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Traditionally in our country, the kitchen is not only a place where food is prepared, but also a place for eating and private gatherings. Therefore, the lighting in the kitchen should be not only practical, but also beautiful and comfortable.
Principles and requirements
A kitchen is a room in which there are at least two zones with different purposes – a working area for cooking and a dining area. From different purposes, different requirements for lighting the kitchen follow: in the working area there should be bright lighting that allows you to see everything clearly, and in the dining area – softer.
But zoned kitchen lighting does not exclude the presence of a chandelier. Its functional significance is small, since the light spot is obtained in the center of the room, which remains mostly empty. But from the point of view of leveling uneven illumination, this method is very good. Alternatively, you can use several spotlights, as in the photo above, or install built-in ceiling lights if the ceiling is suspended or suspended from plasterboard.
It is necessary to think about lighting the kitchen even at the stage of repair, when the electrical panel is assembled, the wiring is pulled, the places for installing sockets and switches are marked. Later, after the repair is completed, it is very problematic to do this – you have to lay the wiring on top or in cable channels.
Illumination standards
When you are just planning lighting in the kitchen, the question arises of how many fixtures are needed and how much power. It’s simple: there are lighting standards for each room for the kitchen, this is 150 Lux per square meter. Considering the illumination in Watts is no longer relevant, since a 7 W LED lamp can produce light like a 50 W incandescent lamp or 650 Lm.
For example, let’s calculate how much light is required for a 12 m2 kitchen. To do this, we multiply its area by the norm: 12 m2 * 150 Lx = 1800 Lx. And since 1 Lux is equal to 1 Lumen, it is necessary to install light bulbs, which in total give at least 1800 Lm.
If you decide to do zoned lighting, that is, the work surface will be illuminated separately, there will be a light source above the table, it makes sense to count everything separately. To do this, the kitchen plan must be divided into zones, calculate the area and, based on these figures, select the number of lamps and lamps for them. Just keep in mind that two 50W lamps in total will not give as much light as one 100W lamp, but about 1/3 less.
Lamp type, color and light
Another important point. When choosing lighting, it is best to choose the same type of lamps: halogen, LED, daylight. In extreme cases, you can combine two types, but it is better not to use all three. They give different lighting and it is almost impossible to get a sane result. We are not talking about incandescent lamps, since they are already used very rarely: they require too much electricity, giving out a small amount of light.
In addition to the type of lamps, it is necessary to choose lamps that give light of the same color, which is also called the color temperature of the lamps. They can give light with a blue, yellow, white tint. In principle, you choose, but the best option is natural or neutral. It is better for the eyes and for the perception of colors.
General lighting in the kitchen
Now let’s figure out what ways you can make general lighting in the kitchen. The traditional option is a chandelier. But it does not fit into every modern interior, however, it has a place to be.
Often kitchens are not square, but rectangular in shape. In this case, you can find a chandelier, elongated in length. For a long and narrow room, this is the best option, which will provide optimal light distribution.
With low ceilings, it will not be possible to hang a chandelier – it will interfere. The way out is to find the lamp almost flat. It can be square or round – which one is more suitable for the chosen style of kitchen design.
If you are going to make a suspended or stretch ceiling, you can “scatter” spotlights over the surface or create some kind of pattern from them (read about ways to place spotlights and more here). You can also make the backlight around the perimeter of the “central” zone. Such lighting in the kitchen visually helps to raise the ceiling, making the room a little more spacious.
All these methods can be combined, so the number of options is very large. But it is important not to forget that there is still lighting for two other zones and look for lighting fixtures for her at once, because they must match in style.
Dining area lighting
The light near the dining table can be made in just two variations: a sconce story, one or more lamps on a long cord from the ceiling.
You can use the sconce if the table is near the wall. When choosing the location of a wall lamp, there are two considerations: the degree of illumination and convenience. The lamp should not interfere, for which it is placed at a height of 60-80 cm above the tabletop. In order for it to illuminate the entire table, it is advisable to find a model that allows you to bring the ceiling away from the wall.
To ensure that the lighting in the kitchen is not only bright, but also beautiful, all lamps, chandeliers, sconces are selected in the same style, which should also be in harmony with the overall design style.
Work surface illumination
There are more nuances in lighting the working area in the kitchen. First of all, you need to decide where to place the fixtures, then choose their type, type and shape of the lamps.
Choosing a location
When illuminating the working area in the kitchen, lamps are usually placed on the underside of hanging cabinets. And this is the best possible option. Because everyone else is much worse. For example, if the light source is on the ceiling (position 1 in the photo), standing with your back to it you block the light. Even if the lamps are located along the line of the kitchen set, but high – on the ceiling or slightly above the level of the upper cabinets (position 2) – only a narrow part of the work surface with the edge is illuminated, the rest is in the shade. Therefore, the illumination of the working area in the kitchen is done by fixing the lighting fixtures at the bottom of the cabinets. Then the lighting in the kitchen has a pronounced zonal character, but it is much more convenient to work this way.
Here again there are options: the lamps can be placed closer to the wall, in the middle, closer to the outer edge of the cabinets. The best option is closer to the outer edge (position 4). So the lighting is most effective with fewer shadows in the work area. The third option is also good. It is somewhat worse in terms of illumination, but more practical in implementation.
So that the lighting in the kitchen does not interfere
If the illumination of the working surface in the kitchen is done at the bottom of the cabinets, other problems arise:
- Not everyone is satisfied with the appearance of the lamps attached in this place.
