The kitchen has become a real living room in which lighting plays an essential role in creating a space that is both convivial and easy to live in. The lighting of the kitchen should be functional but also decorative. It is a room in which we eat, share, work, read a book… This is why it is essential to benefit from visual comfort with suitable lighting.
To create an ideally lit kitchen, it is important to consider its configuration. If you have an open kitchen, a set of several pendants lights carefully aligned above your worktop, or the central island, will be the most beautiful effect. If your kitchen is a closed room, a central pendant light will be perfect. In both cases, the most judicious will be above all to illuminate the key areas of the room where strategic activities are concentrated (sink, cooking and storage) with light spots installed on the ceiling, under the cupboards, or LED strips fixed on furniture…
To find the best lighting solutions for your kitchen, follow our guide to the 10 mistakes to avoid.
1. NEGLECTING FUNCTIONAL LIGHTING
Do not forget to specifically illuminate the key areas of your kitchen : hob, washing area or worktop must be perfectly lit, this is essential for visual comfort and safety. Opt for functional , strong and precise localized lighting directed on the sink, the hob, the worktop, the storage units, or even the hood. Their presence sheds light on the three main activities in the kitchen: preparing, washing, cooking. At the level of the work surface, favor a homogeneous light under the tall units to avoid distorting the color of the food. Several solutions are possible: light strips, extra-flat LED spotlights or LED strips for a clear light. Thelocalized lighting can also be found under furniture, in the form of LEDs. You open a door or a drawer and they turn on automatically! They benefit from an ultra practical use in large cupboards or deep drawers. Above the wall units, you can place spotlights on rods that illuminate their facades and highlight the furniture. Playing on several levels of light with extra-flat spotlights will enhance the content of the furniture. If you have windows, let yourself be tempted by a point light to create the atmosphere.
2. FORGET ABOUT DECORATIVE LIGHTING
Do you think that a simple ceiling light is enough to set the mood in your kitchen? Error, to achieve a warm and unique atmosphere, in your image, it is essential to multiply the light sources with auxiliary lighting , by mixing several types of lighting:
– a set of wall lights to produce a subdued light,
– a decorative pendant lamp or a modern chandelier to liven up the dining area,
– lighting integrated into glass elements to create plays of light,
– a stylish table lamp placed on a shelf
– LED strips to light up a niche in a wall, reveal the splashback or warm up the worktop …
In terms of decoration, anything goes! The lighting possibilities are endless.
3. TOO MUCH LIGHT IN THE KITCHEN
Well lighting the different spaces in your kitchen is good, too much lighting will have a dazzling effect that can quickly become uncomfortable. And lose all the charm of a chic, light and pleasant living room. Note that the kitchen requires a light base of 300 lux on average, which corresponds to general lighting . But to sufficiently illuminate the work areas , count on 500 lux . All the subtlety of lighting in the kitchen to create a cozy atmosphere is based on the combination of lighting solutions adapted to each type of situation using different types of lighting .
They are divided into four categories:
DIRECT
The light radiates throughout the room.
INDIRECT
The light is diffused against the ceiling or a wall.
RADIANT
The light is diffused everywhere.
FOCAL
The light is focused on a specific point.
For example, a beautiful, simple and designer pendant lamp, very fashionable at the moment, provides focal lighting that can only be used as a supplement. Instead, it is hung above a table, a central island or a bar in addition to general lighting.
4. UNDER-LIGHT
As said above, it is customary to avoid over-lighting the kitchen so as not to be dazzled and tired. In the same vein, it is best to avoid the pale light of a neon and a single point of light. This is where the role of general lighting comes in, which aims to illuminate the kitchen as a whole without leaving a shadowy area. For example, opt for a decorative ceiling light equipped with several spots to be oriented according to your desires. A pendant lamp, a globe, LED reflectors embedded in a false ceiling will also diffuse a homogeneous light throughout the room. Whatever your choice, it is a good idea to illuminate with a powerful but not dazzling light.
Another lighting solution: an indirect light source, created by a ramp of spots, which will diffuse a warm light, even if the ceiling is of a dark color, or a row of spotlights attached to a cable stretched in the axis of the room if your kitchen is long and narrow.
