Kitchen Lighting

Light Fixtures for Kitchen Lighting

Light Bulbs for Kitchen Lighting

Accessories for Kitchen Lighting

Kitchen Lighting Tips

Guiding Principle

"Light is the first element of design; without it there is no color, form, or texture." – Thomas E. Farin

General

If the kitchen isn’t lit properly, who will notice it? Who will care to notice it? Who will even want to be in it?

General

Lighting can add depth and/or excitement to a kitchen. Let’s face it, the kitchen is where you and your family spend a lot of time so take the time to light it well so that it becomes an inviting and pleasant space to be in.

Accent Lighting

Accent lighting adds drama to a kitchen by creating visual interest. As part of the decorating scheme, accent lighting is used to spotlight paintings, houseplants, sculpture, and other prized possessions, or to drapery or the texture of a wall.

Accent Lighting

House plants can be accented by aiming an uplight at the wall behind the plant, creating a dramatic silhouette of the plant against the wall.

Color

Think about the importance of color in your kitchen, then use proper lighting to bring out that dramatic color.

Dimming Systems

Today's dimming systems enable you to do several positive things: lower light levels to conserve energy and increase lamp (light bulb) life, vary the mood of a room, and alter the intensity of the light to suit the activity.

Downlights

When downlights are used in the kitchen they should be centered over the exposed countertop. This is another way of providing lighting that will eliminate someone working in their shadows on the countertop. Also, if white trims with white baffles are selected, the downlight becomes less obtrusive, blends into the ceiling a little more, and helps to prevent the ceiling looking like “swiss cheese”.

Fluorescent Lamps

When selecting fluorescent lamps (light bulbs) for the kitchen try to select T8 lamps with a color rendering index of at least 85 and a color temperature of 3000K. This lamp is usually identified using the number, “830” or “930”, somewhere in its product code.

Fluorescent Lighting

When selecting fluorescent fixtures for the kitchen try to select those that have instant start T8 electronic ballasts. This will ensure that the fluorescent lamp will turn on without flickering, that the fixture will not give off with much heat, that the ballast will not emit an annoying humming sound, and that the fixture will accommodate the new energy-efficient T8 fluorescent lamps.

Fluorescent Lighting

Fluorescent lighting is, without question, the coolest of all of the light sources and modern, high quality fluorescent lamps (light bulbs) provide excellent lighting with very good color rendition.

General Lighting

General lighting provides an area with overall illumination. Also known as ambient lighting, general lighting radiates a comfortable level of brightness, enabling one to see and walk about safely.

Indirect Lighting

Coves, soffits, and other concealed locations can also be used to provide very pleasant, very effective indirect lighting using T5 or T8 fluorescent strip fixtures.

Layers of Light

There are three basic types of lighting that work together to light a kitchen: general lighting, task lighting, and accent lighting. A good lighting plan combines all three types to light an area, according to function and style.

Line Voltage Halogen Lighting

Line voltage (120-volt) halogen lighting is often too hot to use in or under cabinets.

Low Voltage Halogen Lighting

Low voltage (12-volt) halogen lighting offers a very white, crisp kind of light source that has excellent color rendering capabilities and often makes crystal and good china “sparkle”.

Pendants

In general, pendants should be hung about 30 inches above the tabletop and be at least 12in narrower that the table on all sides.

Task Lighting

Task lighting helps you perform specific tasks such a preparing food, reading, sewing, cooking, homework, hobbies, games, or balancing your checkbook.

Under Cabinet Lighting

Under cabinet lighting should be mounted closer to the cabinet front — not near the back of the cabinet. In the kitchen especially this helps to eliminate the possibility of your working in your own shadows.

Wall Grazing

Wall grazing provides dramatic illumination that reveals the texture of special materials, such as the brick and stone used in fireplaces. Wall grazing is uneven, brighter and scalloped at the top of the wall. For the most exciting effects, use PAR lamps in small aperture downlights. Locate the downlights no more than 12 inches from the wall and the same distance apart. Wall grazing also lights polished surfaces, such as marble without distracting reflections in the surface.

Wall Washing

Wall washers are special downlights that direct light up to the top of the wall. They eliminate the shadows, sometimes called “scallops”, which are characteristic of simple downlights. Space wall washers no more than 36 inches apart. For the smoothest effect, space wall washers 24 inches from the wall and 24 inches apart. Avoid locating wall washers near doors where they can glare into the eyes of people entering the room.

Xenon Lighting

Xenon lighting is long-life incandescent lighting that can be dimmed, if need be. This type of lighting can be used for cabinet, bookcase, under cabinet, or indirect cove lighting.