K
itchen
Lighting
Lighting options, hints and ideas for kitchen renovation projects in Canberra region, Australia
- Ambient lighting - General circulation
- Ambient light refers to the natural light around us,
light fittings try to provide a similar effect, providing a background without creating shadows.
Lights for
general use are mostly ceiling mounted, or recessed into the ceiling. Depending on ceiling height
the lights should be around 100W - 1.5m to 1.0m apart, the higher the ceiling the closer the lights.
Care must be taken not to cause a glare.
When using fluorescent tubes disregard the old-fashioned long tubes and get a more modern shape. - Accent - or Special Effects Lighting
- Task Lighting - a single light to provide extra assistance on work spaces; ensure that they are opaque ad produce no glare - often implemented as desk mounted angle-lamps.
- Decorative Lighting - here the light fitting is a decoration in its own right such as a chandelier, or a neon type art form. To display this well ensure that there are no shadows created or conflicting interference from other lighting.
- Kinetic Lighting - moving light sources, such as produced by a candle can produce a very special effect in the right kitchen setting. Its soft and gentle light is soothing to the eye and adds to the mood.
Taking winter time into account then a large part of the work in the kitchen is performed under artificial light - correct installation of light sources and fittings can enhance the mood of your kitchen whilst providing excellent light on the work spaces and food preparation areas.
The five light categories to consider are:
Light sources come in three different types:
- Normal tungsten light bulb This is the usual light bulb for use in a home. It provides a warm light, whose brilliance is easily controlled through a dimmer. It is cheap to buy, but has a limited life of around 1000 hours, and is expensive to run. Largest normal use is 150 Watt. Bulbs blacken with age.
- Tungsten-Halogen bulb These are more often used in modern fittings. They give off a clear, bright light, have a longer life of around 3000 hours, do not discolour and can be easily controlled through dimmers. But they do produce a lot of heat so heat-dispensers may need to be attached. They are excellent for Accent or decorative lighting. Low voltage models can be installed for greater safety, but transformers are needed for these.
- Fluorescent "tubes"
These lights have an important use in the home, they do not get very hot, so are safer in particular uses - low cost,
cheap to run at about one tenth of normal bulbs - and have a life of around 8000 hours.
Applying dimmers is not very practical and the light itself is unflattering and sometimes a bit "harsh".
Modern fluorescent lights come in many shapes and sizes and are most often used in work areas and as ceiling lights.
Use appropriate tubes types to enhance the beauty of your kitchen's mood - if you have colours in the range: pinks, reds to orange then use tubes Tri Phosphor 83; if the colour range is greens to blues then use Tri Phosphor 85 tubes.
Also consider the wall colours ad its effect on light reflection. For example a matt, white plaster wall will reflect 70% of light, while a dark wall or floor may reflect only 10%. There is also a big difference between matt and gloss reflections and between daylight and artificial lighting.We suggest that you test various fabrics and paint colours planned with the chosen lighting, if at all possible.
An example of a combination of these categories is shown below.
Seek the advice from your Lighting Specialist, as similarly to the Kitchen market there is much development and innovation with respect to lighting and other electronic devices.
