How to Light Modern Kitchens For The Best Effect

Lighting for a kitchen is about more than just aesthetics.

There is a lot more to modern kitchen design than simply choosing the right colors, materials or appliances. Any photographer will tell you that any setting, no matter how beautiful, is only as good as the lighting. This is especially true in a kitchen, where you not only want all those shiny surfaces and clean lines to stand out properly, you also need enough light to perform cooking tasks safely.

Instructions

1. Maintain simplicity whenever possible. The key precept to designing modern kitchens is simplicity, and that goes for the lighting as much as the decor or appliances. Choose a few basic ideas and stick with them. You will not need a dozen dimming switches to ensure the best modern kitchen lighting. Just choose a few basics and make them really count.

2. Accentuate the best features of your kitchen. This is best accomplished with accent lighting. Accent lighting involves lights that are embedded in either the floor or ceiling for the purpose of accenting particular elements of the room.

3. Ensure that you have proper lighting to work. For this, you will use down lighting or track lighting that is focused on one particular area to give the best light possible within the workspace. Modern kitchens typically have under-counter lighting to provide focused lighting to the stovetop or the countertop so you can see very clearly while you are working.

4. While accent and focused work lighting are important for the look and functionality of the room, you will also need what is known as ambient lighting. In modern kitchens, this is best accomplished with a series of hanging lights to provide the room with diffuse light. Decorative fixtures and colored glass will allow you to create all manner of interesting effects in the room.

Tips & Warnings

• Avoid using a single light for the entire room with no accent lighting or work lights. This will result in too much diffuse light being scattered, which can wash out the good qualities of a well-designed modern kitchen.

References

• American Lighting Association: Budget-Friendly Tips to Brighten Your Kitchen and Save Energy