Be careful, however, general lighting illuminates the kitchen as a whole but does not replace functional lighting. For an open kitchen, consider combining general lighting with a dimmer to reduce the brightness when you are not occupying the space.
5. MAKE A MISTAKE IN THE INSTALLATION OF THE LUMINAIRES
A common mistake, making a mistake in the location of the lights can be disastrous in the lighting of the kitchen. In this so-called ” technical ” room, the lighting must ensure a pleasant atmosphere and provide sufficient light without shadow areas on the worktops.
Remember to work your electrical plan well according to the layout of your kitchen to implant the wire outlets of the light points in the right place! For example: provide lighting under tall furniture or lighting above an activity area.
6. CHOOSE UNSUITABLE LIGHTING
The kitchen is the ideal room to mix a maximum of lights and thus multiply the light sources. The choice of each one is obviously a matter of taste and style, but above all, know that the kitchen does not support paper or fabric light fixtures, especially because of grease deposits. Prefer lights with materials that are easier to clean and more resistant, such as glass or metal.
Some tips to illuminate your kitchen space:
Place wall lights above the cupboards, they will enhance the furniture, especially in a contemporary kitchen which today combines comfort and aesthetics. It is a useful and decorative auxiliary lighting. Adopt the LED bars below or inside a piece of furniture, they are ideal for creating subdued effects and spend little energy while being ultra decorative.
Opt for a luminous splashbackwhich will play a role as aesthetic as it is practical. This lighting is sufficient for short-term activities in the kitchen, such as making tea. On the other hand, it will be left on more easily than a ceiling light or a neon because its color is softer and more discreet. Arrange recessed spotsat the bottom of the furniture, they will be placed along the entire length of the worktop, where the main activities take place and will enhance the look of the room with an ideal lighting solution! Try the lighting strip for drawers or cupboards, they will help you tidy up without wasting time looking for your utensils. To stick or screw, prefer the LED to make your life easier. Decline several light points above the central island, this will offer you a pleasant working and exchange space around this space, a real small crossroads of life in the kitchen open to the living room. A row of pendant lights or spotlightsinstalled along the work plan will allow you to cook, have lunch, read, wash… in good conditions in full light.
7. MAKE THE WRONG LIGHTING COLOR TEMPERATURE
The color temperature represents the hue of a light source, it is expressed in degrees Kelvin. This characterizes the amount of pure red, yellow, blue and white produced by the lamp. The effect produced is often characterized by the terms warm “warm white” or cold “cold white”.
Opt for warm white lighting, around 3000 Kelvin for general lighting and mood lighting. Functional lighting requires neutral white lighting, located between 4000 and 4500 Kelvin.
Choose according to the desired atmosphere. For a cozy atmosphere, opt for a warm yellow light (3000 to 3500 Kelvin). For a design and refined atmosphere, choose a white light, more modern (4000 to 4200 Kelvin).
Beware of bad mixtures between the different light sources. A yellow light in the hood or on a pendant lamp, lit at the same time as another, whiter above the worktop, will not create a nice effect.
8. INSTALL COMPACT FLUORESCENT LAMPS WITHOUT INSTANT IGNITION
While ideal for general kitchen lighting and their low energy consumption, compact fluorescent lamps have a somewhat long ignition time to reach full power. Instead, opt for instant -on lighting or quick-start compact fluorescent lamps.
9. USING BULBS WITH A BAD CRI
In a kitchen, the color rendering index is essential to avoid straining your eyes, especially on worktop areas. Opt for bulbs with a CRI close to 100 for optimal light quality: they produce ideal white and regular light.
10. INSTALL FIXED SPOTS
If you have opted for ceiling spotlights, consider having other sources of light in your kitchen. Prefer orientable spots to choose to accentuate certain areas to be lit for maximum comfort and more decorative lighting. If you want to create a more subdued light, consider spotlights to attach to a wall, for example, or spotlights to pinch on a shelf. For a successful decoration, match them with the style of your furniture, your pendant light or your ceiling light.