Tips for getting ideal lighting for the kitchen
Kitchens have always been more than just a place to cook. Kitchens have seen family gatherings, long after-dinner conversations, interesting conversations, and most of all, food festivals. But do you know what lighting is ideal for the kitchen? We help.
LED lighting for kitchens is a fantastic idea as it offers great flexibility. LED lights can be used for general or ambient lighting as well as accent lighting.
Lighting plays an important role when it comes to decor and your kitchen is no exception. Here are some ideas for brightening up a kitchen.
Ideal lighting for the kitchen
The kitchen is a place where various activities take place throughout the day and, therefore, has become a space in which specific lighting for each of these practices must be reflected. It is important that the lighting is oriented to achieve a welcoming and friendly atmosphere through the combination of lights.
Ideally, three levels of LED lighting should be used in a kitchen:
- Recessed lighting for ceilings – LED projectors.
- Accent lighting for furniture – LED strips and neon
- Suspended Lighting for High Ceilings- Suspended Ceiling Lamps
Considering that most kitchens are located in quite large or even open spaces, the option of being able to play with the intensity of the lighting is an advantage. Therefore, we can choose to light the kitchen with LED lights, as these are dimmable and can thus be adjusted to the needs of each corner of a kitchen.
Let's see the different options we have to illuminate our kitchen and make the most of it.
1. Lighting a kitchen from the ceiling.
Will be responsible for ambient or general lighting. When it comes to the tone of the light, it is quite common to opt for cold tones as they improve visibility and the level of concentration, which is very useful to avoid accidents. However, nothing stops us from opting for warmer lights if we want to create a more welcoming atmosphere.
LED recessed spotlights and spotlights
Currently they are the main source of lighting, displacing the old fluorescent tubes in most kitchens. LED downlights that are recessed into the ceiling are the best option as they do not require maintenance and have a lifespan of up to 50.000 hours. In other words, assuming we never turned off the lights, they would last more than 5 years! If we don't want to make holes in the ceiling, we can use LED ceiling lights installed on the surface.
Kitchen pendant lamps
These pendant lamps are still very popular in kitchens, especially islands, as they provide warm, ambient light. Their opening angle is generally smaller than recessed LED lights, allowing for more balanced overall lighting. Fortunately, nowadays there is a wide variety of designer lamps that save energy and don't skimp on style. It is recommended to place them above a person's line of sight so that they do not obstruct the general view.
One trick is to place a glass tube with bulbs over the kitchen island, as it adds a touch of decorative style as well as a soft, diffuse filtering of light through the glass.
LED light for frames
LED strips can be used to highlight architectural features, such as the typical concave moldings that we see in some kitchens.
LED track lights
Some ceilings cannot be equipped with recessed lights, or are too high to provide sufficient functional lighting. In these situations, a very interesting option is track lighting in which several LED projectors can be installed.
2. How to light your kitchen work area and countertops
This type of lighting is used in work areas or areas that require more light. LEDs are generally the best choice for these spots, as they do not heat up like incandescent bulbs. It is easy to hide the cables so that they are hidden from view and to direct the light downwards to directly illuminate the surface.
Countertop cabinets
LED lights are ideal for cabinet lighting because, unlike halogen, LEDs stay cool, so there is no danger of feeling the heat from lamps or spotlights while working beneath them.
3. Kitchen furniture lighting.
Lighting kitchen furniture can be a useful and functional option that contributes to the decoration of this space.
LED lights for kitchen cabinets
Lighting inside kitchen cabinets is very useful. To carry out this type of installation, we can choose between LED strips or lights with which we can hide the wiring in the upper part of the cabinet. It's also a great idea for drawers, where we store kitchen utensils. Drawers require a more functional type of lighting, unlike floating shelves, for example, where the light is more ornamental than practical.
If the cabinet or shelf has glass doors, the result is very attractive.
Floating shelves
LED strips create a visual effect on floating shelves and are a very eye-catching addition to kitchen lighting. Furthermore, the thin thickness of these strips, thanks to the type of LEDs they integrate, makes them the ideal complement to this furniture as they make it stand out.
There are a thousand and one ideas, imagination is the limit and LED lighting allows us to carry out certain types of installations ourselves without being specialized electricians.
What do you say, do you dare to put any of these ideas into practice?