- The light hits the eyes of people sitting at the table.
Both of these problems have one solution: it is necessary to put a decorative bar that will cover the lamp and limit the spread of light. It turns out that the lighting in the kitchen is softer and the lighting fixtures themselves are not visible.
The location of the bar, its height, the position of the lamp must be selected on the spot: light sources have different heights, different brightness, the luminous flux can also be directed in different ways. Therefore, you select the parameters of the bar experimentally. Ideally, if the light does not fall even on the floor, but will only illuminate the countertop.
Alternatively, the bar can be designed as a small shelf for various kitchen trifles. Usually decor or jars of spices are displayed here. If you don’t like this idea, just do the plank. If you think that even the plank spoils the look or it just doesn’t fit into the style, make a double bottom in the cabinets, hiding the light sources inside. In this case, you can install frosted glass, which will soften the light.
The door in this case is made along the entire length, although this is not necessary. In order to avoid problems with fastening the glass, an aluminum corner can be installed around the bottom perimeter, on which you can simply lay a piece of frosted glass or translucent polycarbonate cut to size.
Spot lighting
When organizing lighting in the kitchen in the working area, you immediately need to decide what type of light sources you will use. There are two options – point and tubular. In the case of using spotlights, it turns out such a “zebra”, the contrast of which can be negated by more frequent installation of light bulbs.
The advantage of this solution is that the lamps are quite decorative and such lighting looks beautiful. Minus – it is not always convenient when cooking. Another drawback: spotlights are quite high and they can only be installed with a second bottom in the cabinets.
If you choose this way to make lighting in the kitchen, take LED lamps. Now they are the most economical – with low power consumption they give a lot of light, they last a long time. In this case, their undoubted plus is that they practically do not heat up, so nothing threatens the furniture. The option is a little worse – halogen lamps (they heat up, “pull” a little more electricity), even less economical – fluorescent lamps with a conventional cartridge, and the most unfortunate – incandescent lamps.
Linear light sources
When using linear fixtures, the illumination is almost uniform, since the lighting fixtures can be mounted with a distance of a couple of centimeters between them.
When choosing light sources for linear lighting, there are even more options and the range is expanding all the time. Perhaps there are already new tools that few people know about yet. In the meantime, there are three of them: LED strip, LED and fluorescent lamps. There is also neon lighting, but it is quite difficult to install, and it costs more. Therefore, lighting in the kitchen with neon tubes or flexible hoses is almost never done.
LED Strip Light
Tape and LEDs can be mounted simply on furniture, as it has a sticky layer. But this layer is unreliable, therefore they prefer to fix it in some way – with double tape, staples from a stapler. If you intend to fix the tape directly on the furniture, choose models with a high level of protection – IP44 and higher. But it is better not to take those that are soldered in a tube – at home they overheat (especially in the kitchen), quickly fade, and soon burn out. For this case, it is better to take types filled with varnish or other protective composition.
When choosing an LED strip to illuminate the work surface in the kitchen, you need to pay attention to the brightness and size of the crystals. You need to choose the largest 50 * 50 or 50 * 75, and it is better if they are arranged in two rows. Their total power should give no less light than determined in the calculations. Read about the types of LED strips and the rules for their installation here.
You can install the LED strip in special profiles (they are also called cable channels or trays). They are usually made of aluminum and have a transparent or translucent removable front panel. Inside there may be a shelf on which the tape itself is attached. These are the most convenient types, while others have to be tricky.
The advantages of installing LED backlight in such a tray – there is no point in worrying about the degree of protection of the tape, a decent appearance. The disadvantage is less bright light, so the power of the crystals must be greater than the calculated one. In any case, lighting in the kitchen using LED strips is becoming more and more popular. The reason for this is ease of installation and low power consumption.
LED kitchen lighting
LED lamps can be not only point or conventional – in the form of a pear with a standard base. There are also tubes.
They are mounted on clips – plates that are mounted on furniture, into which tubes are inserted. Some can be mounted on magnets. Reciprocal metal plates are attached to the furniture (you can use double-sided tape), and the lamps are simply attracted to them due to the magnets built into the body (Sensor model).
Fluorescent lamps
Tubular fluorescent lamps are a traditional way of lighting. They are good because they are switched on directly to 220 V, while LED ones require a special adapter that will give the required voltage.
Disadvantages have been known for a long time – the pulsation of light, which negatively affects the eyes. There is one more not very pleasant moment: LEDs are more economical. They consume very little electricity and last longer. Their service life is estimated in thousands of hours. Fluorescent lamps have to be changed much more often (every five), but they cost less. In general, it is up to you what type of lamp you want to use when lighting the kitchen.
If you decide to light the kitchen with fluorescent lamps, the optimal size is the G13 base (diameter 26 mm). In length, they can be 60 cm, 90 cm, 120 cm, 150 cm. There are different models today – from the usual to quite pretty ones (as in the photo above).
It is possible, as mentioned above, to hide such lamps in a double bottom by installing light-scattering glass. In this case, you can buy the most inexpensive lamps. But it is unlikely that it will be possible to save money – the costs for the profile for installing glass and the glass itself are either equivalent or may even turn out to be more.
As you can see, lighting in the kitchen is better to do multi-zone, and at the moment it is better to use LEDs. Lamps are quite expensive, but economical, they shine brightly, they work for a long time and do not heat up.