Lamps in the kitchen – what lighting to choose?
The kitchen in every home is a room where you spend quite a lot of time, especially if it is connected to the dining room. That is why you need to take care of the appropriate and, more importantly, varied lighting. Each zone (especially if it consists of several rooms, e.g. a living room connected to a kitchenette or a kitchen with a dining room) must be visually separated, whether by means of different arrangements, furniture or even a screen. Lamps that outline an intangible, yet visible boundary will also work great for this purpose.
In the kitchen, it is worth thinking not only about general and main lighting, but also about additional lighting of selected places, the so-called work zones. Only then will preparing meals and even eating them be a pleasure, regardless of the current time of day.
Main kitchen lighting
This is a traditional solution that can be found in most apartments. No wonder, it is characterized by great practicality. All you have to do is press the light switch on the wall when entering the room and not use any other lamps. This is convenient, especially during short visits consisting of putting the dishes in the dishwasher or filling a glass with water. The main kitchen lighting is primarily lamps placed in a central point in the ceiling. Thanks to this, the light is evenly dispersed in all directions, which allows for free and comfortable use of the kitchen, the light is not too harsh for the eyes. However, the disadvantage of this solution is its low intensity, which means that when performing activities that require precision, the main light may be insufficient, and cooking will be very tiring and discouraging. In such cases, you need to install auxiliary lighting in the form of additional lamps or small, luminous strips.
The most popular choice is hanging lamps or ceiling sconces . The choice depends on your taste and preferences, but also on the height and size of the kitchen. If it is small, it is worth investing in lamps that are mounted close to the ceiling. This will significantly reduce the space that a large, hanging lampshade would take up. You can decide on modern kitchen lighting in the form of interesting lamps made of steel or glass in various fancy shapes. However, the whole thing must fit into the interior design. In small rooms, a glass ceiling lamp and small ceiling lamps will work well. They will nicely emphasize the style of the kitchen, and they will also effectively illuminate it, and this is the most important feature of every lamp.
Task lighting
That is, those that will be placed in strategic places where important activities are performed. Proper lighting of individual elements will make everything clearly visible and will not tire the eyes. Local lighting must be strong enough (but it cannot blind), and the rays should evenly fall on the entire workspace or a selected part of the kitchen furniture (e.g. countertop or cabinet). Focused light is not a good choice when it comes to main lighting, although in some arrangements such a solution is used. Despite the fact that it creates an interesting and unique atmosphere, it is not very practical due to the lack of even brightness on each side of the kitchen. Therefore, this type of lamp should be reserved only for small areas. Special fixtures are often used above the countertop, which evenly and strongly illuminate it, because the rays fall directly on it. Thanks to the location of LED strips along the countertops, evening cooking, decorating dishes or processing ingredients will be much easier, and the patterns and texture of the kitchen furniture will be highlighted. Another type is under-cabinet lighting. They are usually small, round or square lamps attached to the top or bottom of the shelf, which they are directly adjacent to. Their light allows you to display beautiful tableware or a collection of glass glasses, which will undoubtedly attract the attention of all guests.
The problem occurs when there are no hanging cabinets or walls above the countertop where you work to attach lamps. If you have an island in your kitchen, you have undoubtedly encountered this problem. Of course, the island must also be properly lit, and a special hanging lamp will work best for this. This time, however, it will not serve as the main lighting, because its light will be directed centrally at the island. In this case, it is worth experimenting with the shape of the lampshade and opting for something designer and distinctive. This will add innovation to the entire room. If the island is the most important element in your kitchen and should be exposed, then the lamp above it should be more accentuated than the central lighting and it is best if its light output is greater.
Lighting decoration
It does not appear in every home, but it is an interesting solution that will make the entire interior more attractive and give it a distinctive character and the right atmosphere. There is freedom here, and the choice of the right lamp depends solely on the preferences and imagination of the residents. In this case, the lamp that will work best in terms of functionality fades into the background, and what counts most is an intriguing design, an unusual shape and interesting patterns. However, it is worth remembering that the kitchen is a room where a lot of cooking is done, so steam, fat or high temperatures will be an inseparable element. For this reason, it is good to avoid fabric lampshades or beautiful, multi-coloured lampshades with fringes or feather decorations in this room, because they could pose a threat, and they would also deteriorate very quickly. However, you can experiment with the colour of the lighting. Even a small lamp emanating a delicate, blue or pink light placed on the side of the kitchen will completely change the current appearance of the interior.
Lighting in the kitchen can be used cleverly. For example, softly glowing, colored lights or LED strips attached to the front of a glass cabinet will highlight the best objects worth noting. This could be a valuable set of plates or glassware. Bright, white-blue light will gently reflect off both the glass surface and the glass, which will create a spectacular visual effect.
Another unusual idea is to mount lights (preferably single-colored thin lights on a thin wire) along the countertop at the border with the wall. You can attach them using mounting mass or regular self-adhesive tape.
Decorative kitchen lighting is not only pleasing to the eye, but it will also add coziness and comfort to the room. This will make cooking a real pleasure, and time spent in the kitchen chatting together will be the best part of the day.
