Top kitchen ceilings are best lit according to design professionals' advice
Flexible Kitchen Lighting Scheme: A Guide to Dimmers and Circuits
Designing a kitchen lighting scheme that offers flexibility and visual interest is essential for modern homes. Here's a comprehensive guide to creating a flexible kitchen lighting scheme using dimmers and circuits, as recommended by experts.
Layered Lighting
The key to a versatile kitchen lighting scheme lies in layering light sources. Hanna Walter, Creative Manager at Heathfield & Co, suggests layering your lighting into three types: ambient (main general lighting, often recessed or ceiling fixtures), task (under-cabinet or focused lights for work areas), and accent (LED strips or spotlights to highlight decor or architectural features). This layering adds flexibility and visual interest.
Dimmers and Compatible Bulbs
Using dimmers on all circuits allows you to adjust light intensity according to mood, time of day, and activity. It's important to select dimmers compatible with your bulb type. Incandescent, halogen, and dimmable LEDs work well with dimmers, while non-dimmable LEDs, CFLs, and fluorescents should be avoided to prevent damage to bulbs or dimmers.
Multiple Lighting Circuits
Planning multiple lighting circuits by zones or tasks allows independent adjustment and maximum flexibility. Separate control of overhead lighting, under-cabinet lights, and accent strips ensures that you can brighten or dim each area according to your needs.
Statement Pendants and Chandeliers
Use statement pendant fixtures or chandeliers sparingly as focal points, combined with functional layered lighting for flexibility. A well-placed pendant, like the Rayne Chandelier by Heathfield & Co, emits a warm, diffused glow and creates a calming atmosphere in entertaining spaces.
Task-Oriented Downlights
When using downlights, placement is key. They should be strategically positioned over worktops, sinks, or other key areas where task lighting is required. Luke Thomas, Design Director at John Cullen Lighting, recommends using a low-glare directional downlight to wash the front of kitchen units, as it provides a soft, reflected light and lights inside cupboards when they're open.
High Ceilings and Pendant Lights
In a kitchen with high ceilings, low hanging pendants over the island can help delineate the space in an open plan kitchen. LED downlights placed between pendants ensure good task lighting on the work surface below. Pendant lights should be hung around 36cm above any worktops or kitchen islands to provide task lighting but also keep the space feeling spacious and airy.
Ceiling Lighting
Ceiling lighting is essential in a kitchen because it provides general illumination for the space. When selecting the right ceiling lights for a kitchen, consider how you want the space to feel. For example, bright, cool-toned lighting (around 3000K to 4000K) is ideal for task-heavy areas like countertops, islands, and sinks.
Layered Lighting with Downlights and Pendants
Downlights paired with pendants create layers of light that are both practical and atmospheric in kitchens with higher ceilings. Installing linear lighting above cabinets reflects light upward, softening the overall effect and reducing the need for excessive downlights.
Following these principles results in a kitchen lighting design with versatile brightness levels, well-defined functional zones, and a beautiful, comfortable atmosphere that matches the daily rhythm and aesthetics of the space.
- To design an adaptable kitchen lighting scheme, layer light sources such as ambient, task, and accent lighting.
- Dimmers, when used on all circuits, enable light adjustment based on mood, time, and activity, as long as they're compatible with the chosen bulb type.
- For maximum flexibility, plan multiple lighting circuits for different zones or tasks within the kitchen.
- Consider using statement pendants or chandeliers sparingly as focal points, complementing functional layered lighting for versatility.
- strategic placement of task-oriented downlights, especially over worktops, sinks, and other key areas, provides necessary lighting.
- In kitchens with high ceilings, low hanging pendants over the island help define the space, and LED downlights between them ensure adequate task lighting.
- Ceiling lighting offers essential general illumination for the kitchen, with options tailored to create a desired ambiance for various areas.
- Combining downlights and pendants in kitchens with higher ceilings results in both functional and atmospheric layers of light.
- Implementing these principles results in a kitchen lighting design, featuring flexible brightness levels, distinguishable functional zones, and a harmonious, appealing setting that blends with the lifestyle, kitchen, food-and-drink, fashion-and-beauty, home-and-garden, and travel aspects of the space.
