When you’re thinking about a lighting design there are several things you need to take into account. The main one is that the kitchen will be the primary focus of your household, in reality where most of the activities in your house will take place. All meals usually take place there or in an adjacent dining room. If you have a family, it will be very busy in the mornings as kids are preparing for school and you and your spouse are preparing for work. During the day it may be a little more quiet, but in the evenings it is busy again in preparation for dinner. On the weekends, it’s likely that the kitchen will be very busy throughout the entire day.
This is why the most important part of kitchen lighting design is that it should be comfortable, practical and well-lit. During the day, you can solve a lot of the lighting issues by having large windows installed in your kitchen, but at night or on overcast days it’s a great idea to think about kitchen lighting fixtures that will illuminate the whole kitchen. You may want to have one central light in the middle of the ceiling and then additional lights above counter tops and the sink, so you can work in a well-lit area.
The main light in the kitchen will usually be the one located in the middle of the ceiling and will be the centerpiece of your kitchen lighting design. For this one, you have several options, but cost and energy efficiency should always be considered. You do not need to use kitchen lighting fixtures here that are too bright, especially if you will have additional lights above counter tops, or if you have a large window to let in sunlight. This is where you can save a lot by using an energy efficient lighting fixture that has a neutral color. Kitchen lighting design options for this location are neon lights and hanging kitchen lights.
Counter top lighting design for your kitchen
Counter tops, islands, and eating areas are where you will need to have some high powered lighting. Often these can be attached to a wall at the back of the counter top, above the sink, or you can opt for under cabinet lighting. It’s important that these lights illuminate the areas they are hanging over well, because you will be using these areas to do the bulk of your food preparation work. Additionally, you might want to consider using neutral light or neon light. This will allow you to see the true colors of any kitchen object so you can determine whether an item is clean, or not. This also applies to working with food – you want to make sure that the lighting shows the real colors of any food you are working with so you know that it is clean, safe to eat, or properly cooked.
Do-it-yourself or work with a designer?
Whether you do your kitchen lighting design yourself or hire an interior designer’s services is completely up to your own skills and budget. If you are confident that you know what you want, perhaps all you need to do is go to a home improvement store (or shop around online) and get the parts you need and set it up yourself. On the other hand, if this seems a little daunting and you know you have the budget, then you might want to think about employing a specialist to help you with your kitchen lighting design. You can also seek help from the staff that work at stores such as Ikea, Home Depot or Rona. They will be able to help you plan out the kitchen lighting design that works best for you.
