We solve the problems of lighting in the kitchen

Lighting in the kitchen is both an important element of decor, and a vital necessity for comfortable cooking.

Usually in this room are just two zones, where the functions of the dining room and the places for cooking are combined.

Often the kitchen performs also the role of living room.

Therefore, builders, designers and electricians give the right lighting in the kitchen a lot of attention.

The essence lies in the correct selection of not only lighting with sufficient power, but also a place for installing furniture.

In general, there are general requirements that will help to organize better lighting in the kitchen.

Requirements for kitchen lighting

Before organizing the kitchen design and mindlessly installing fixtures, you first need to know the requirements that are pushed to the lighting in such a room.

They are common for any kind of layout: for a combined kitchen with living room, for a small work area and so on.

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Lighting objects should be installed in such a way that their rays do not intersect, forming shadows.

On the other hand, brightness is better to choose not too high, because to blind a person during cooking is unsafe. You can combine different types of fixtures, this will only be a plus.

The time has long gone by when incandescent lamps were used in kitchens. They do not justify themselves either in terms of cost, frequency of replacement, or in terms of efficiency.

Instead they use halogen, LED and fluorescent light sources. The color scheme of the walls also affects the lighting of the kitchen.

For example, in the dining room and in the kitchen it is better to make fairly light( but not white) walls - they reflect up to 80% of the light. And the dark ones do not exceed ten.

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Different zones require different power. There is an opinion that for a working area the power should be not less than one hundred watts per square meter, while for a living room there will be fifty watts.

Also the distance from the lighting fixtures to the water sources must be at least sixty centimeters.

Lighting options for the kitchen are very diverse, because in the process can be used ceiling, wall and built-in furniture fixtures.

Which lamps are best for use in the kitchen?

Kitchen design can have a lot of variations, examples show us and the combination of styles, and the combination of zones.

Today, the lighting of the working area is organized more often, additional fixtures are added to the area of ​​the countertop, where cooking takes place, separate objects( a sink, a stove) and if necessary, when it comes to a living room combined with a living room,room.

Even lighting in small kitchens can not be imagined without general lighting. It is needed to provide the kitchen with a smooth, soft light, removing shadows, to cover all angles.

Most often, ceiling lights are used here, which are best placed in the center of the room or around the perimeter of the tape.

Among the light sources used:

• point lighting in kitchens;
• chandeliers with several lamps( more than two);
• hinged lamps;
• LED lighting tape.

The design with any of these elements will look stylish and attractive. Point variants are chosen if they are dealing with a tension or suspended ceiling.

This type of lighting is quite simple to do, it is suitable for both dining room and small kitchen.

Spotlights have a neat appearance and a long service life. Sometimes spot lights are mounted directly into the furniture.

If we talk about chandeliers, then we use devices with several levels of lighting. Therefore, the installation work is directly related to the connection of a two- or three-switch switch.

Hinged lamps are a budget option for the kitchen, because they can easily direct the rays to specific areas. For example, if you need to highlight only the space of the working area or dining room.

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The drawbacks include insufficient power. In addition, if you constantly turn the hinges in different directions, they very quickly fail.

LED lighting in kitchens has been very popular recently.

LED strips are used when you need to hide the backlight, but ensure even lighting.

That is, the lamps themselves will not be visible due to a special eaves, which can be perceived as an unusual design and decor element.

The disadvantages are the low power and complexity of the installation, because sometimes you have to redo the ceiling.

Local lighting - highlighting the required areas

Most often, individual elements of the backlight are used to illuminate the work area and countertop, that is, in the dining room.

Without local lighting it is impossible to organize enough light in a combined living room and kitchen.

It is recommended to distinguish elements of the interior: a sink, an oven, shelves with dishes or spices, a bar counter, if any, a cooking zone.

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Brightness and directivity are important here. The most affordable and easy option is to buy furniture with built-in spotlights.

Usually it's about the cabinets that hang above the work area, and the hood with the lights. But in the dining room this option is not suitable.

Here you need the hinged lamps, which will light the table top. For a combined kitchen with a living room, a sconce is suitable. They are attached near the entrance to the room.

Sconce also allows you to diversify the design of any room.

Relatively new and already quite popular option are lamps on clothespins.

These types of lighting equipment are portable and compact, they can be easily clipped from place to place to illuminate the perimeter of the work area or add light in the living room.

Typically, these lamps work from the outlet, so the excess wires can spoil the overall design. But such lamps can only be used when there is a need.

Do you need decorative lighting?

There is another type of kitchen lighting - decorative. Many believe that it is impractical and even superfluous, as for the combined work area and hallway, and for small kitchens.

However, such lighting can not only radically change the design, but also add brightness, as well as comfort to the room.

What is noteworthy, decorative lighting does not have to be done on the ceiling - install light sources on both the walls and the floor.

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Often diode tapes of different colors perform the role of decorating element. They are used in a combined or large kitchen, where there is enough space and the possibility to install a cornice.

Plus ribbons in that they are self-adhesive, so they can be easily attached and detached from the surface. Often in the role of decor floor lamps.

They are specially put on the border of the kitchen combined with the living room to visually separate the two zones.

Useful advices and the role of natural light

If you are able to use natural light correctly, you can get two main advantages: partially save money( both for buying fixtures and for paying for electricity) and to achieve comfort and coziness in the house.

If the construction is not finished yet, it is better to make large windows at once, and also to choose light colors of finishing materials.

There is no need to choose too heavy and opaque curtains for the kitchen - they can completely absorb light.

If the windows face north, keep them clean. A dusty layer can absorb a third of the total light. But the southern side will be a problem associated with an overabundance of light.

Here, just tight curtains will be very handy. Also, the kitchen is the place where the blinds will always be appropriate, because they allow you to adjust the level of illumination at different times.

If in your kitchen, even in the daytime it's too dark, then over the working area you can install a fluorescent lamp - it is a fairly economical option.

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If the kitchen has a zone that serves as a dining room, then above the dining table it is easy to install a ceiling portable lamp.

If desired, it can be lowered and raised to different heights from the countertop. If there are no blinds in the room, but you want to be able to regulate the streams of light, you can install dimmers.

These devices allow you to control the same lamp by adjusting it to different lighting modes.

You can achieve a bright light, suitable for cooking, or muffle it to a minimum, to arrange a romantic dinner.