Because of the wide variety of tasks that occur in the kitchen, it is always useful to install a variety of lighting layers that provide flexibility and adequate task lighting. As a general rule, it is useful to apply a minimum of three layers in any kitchen.
The first layer for consideration should focus on the primary tasks that occur in the kitchen. Of course, this will be task lighting at the work counters where food preparation and cooking will take place. If possible, the most ideal first layer is to apply undercabinet lighting directly above the tasks. This type of lighting can be selected from a variety of sources, including halogen, xenon, and fluorescent lamps.
The halogen and xenon lamps are similar in lighting quality, although the xenon lamps have been gaining in popularity due to their longer life. In both cases, the lamps are easily dimmed with an appropriate dimmer.
Fluorescent undercabinet lighting has the benefit of extremely long life and a reasonably good lighting quality. The quality of the color rendering of fluorescent lighting is constantly improving and you should ask your lighting consultant for assistance in learning about what is the most current technology available in fluorescent lamps.
Another layer that is useful for kitchen task lighting is to use recessed downlights. The ideal placement is to place the downlighting approximately 27-30" from the wall. This placement places the fixtures just outside the edge of the counters (which are 24" wide) and brings good lighting down to the counter without creating shadows by being too far back in the space.
The 27-30" placement also allows for the lighting to penetrate the wall cabinets when they are opened. The most ideal light bulb option is to use a bulb that has a minimum of approximately 2500 candlepower. This candlepower intensity provides as much as 50 footcandles on the kitchen counters in ceiling heights as high as 10'-0".
A third layer to consider is to use a central light source in the kitchen ceiling. This fixture could be either a decorative chandelier or a fluorescent fixture. The value of this central fixture is to provide general ambient lighting that will fill the space, but it will also add quality to the task lighting being provided either by undercabinet or recessed fixtures.
In today’s marketplace there are thousands of options both in decorative incandescent fixtures and in decorative fluorescent fixtures that will provide excellent lighting quality while enhancing the decorative character of the space. When using decorative incandescent fixtures, it is best to use fixtures that conceal the direct light of the bulbs. This is typically accomplished by using shades around the bulbs.
When using fluorescent fixtures, it is best to use fluorescent bulbs with a color temperature in the range of 3000-3500K. The K rating is a Kelvin scale that defines the color temperature of the bulbs. This can also be described as the relative visual "warmth" or "coolness" of the space. The 3000-3500K range provides a quality of fluorescent light that is very close to that of incandescent and halogen.
Other possible layers in a kitchen include the possible use of wall sconces, accent lighting on wall art, and accent lighting at the top of cabinets or at the kickspace of the cabinets. These types of accent lighting options will add visual interest and will enhance the aesthetics of the space.
See a Lighting One sales consultant for more information and design ideas.
Posted with permission from www.lighting-one.com
The most common applications of decorative accent lighting are under cabinet lighting for kitchens, accent lighting in entertainment and curio cabinets, picture highlighting, backlighting on the top of cabinets and "toe" lighting around the bottom of cabinets.
