Gone are the days when kitchens were meant just for cooking meals. Today, it is one of the favorite spots in the home where the entire family spends a good portion of their time together. The present-day kitchens are not just used for cooking but for serving meals for family and friends, for baking, for hosting parties and dinners, to do homework, to read a newspaper, and for playing indoor games. You cannot enjoy doing these things in a dimly lit or dark kitchen.
Lighting is one aspect of the kitchen design that needs to be carefully planned. However, most of the time it is the last thing to be considered while planning and building a kitchen. Lighting is one among the Top 3 Things to Consider When Designing a New Kitchen. Keep these things in mind while deciding on the lights for your kitchen.
Avoid one light fixture for the entire kitchen
Many people try to light up the entire kitchen using a single ceiling fixture that is quite bright. This is one mistake that needs to be avoided to stop it from overpowering everything in the kitchen including people. The glare is too high when you use such a light fixture. To light up the kitchen, perfectly the lights in the kitchen need to be layered.
Layer and blend different types of lights
When it comes to kitchens, the best way to light it up effectively is by blending four different layers together. This gives your kitchen a warm and welcoming appearance and would work perfectly with the style and design of your kitchen. The four layers of lighting are:
- Task lighting
- Accent lighting
- Ambient lighting
- Decorative lighting
Task lighting
While cutting, slicing or chopping in a kitchen, it is always best to have a focused lighting to prevent accidents. Task lights need to be placed correctly to avoid the formation of shadows. Task lights are usually placed over the kitchen islands, below the overhead cabinets, and on the countertops.
Accent lighting
Accent lighting helps to create dimension and depth in a kitchen and it’s becoming popular as kitchens are now being used for casual entertaining. Accent lights are usually placed inside glass cabinets or used as a spotlight to highlight an art-work.
Ambient lighting
Ambient lighting fills the kitchen with a warm glow and helps to soften shadows. Ambient lighting includes track lights, pendant lights, and ceiling lights.
Decorative lighting
Decorative lighting fixtures like hanging pendants and chandeliers can be added in proportion to the size of the kitchen. The bigger the space the more lights you can include. It is the most expensive of all the different types of lights and hence it is the least popular among all the different lights.
Considering the different functions for which a kitchen is used for, the lighting scheme in the kitchen needs to be flexible. The lights for a kitchen has to be chosen carefully and positioned correctly to get the desired results.
