How to organize lighting in the kitchen?

How to organize?

To be in the kitchen with comfort, you need multi-level lighting:

• Each functional area (a place for cooking, eating and resting) should be equipped with separate lamps.
• It is desirable that the switches are located in convenient places: at the entrance to the kitchen and, if the room has a large area, in the dining area.
• In our country, there is not enough natural sunlight, so designers and apartment owners traditionally choose warm-toned lamps that create additional comfort.

The lighting of a small kitchen cannot be limited to one chandelier. A room with a low ceiling and a modest area should be equipped with several light sources: in the center, above the worktop, above the dining table.

Lighting options

Before doing repairs, you should think about the location of lamps, switches and other equipment in advance, since finishing work is carried out only after laying all current-carrying cables.

General lighting

First of all, it is worth providing the kitchen with one central or several light sources built into the ceiling. They are necessary for convenience at the entrance to the kitchen, as well as during the reception and cleaning.

In the photo there is a spacious kitchen-living room with ceiling lights in the form of spotlights.

Lighting functional areas of the kitchen

It is difficult to imagine a convenient working area for cooking, immersed in twilight. It is also difficult to enjoy a meal or to have heart-to-heart conversations at a table where a plate or interlocutor is hard to see. It is for the comfort of households and guests that each corner needs to be highlighted additionally.

Light for the kitchen in the work area

Lamps are recommended to be placed above the countertop just below eye level. To wash the dishes with high quality, it is desirable that the light fall on the sink. It is not necessary to highlight the sink separately if it is installed in the center of the work surface.

In the photo there is a kitchen where lamps are built in under the cupboards and illuminate the work area.

There are situations that require permanent standing at the stove. Then a small addition as a lamp over the stove will come in handy. Often this function is performed by a hood with a built-in lamp.

Dining area lighting

Perhaps the most important detail that instantly helps to make the atmosphere more comfortable is the lighting of the kitchen table. It is the central subject of the kitchen-dining room, around which guests or family gather. It is important that the surface of the table or islands are in a halo of light: in addition to creating comfort, it sets up an open friendly conversation.

In the photo there is a blue kitchen, the dining area of ​​which is also working. It is lit by two pendant lamps.

Light sources are also needed above the bar: their purpose is not only in lighting, but also in zoning the kitchen space. If the kitchen is connected to the living room, then the lamps should be located not only above the dining group from the table and chairs, but also next to the recreation area - armchairs or a sofa.

Interior lighting for kitchen cabinets

The lighting of closed cabinets is exclusively utilitarian: it does not affect the perception of the kitchen as a whole, in contrast to the interior lighting of a headset with transparent facades.It is possible to equip cabinets or lower cabinets with illumination both at the stage of ordering furniture, and independently using economical LED strips.

In the photo, the lighted apron echoes the decorative illumination of cabinets with glass doors.

Decorative

Extra light can solve the most unexpected and interesting tasks. Decorative lighting is aimed at creating a special mood, as well as in order to emphasize the features of the interior.

In the photo there is a lamp with the phrase, redone specifically for the kitchen from the anti-war slogan "Make love, not war."

Decorative LED-lighting can be located under the ceiling, on the border of the podium or linearly on the wall as an accent. The suite, illuminated from below, visually expands the space of a long narrow kitchen.

If the kitchen houses home plants that need extra lighting, it is also considered decorative.

In the photo, a non-standard decoration for the kitchen is a magnificent vertical garden.

What fixtures to use in the kitchen?

Consider the features of various lighting devices that can decorate a kitchen room.

Spots

Small luminaires that create beams of directional light are called spots. As a rule, products are movable or located on track rails, so they are easy to adjust. In addition to the ceiling, the spots can be integrated under the kitchen cabinets, above the apron or fixed on the wall.

Chandelier

This is the most traditional solution for Russian cuisines. For low ceilings, a no-frills product that fits snugly to the surface is more suitable. If the height of the room does not bother, it is recommended to choose a hanging chandelier. In classical interiors, this option is only relevant, but the modern style allows you to safely combine various lighting devices with each other.

Backlight

Local lighting of the kitchen can be organized not only with the help of spots. Especially common are LED strips, which are used everywhere. The main advantages of tape lighting are its easy installation and the ability to choose any shade, both warm and cold.

In the photo there is a bright kitchen, where a diode strip emphasizes the yellow set, creating an accent color spot.

Lamp

Many owners prefer to use light beams - tubular fluorescent lamps, but their cost is many times higher than the price of ordinary diode tapes. Lamps differ in size and method of fastening: mortise models are built directly into the kitchen furniture, and overheads are mounted on the surface. Their use is justified when you need to highlight a small area - for example, a sink.

The photo shows a modern white kitchen with combined lighting: the role of local illumination is played by fluorescent lamps, and the central light is realized with the help of built-in ceiling lights.

Pendant lights

These products are at the height of fashion today - a rare designer interior dispenses with fixtures on a long wire. Most often, hanging models make up a stylish composition of several identical or just similar lamps. They are convenient in that they give a bright directional light, but, muffled by shades, do not cause discomfort to the eyes.

Spotlights

Typically used in the installation of suspended ceilings. With their help, you can evenly distribute the light throughout the room, only the distance between them must be calculated in advance. Spotlights remind office light to many, but for modern designers this lighting method has long been the norm.

Halogen lamps save energy, but their installation is associated with certain difficulties, so most prefer LEDs.

Features of lighting a small kitchen

At first glance, it seems that in a modest-sized kitchen, one chandelier with an incandescent lamp is enough to illuminate the entire area. In fact, the lighter the room, the more spacious it seems.In addition, it is difficult to do without illumination of the working area: if during the evening cooking, except for the chandelier, the countertop lights up nothing, then a shadow from a person or a poorly located refrigerator appears on it.

In the photo there is a small kitchen with a hinged chandelier, LED strip in the working area and spotlights above the cabinets.

Often in a small kitchen, the role of general lighting is played by a pendant lamp above the dining group. But in this case, the backlight of the apron or cooking zone is required.

As an additional light, a diode tape installed along the perimeter of the ceiling can serve: it will help to visually lift it. The most important thing is to fill the small kitchen as evenly as possible with diffused light that will not create shadows.

Photo in the interior

If no partitions are supposed in the kitchen-living room or studio apartment, zone lighting will help to separate the room or dining room from the kitchen.

Some light sources help to work on the chosen style: for example, hi-tech cannot exist without decorative lighting. In addition, an unusual lighting device can become a highlight of the interior, its main decoration.

The photo shows an example of zonal lighting, where the kitchen is visually separated by ceiling lights.

In addition to the listed electrical equipment, designers use other light sources - not always practical, but original. In the classic kitchen interior you can see wall sconces with lampshades that perfectly support the traditional style.

The loft style is suitable for creative people. In such interiors, table lamps, floor lamps and unusual lighting designs are welcome guests.

Photo gallery

Rationally organized lighting in the kitchen should be not only functional, but also outwardly attractive, as well as create a comfortable atmosphere.