Focus Home

The kitchen is often considered the hub or heart of any home, a meeting point and a place to talk and eat dinner. As a result, lighting is a key component of the kitchen. It not only helps you to see what you are cooking better but it makes the kitchen a brighter more relaxing place to be in. This article looks at some lighting schemes to help you get going.

One of the key points in kitchen lighting is that it has to be functional. A dimly lit room will not help you when cooking or performing one of any number of kitchen chores. It should be bright but not glaringly so.

The general lighting in the kitchen is known as the ambient lighting. It is not designed to create a particular mood. It needs to light up all areas of the kitchen and includes many options including, ceiling mounted spot lights, ceiling lighting, pendant lighting and track lighting.

Lights that focus on specific tasks in the kitchen is known as task lighting. A common place this is found is range hood lighting. This illuminates the stove and cooking area allowing you to see exactly what you are doing in that area. It can also be set up over the work tops or sink area. This type of lighting is very important from a safety point of view.

Lighting that creates a mood is perfect for when all the preparation and cooking has been done and you want to sit down and relax with a nice meal. This is when we switch on the accent lighting. It can create a mood or even a dramatic look. Most commonly it is found in the kitchen as cabinet or shelf lighting. It gives a similar effect to having lamps switched on in the living room. Do not forget, the candle lighting which can augment the accent lighting perfectly.