceilings. Generally, they provide depth, openness, and space. These lights may be mounted over, and under walls and ceilings, depending on the available areas they’d fit in.
If you’re starting to build a new kitchen or renovating an old one, you may consider installing recessed lighting. If you want to add recessed lighting to your walls and ceiling but have plain concrete walls, you may need to carve spaces for them as they’re incompatible with concrete finishes.
- Surface Lights
These lights are mounted directly to exposed ceilings. They generally come in different shapes and sizes. Some surface lights resemble traditional lamps, whereas others look like boxes, circular and rectangular shapes. These can also be standalone lighting fixtures or be mounted in sets.
If the ceiling has structural and dropdown portions, these lights are installed between them. In most cases, this is the preferred type for rooms with no space or depth for recessed lights. Many homeowners prefer these lights because of the low consumed power for high illumination.
- Pendant Lights
Pendant lights are unique types of surface lights. They’re known to be easy-to-install and energy-efficient lighting options. In most cases, they’re mounted for task lighting as they can illuminate a focused area, such as countertops and kitchen islands, and its surroundings.
Initially, pendant lights were simplistic hanging lighting fixtures with a single bulb. Today, most pendant lights are clustered and versatile fixtures with adjustable brightness. They’re ideal for kitchens with high ceilings because they can still provide adequate lighting from a great distance.
Tips And Tricks In Choosing A Kitchen Lighting
Know Your Needs
Whether you’re renovating your kitchen lighting or installing modern ones, you need to mount your lighting fixtures based on your needs. If your kitchen needs more illumination, you may need pendant lights that could provide light to all spaces. If you’re after aesthetics, you may choose among the various lighting fixtures suitable for accent lighting.
Layer The Lights
Layering your lighting provides depth and practicality. This arrangement paves the way for the availability of dimmer and brighter lights. When it comes to the aesthetic value of a kitchen, layering can be a fantastic idea because it allows the lights to be placed specifically where you want them, like on the countertops, shelves, and islands.
Consider The Watts
Before jumping into the buying decision, you may need to consider the watts-for-lumens ratio of your lighting options. Generally, this affects the energy consumption you’d pay for. In many cases, LED types are still considered the least expensive.
Think About Spacing
Although you can go for clustered lighting or high-power lamps, you must still think about the ratio between the lumens provided and the kitchen size. This way, you won’t over-illuminate a particular space and avoid straining your eyes because of too much radiation.
Wrapping Up
Kitchen lighting is one of the essential elements of the kitchen. It’s crucial because it improves visibility, creates a more pleasant ambiance, and adds aesthetic value to the kitchen.
If you’re installing new lighting fixtures or replacing the old ones, this article can be an excellent source of ideas, tips, and tricks to find the best lighting for your kitchen.
For more ideas, you may seek the advice of seasoned light installers or kitchen contractors. In addition, you may also ask your colleagues and friends who’ve recently installed kitchen lighting fixtures for some suggestions.
Lastly, you can gain more knowledge and tips by subscribing to home improvement blogs.