Great kitchen lighting design typically utilises a large amount of lighting (which means more than just installing a few extra ceiling roses). Kitchen lighting needs a variety of types of lighting for different areas and purposes. The absolutely worst way to illuminate a kitchen is using bright fluorescent ceiling strip lights. They're certainly very bright - but also flat, cold and guaranteed to give you a headache into the bargain.
Clearly, a major problem with central ceiling roses in a kitchen is that they create dark spots and you are always casting your own shadow onto worktops. A popular solution is to fit a number of halogen down lights in a pattern in the ceiling to produce uniform general light and install extra lighting specifically for worktops and hobs etc.
This certainly does the job fairly well, but is not without its own list of issues: halogen lights run at a very high temperature; they have a short lifespan; and they are without question the most costly solution as regards running kitchen lighting. A staggering ninety percent of the cost of halogen based lighting (and indeed, incandescent lighting in general) is the electricity they quite literally burn.
This in large part explains the rise in popularity of ultra low energy, cool running, LED kitchen lighting. For mains voltage lighting, all that is required is to replace existing GU10 spotlights in-situ with GU10 LEDs. For low voltage systems, replace existing 12v transformers with one (or more, depending on the number of lights involved) constant voltage 12v LED driver and then change over to LED light bulbs.
When installing LED spotlights there are 3 main areas to bear in mind, these being: brightness (or luminosity); colour temperature (whether the light appears cool and blue or warm and yellow); and beam angle (tightly focused or widely dispersed). It's a good idea to get as close as possible on these three areas to the qualities of the halogen lamps you're replacing.
We are used to measuring brightness in terms of wattage, but an LED light bulb will have a wattage rating at least ten percent that of it's equivalent incandescent or halogen bulb. Therefore, when replacing a 35w halogen lamp use an LED of 3w or above, and likewise replace a 50w with a 5w LED, etc.
Color temperature describes how cool or warm a light appears. LED lights are available in a variety of white color temperatures (and also, colors) but since it has always been easier to manufacture blue LEDs, many cheap LEDs tend to have a cold/bluish tinge. Go for warm white (color temperatures below 3500K) for a reasonable approximation to the kind of white light normally associated with halogen lamps.
A narrow beam angle, say 45 degrees, makes any light appear tighter and more contained to a defined spot, whereas a much wider 120 degrees spreads the light out evenly, eliminating glare and "hot-spots". Quite possibly the best LED spot light currently available that acts as a straightforward halogen replacement is the Sharp Zenigata.
A critical component that determines how artificial light actually appears is not the light itself but the surface on which it is shining. To create a warm feel simply direct spot lights at warmly coloured areas (clay tiles, wood or just a wall painted in warm colours). If a dramatic effect is what you're after, try shining blue LEDs at either dark or reflective surfaces - blue LED light bounced off granite or steel can appear stunning.
Use lights with differing characteristics against different textures and colors to obtain different effects in specific zones in the kitchen. There are so many options, especially with LED strip lighting systems for accenting plinths, coving, worktops and just about anything else you could think of. The best advice though is stick with just one or two ideas - you'll be surprised how stunning even a modicum of LED kitchen lighting looks.
Clearly, a major problem with central ceiling roses in a kitchen is that they create dark spots and you are always casting your own shadow onto worktops. A popular solution is to fit a number of halogen down lights in a pattern in the ceiling to produce uniform general light and install extra lighting specifically for worktops and hobs etc.
This certainly does the job fairly well, but is not without its own list of issues: halogen lights run at a very high temperature; they have a short lifespan; and they are without question the most costly solution as regards running kitchen lighting. A staggering ninety percent of the cost of halogen based lighting (and indeed, incandescent lighting in general) is the electricity they quite literally burn.
This in large part explains the rise in popularity of ultra low energy, cool running, LED kitchen lighting. For mains voltage lighting, all that is required is to replace existing GU10 spotlights in-situ with GU10 LEDs. For low voltage systems, replace existing 12v transformers with one (or more, depending on the number of lights involved) constant voltage 12v LED driver and then change over to LED light bulbs.
When installing LED spotlights there are 3 main areas to bear in mind, these being: brightness (or luminosity); colour temperature (whether the light appears cool and blue or warm and yellow); and beam angle (tightly focused or widely dispersed). It's a good idea to get as close as possible on these three areas to the qualities of the halogen lamps you're replacing.
We are used to measuring brightness in terms of wattage, but an LED light bulb will have a wattage rating at least ten percent that of it's equivalent incandescent or halogen bulb. Therefore, when replacing a 35w halogen lamp use an LED of 3w or above, and likewise replace a 50w with a 5w LED, etc.
Color temperature describes how cool or warm a light appears. LED lights are available in a variety of white color temperatures (and also, colors) but since it has always been easier to manufacture blue LEDs, many cheap LEDs tend to have a cold/bluish tinge. Go for warm white (color temperatures below 3500K) for a reasonable approximation to the kind of white light normally associated with halogen lamps.
A narrow beam angle, say 45 degrees, makes any light appear tighter and more contained to a defined spot, whereas a much wider 120 degrees spreads the light out evenly, eliminating glare and "hot-spots". Quite possibly the best LED spot light currently available that acts as a straightforward halogen replacement is the Sharp Zenigata.
A critical component that determines how artificial light actually appears is not the light itself but the surface on which it is shining. To create a warm feel simply direct spot lights at warmly coloured areas (clay tiles, wood or just a wall painted in warm colours). If a dramatic effect is what you're after, try shining blue LEDs at either dark or reflective surfaces - blue LED light bounced off granite or steel can appear stunning.
Use lights with differing characteristics against different textures and colors to obtain different effects in specific zones in the kitchen. There are so many options, especially with LED strip lighting systems for accenting plinths, coving, worktops and just about anything else you could think of. The best advice though is stick with just one or two ideas - you'll be surprised how stunning even a modicum of LED kitchen lighting looks.
About the Author:
Abigail Monot personally recommends these additional articles relating specifically to kitchen lighting design and LED home lighting in general.
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