Kitchen Lighting
We feel that well designed lighting contributes more to the function of your new kitchen than any other system. This is in part because many of us have never worked in a well lit kitchen with a range of lighting options available within easy reach. Good lighting can make a small kitchen seem bigger and a large one more intimate. It can focus on work areas for excellent visibility or set a mood throughout the social areas of the space. It need not be expensive so long as you plan early for every option so the required wiring, fixtures and switches can be built in during construction.
Task, General & Accent
Lighting comes in three categories which may overlap to offer you a wide range of choices depending on how you are using your kitchen. Task lighting lights a specific work area with a clear light focused on the task at hand. General lighting lights the overall space, usually from overhead with a range of light spread around the room. Accent light creates mood, lights decorative areas or artwork, washes walls and contributes to a varying mood. Working together, these three types of lighting are a far step forward from the old overhead fluorescent or single light bulb fixture of the past.
Task Lighting
Task lighting is found focused on counters and appliances, under upper cabinets and inside appliances like ovens and refrigerators. Halogen fixtures provide a sun-like natural bright light that shows food off well and avoids the fatigue that may accompany fluorescent light. Halogen is widely available as bulbs or in special low voltage fixtures. It can be installed as recessed ceiling or under cabinet lighting or added in the form of ceiling tracks or strips. Halogen has heating issues however so you should work with your electrician when planning halogen lighting in poorly ventilated areas. An option that is becoming increasingly attractive is LED lighting which is cool and energy efficient.
The goal in planning your task lighting is to focus a bright wash of light onto work surfaces so that the person working does not obstruct the light, casting shadows.
General Lighting
General lighting might be defined as the lights you turn on first when entering a room. It consists of high overhead lighting, either recessed, track or hanging fixtures, that provide a general light source for the whole room. We prefer incandescent or halogen for its natural warm coloring. Plan on putting your general lighting on high quality dimmers that are easily accessible from all entrances and exits via two way wiring (two switches control both on and off from two or more locations). This is required by electrical code in most areas.
General lighting shouldn’t be limited to one central fixture. In fact central overhead fixtures often result in people casting shadows on everything as you move around the room. A range of lights around a perimeter works better and need not cost more as long as you plan their installation early in the design process. A lighting designer can plan the range of the lighting ahead of time so you can ensure you don’t have shadows or dark areas where you don’t want them.
Accent Lighting
Accent lighting contributes to the ambiance or mood of the room. It often is focused on works of art or washes walls with a soft light that is not directed at anyone in the room. Preferably placed on dimmers, accent fixtures may be low voltage and have a number of small bulbs spread around to highlight architectural drama. Accent lighting contributes to the social mood of the room and, when combined with task and general lighting, gives you a very wide range of choices to customize your lighting environment.
Dimmers
We generally recommend the use of dimmers on all kitchen lighting so you can vary your light’s intensity during the changing day. Cheap dimmers hum and generate RF (radio frequency) noise that effects radio and stereo reception. The better dimmers are quiet and allow you to preset favorite levels so you’re not always sliding a switch around.
It’s important to explore the full range of available fixtures before selecting your lighting. You may have to ask your local lighting supply houses for catalogs to see the full range of recessed, track and hanging fixtures available. The same sources often have lighting designers on staff who will work with you to plan your overall lighting mix. Many of these fixtures have a high design esthetic and may become a dramatic part of your overall design. Avoid skimping on lighting because it can be costly to upgrade later after construction is completed.
