4 Lighting Design Tips for a More Attractive and Functional Kitchen

Apply Layered Lighting Principles to Make Your Kitchen Shine

If you look at a new home, what’s the first thing you tend to check out? There’s a high likelihood that it’s the kitchen, as it tends to be the hub of many homes. Aside from the place to store and prepare food, it’s the homework station, project center, intimate dining room, and social gathering place. 

With so many purposes, a kitchen's lighting must be both highly functional and aesthetically pleasing. That's why lighting design is especially important for kitchen spaces. Here are five tips lighting professionals use to make Henderson, NV kitchens shine. 

SEE ALSO: 4 Lighting Design Faux Pas and How to Avoid Them

Layered Lighting

Lighting designers use a three-pronged approach to illumination referred to as layered lighting. Layered lighting is comprised of ambient, task, and accent lighting. Intuitively, you probably understand what each one is. Ambient lighting is illumination for essential visibility and navigation. Task lighting might light specific work areas like the sink, coffee bar, and island food prep areas. Accent lighting can be used to highlight a feature like a glass china or barware cabinet. Good layered lighting takes into consideration all of these for a cohesive design that meshes well. 

Ambient Lighting

Kitchens often employ recessed lighting for ambient light, often referred to as cans. When planning these, a rule of thumb is to allow a space between the fixtures that is half the ceiling height, i.e., five feet apart for a 10-foot ceiling. This spacing avoids casting shadows, a no-no of lighting. Care should also be taken with recessed lighting to set them back from the front edge of countertops to minimize shadows. 

Task Lighting

Pendant lights are popular for illuminating islands and may function as both task and ambient lights. You want to position them no closer than 2-3 feet up from the counter to avoid glare. Undercabinet lights might also pull double duty as task lights that might also add an accent. For these, you want to position them toward the back of the cabinet underside to prevent countertop glare. 

Accent Lights

Have a bar area in your kitchen? Backlighting the shelves is an elegant accent. If your kitchen ceiling has a cove design or interesting ceiling finish, you can use offset lighting to feature it. Or you can make cabinets appear to float with strategically located strip lights underneath. These accent lights can also be ambient lighting for late-night navigation. 

Use Color

Modern LED lighting can change white light color temperature and color dynamically, which is referred to as tunable lighting. Tunable lighting is a revolution in lighting design, allowing for different looks and atmospheres with the same fixtures. For example, ambient and task lights can simulate the tones of sunlight for cooking in a bright kitchen, then dim to a warm glow for a relaxing or romantic dinner. Your multipurpose kitchen can transform itself with the power of light. 

Want more ways to design lighting to see your home in a whole new light? Get started by reaching out to the team at Fusion Home Systems today! We look forward to working with you.