How to effectively plan lighting in the kitchen space?

How to organize it correctly?

To be in the kitchen with comfort, multi-level lighting is necessary:

• Each functional area (place for cooking, eating and relaxing) should be equipped with separate lamps.
• It is desirable that the switches are located in convenient places: at the entrance to the kitchen and, if the room has a large area, in the dining area.
• In our country, there is not enough natural sunlight, so designers and apartment owners traditionally choose lamps with a warm tone, which create additional coziness.

Lighting a small kitchen cannot be limited to one chandelier. A room with a low ceiling and a modest area should be equipped with several light sources: in the center, above the worktop, above the dining table.

Lighting options

Before doing repairs, you should think in advance about the location of lamps, switches and other equipment, since finishing work is carried out only after laying all current-carrying cables.

General lighting

First of all, it is worth providing the kitchen with one central or several light sources built into the ceiling. They are necessary for convenience when entering the kitchen, as well as when receiving guests and cleaning.

The photo shows a spacious kitchen-living room with a ceiling lighting in the form of spotlights.

Lighting of functional areas of the kitchen

It is difficult to imagine a comfortable work area for cooking, immersed in semi-darkness. It is also difficult to enjoy food or have heart-to-heart conversations at the table, where it is difficult to see the plate or the interlocutor. It is for the comfort of household members and guests that each corner needs to be additionally illuminated.

Light for the kitchen in the work area

Lamps are recommended to be placed above the countertop just below eye level. In order to wash dishes efficiently, it is desirable that the light also falls on the sink. It is not necessary to illuminate the sink separately if it is installed in the center of the work surface.

The photo shows a kitchen, where the lamps are built in under the cabinets and illuminate the work area.

There are situations that require constant standing at the stove. Then a small addition in the form of a lamp above the stove will come in handy. Often this function is performed by a hood with a built-in light bulb.

Lighting of the dining area

Perhaps the most important detail that instantly helps to make the atmosphere more cozy is the lighting of the kitchen table. It is the central piece of the kitchen-dining room, around which guests or family gather. It is important that the surface of the table or island is in a halo of light: in addition to creating comfort, this sets the tone for an open, friendly conversation.

The photo shows a blue kitchen, the dining area of which is also a work area. It is illuminated by two pendant lamps.

Light sources are also needed above the bar counter: their purpose is not only to illuminate, but also to zone the kitchen space. If the kitchen is connected to the living room, the lamps should be located not only above the dining area of the table and chairs, but also next to the seating area – armchairs or a sofa.

Internal lighting of kitchen cabinets

Lighting of closed cabinets is purely utilitarian in nature: it does not affect the perception of the kitchen as a whole, unlike from the interior lighting of a set with transparent facades. You can equip cabinets or lower cabinets with lighting both at the stage of ordering furniture, and independently using economical LED strips.

In the photo, the illuminated apron echoes the decorative lighting of the cabinets with glass doors.

Decorative

Additional light can solve the most unexpected and interesting problems. Decorative lighting is aimed at creating a special mood, as well as emphasizing the features of the interior.

The photo shows a lamp with a phrase, remade especially for the kitchen from the anti-war slogan “Make love, not war.”

Decorative LED lighting can be located under the ceiling, on the border of the podium or linearly on the wall as an accent. A set illuminated from below visually expands the space of a long narrow kitchen.

If there are house plants in the kitchen that require additional lighting, it is also considered decorative.

The photo shows an unusual decoration for the kitchen – a magnificent vertical garden.

What lamps to use in the kitchen?

Let’s consider the features of various lighting fixtures that can be used to decorate the kitchen.

Spotlights

Small lamps that create beams of directional light are called spotlights. As a rule, the products are movable or are on track rails, so they are easy to adjust. In addition to the ceiling, spotlights can be built in under kitchen cabinets, above the apron or fixed to the wall.

Chandelier

This is the most traditional solution for Russian kitchens. For low ceilings, a product without frills, tightly adjacent to the surface, is more suitable. If the height of the room does not bother you, it is recommended to choose a pendant chandelier. In classic interiors, this option is the only appropriate one, but the modern style allows you to boldly combine various lighting fixtures with each other.

Backlight

Local kitchen lighting can be organized not only with the help of spotlights. LED strips are especially common and are used everywhere. The main advantages of strip lighting are easy installation and the ability to choose any shade, both warm and cold.

The photo shows a bright kitchen, where the LED strip highlights the yellow furniture, creating an accent color spot.

Lamp

Many owners prefer to use light bars – tubular fluorescent lamps, but their cost is several times higher than the price of conventional LED strips. Lamps differ in size and mounting method: recessed models are built directly into kitchen furniture, and overhead ones are attached to the surface. Their use is justified when it is necessary to illuminate a small area – for example, a sink.

The photo shows a modern white kitchen with combined lighting: the role of local lighting is played by fluorescent lamps, and the central light is realized with the help of built-in ceiling lamps.

Pendant lamps

These products are at the peak of fashion today – a rare designer interior can do without lamps on a long cord. Most often, suspended models make up a stylish composition of several identical or simply similar lamps. They are convenient because they provide bright directional light, but, dimmed by lampshades, do not cause discomfort to the eyes.

Spot lights

Usually used when installing stretch ceilings. With their help, you can evenly distribute light throughout the room, but the distance between them must be calculated in advance. Spotlights remind many of office lighting, but for modern designers this method of lighting has long been the norm.

Halogen lamps save electricity, but their installation is associated with certain difficulties, so most people prefer LEDs.

Features of lighting a small kitchen

At first glance, it seems that in a modest kitchen size, one chandelier with an incandescent lamp is enough to illuminate the entire area. In fact, the brighter the room, the more spacious it seems. In addition, it is difficult to do without lighting the work area: if during evening cooking nothing but a chandelier illuminates the countertop, then a shadow from a person or an inconveniently located refrigerator appears on it.

The photo shows a small kitchen with a hanging chandelier, LED strip in the work area and spotlights above the cabinets.

Often in a small kitchen, the role of general lighting is played by a pendant light above the dining area. But in this case, backlighting of the apron or cooking area is a must.

A diode strip installed along the perimeter of the ceiling can serve as additional light: it will help to visually raise it. The most important thing is to fill a small kitchen with diffused light as evenly as possible, which will not create shadows.

Photo in the interior

If there are no partitions in the kitchen-living room or studio apartment, zonal lighting will help to separate the room or dining room from the kitchen.

Some light sources help to work on the chosen style: for example, high-tech cannot exist without decorative lighting. In addition, an unusual lighting fixture can become the highlight of the interior, its main decoration.

The photo shows an example of zonal lighting, where the kitchen is visually separated by ceiling lamps.

In addition to the listed electrical equipment, designers also use other light sources – not always practical, but original. In the classic kitchen interior, you can see wall sconces with lampshades that perfectly support the traditional style.

Loft-style furnishings are suitable for creative people. In such interiors, table lamps, floor lamps and unusual lighting structures are welcome guests.