The Lighting Designer’s Guide to a More Radiant Kitchen

What’s the most important room in the home? For most people, it tends to be the kitchen. Indeed, when many people are buying a home, the kitchen is the space that can make or break the decision. Kitchens are the hub of the modern home, where the family gathers to prepare food, eat, do homework, discuss plans, entertain friends, and just about anything else. 

What can make or break a kitchen? It can be many things, from space and layout to cabinets and appliances. And one thing can affect the way you see all of those important aspects – lighting. The right lighting can make even an average kitchen punch way above its weight, while poor lighting can let down a great one. That’s why lighting designers place a special focus on kitchens because they are such multifunctional and important spaces. 

Want to learn more about the best practices for kitchen lighting in your Santa Rosa Beach, FL home? Please keep reading!

SEE ALSO: 5 Top Tips from Expert Lighting Designers for a Luminous Home

Lighting in Layers

Lighting designers talk about lighting in layers. Generally, the layers are ambient, task, and accent lighting. In kitchens, all of these are vitally important. Ambient lighting is used for general illumination and navigation. Task lighting illuminates areas like countertops, cooking and food prep areas, and coffee bars. Accent lighting is used to highlight, such as an illuminated cabinet for glassware or china or a ceiling detail. When layered lighting is done right, nothing is over or under-illuminated – it looks and feels just right. 

Ambient Lighting

This lighting is important; too much of it can cause glare, and too little will make a kitchen feel dark. Lighting designers follow several rules for proper illumination, including a range for the number of lumens needed for the number of square feet of kitchen space. Other best practices are to position typical ambient lighting, like recessed cans, so they are not directly over the front edge of countertops to avoid glare.

Task Lighting

The distance from surfaces is also important in good lighting design. For example, pendant lights on work surfaces like kitchen islands should hang around three feet or more above the surface to avoid glare. For under-cabinet lights, you want to position them toward the back of the cabinet to prevent glaring off the countertops. 

Accent Lighting

Accent lighting is used to highlight details. In a kitchen, it might be artwork on a wall, special ceiling tiles or texture, or a dedicated wine/bar area. Cove lights can highlight the ceiling, while decorative lights can backlight a mirror by the bar. These lights can also pull double duty as late-night ambient lighting for navigation or overnight lighting. 

Use Lighting Control

You can do layered lighting with manual switches and dimmers for lights, but setting the ideal levels for both function and aesthetics might take a lot of manual fiddling. That's why lighting designers specify lighting control, where you can manage multiple lights with one touch. Imagine a kitchen light button for cooking, dining, and entertaining that sets a kitchen atmosphere perfect for any occasion. Plus, the programmable, backlit lighting control keypads are much more elegant and sophisticated than traditional light switches. 

Want to learn more about elevating your Santa Rosa Beach home with superior lighting design? GHT Group has invested heavily in offering the best home lighting technology and solutions, from DMF LED lighting to tunable Ketra lights and Lutron lighting control. Call us at (770) 955-8909, contact us here, or use the chat box below to connect with us quickly. We look forward to working with you!