The Lighting Layout Of Your Kitchen
Lighting is one of most important elements of a kitchen’s new design or kitchen remodel layout but it is often the most overlooked. Most kitchen lighting is typically divided into three types: general or ambient lighting, decorative and task lighting.
Ambient is used in a kitchen lighting layout to provide overhead or all-purpose lighting for the major areas of the room. These are the lights you turn on and off as you enter or leave a room.
Task lighting is used to place a brighter and more focused light onto a workstation or area. This is especially good in areas like over stoves, cooktops and food prep., etc. Task lights can make a ordinary kitchen lighting design great or leave it literally sitting in the dark.
Decorative lights as the name implies while good for some functional lighting but is basically installed to add interest to a room. In a kitchen it can be beamed onto an indoor planting arrangement, painting or a group of collectables.
Kitchen Lighting Layout Areas
Counter Top Work Spaces – counter tops are ideal places for task lighting. Whether you are just making a pot of tea or slicing up vegetables for meal, localized task lighting should be included into your kitchen lighting design plans.
The most common type of countertop task lighting is low profile fixtures that are installed under the cabinet. Typically these are fluorescents since they are the most affordable, but low voltage xenon and halogen lights are also becoming popular as well.
Overhead Sink Lighting – Another good type of task light to add to your kitchen lighting layout for this area is the “canned” or recessed light. This kind of fixture is as its name implies is recessed or installed below the surface of the ceiling or overhead and typically focuses a light in a strong downward beam.
Island Lighting – whether you use it as a cooktop or as extra workspace, kitchen island layouts should always have some sort of task light (especially with a cook top) or general lighting aimed in their direction. And since many home owners add islands as additions or during a remodel, lighting for the prime piece of furniture is frequently forgotten in most kitchen lighting layout designs.
The Main Kitchen Floor – here you should always use some kind of overhead illumination to light up the whole room or at least a large section of the room. In a more traditional kitchen lighting design, the kitchen would be lit up with hanging or pendant lights or a modern version of a chandelier. More modern kitchen lighting layouts use low profile incandescent or fluorescent light fixtures or even a series of track or recessed lights
Bars, Nooks and Desk Lighting – Use localized general light fixtures to provide separate illumination in these elements of your kitchen lighting layout.
Other Lighting Placements – you can also use canned lights that have installed above your kitchen cabinet layout and aimed at the ceiling to increase the ambient light and give a feeling of intimacy during parties. Or train a small, focused beam of light on plants, collectibles or artwork.
Now you know what type of lighting you should look for, you can be make good decisions when it comes to developing your kitchen lighting layout.
