Contemporary Kitchen Lighting

For most people the kitchen is no longer just a place to cook but the very heart of the home and this is borne out by the amount of money typically spent on fitting out a kitchen. The kitchen is also a space that is used extensively both by day and at night so it's especially important to get the lighting right.

The stark, cold fluorescent strip lights that were once a common feature have no place in the world of contemporary kitchen lighting, which offers a wide variety to choose from. Recessed spot lights, tracks, dimmer controlled pendants, wall sconces, low-voltage and of course LED lights in all manner of guises now mean that the problem today is simply narrowing the choice down to a suitable set for your particular kitchen needs.

A notable aspect of successful kitchen lighting is the way it operates on different levels to match the way that kitchens themselves often serve many purposes. This is typically accomplished by grouping lighting into distinct types (ambient, task and mood) and then blending these groups to achieve different effects.

Incidentally, the term "mood lighting" is used here to cover what are also often called decorative, accent or feature lighting in lighting design parlance. Regardless, the basic principle is to assign a separate circuit to each main group of lighting types so that they may be individually controlled (preferably by dimmer switches) to adjust the balance between them.

A characteristic of effective ambient lighting is that it is unobtrusive. Low voltage halogen (or these days LED) spotlights recessed flush with the ceiling create a subtle overall background illumination and set the stage for the more showy lighting elements.

Of course you will have to get down to food preparation at some point and so good task lighting is absolutely essential in any kitchen. You cannot rely on ambient lighting, no matter how bright, since the layout of kitchen work surfaces invariably results in shadows. A popular solution is to fit regular low-voltage or LED lights underneath units so that bright light shines directly on the surface in front of you and is not in your eyes.

Mood lighting is merely a means to create whatever ambience you want for your kitchen, for example angled up-lighters hidden above wall units or spot lights to accent particular features or maybe eye-catching pendants dropping over a dining area or setting low-heat low-voltage (LED's are perfect) lights into glass fronted wall cabinets or a plinth even.

The subject of LED lights and the wealth of new kitchen lighting ideas they offer is a whole new topic unto itself. LED lights give off virtually no heat, are over ten times cheaper to run, and are lightweight, tough, long lasting and remarkably versatile. They can be applied to ambient, task and mood lighting and will always lend a certain elegant sparkle to any kitchen.