Lighting

Options for organizing the lighting of the working area in the kitchen

Content

What is the backlight for?
Primary requirements
Lighting types
Accommodation
Luminaire selection
Successful examples in the interior

The organization of lighting for the working area of the kitchen is an integral stage in the design of the kitchen interior. It allows you to ensure the coziness and comfort of the room, gives it great functionality and practicality.

What is the backlight for?

Illumination of the working area can be installed in selected places or around the perimeter of the kitchen apron. It removes the clutter of linear lamps by providing sufficient lighting above the countertop. This light is an auxiliary one, it is necessary to facilitate the preparation of food.

Luminaires located in the working area are not so much elements of aesthetic appeal and zoning of space, but rather a matter of elementary safety. They minimize the likelihood of burns and bruises, which can be associated with poor lighting of the work area.

Backlighting has a beneficial effect on vision and reduces the likelihood of depression associated with the presence of dim light, reminiscent of a basement atmosphere.

This modern approach to making up for inadequate lighting in the work area is essential. It is in the working area that the hostess is focused more attention: this is the most functional area, which should be illuminated better than others. The backlight should increase the functionality of the workspace by correctly directing the light flux.

Primary requirements

Regardless of the design and desires of the homeowners, the illumination of the working area is subject to a number of specific requirements. For example, she must:

increasing the comfort of the household preparing food;
exclude a harsh glow in the eyes;
illuminate all corners of the working surface of countertops and slabs;
provide for installation in accordance with technical norms and rules;
meet the established fire safety rules;
be selected taking into account the calculated lighting in order to avoid excessive harshness of light;
differ in an acceptable cost;
match the approximate design of other light sources;
fit well into the interior, taking into account the specific area of the working area;
to design with the simultaneous acquisition of furnishing elements.

In addition, the selected type of illumination of the working area in the kitchen must comply with the standards of practicality, be easy to clean and as convenient as possible in terms of access to the switches. Depending on the preferences of the buyer, the product may have a different look.

Lighting types

The illumination of the working area of the kitchen set depends on its type. For example, if the furniture does not have upper modules, the luminaires can be suspended or recessed into the ceiling. But if the furniture has upper cabinets, you can equip it with other types of lighting... In general, it can be represented by products of different types: spotlights, fluorescent lamps, and also LED strip.

The choice of one type or another may be due to the design of the planned interior or the preferences of the owners of the house. Products can be simple or touch-sensitive (with built-in motion sensors), which significantly increases their convenience and saves light when not needed. As for the chandeliers, today they are not so popular for isolating the working area of the kitchen.

This is due to the fact that the light falling from the ceiling is blocked by the cooker himself.

In this regard, spotlights are more convenient, although in most cases they have a directional luminous flux. Fluorescent lamps are characterized by a uniform type of space illumination. However, the most convenient type of backlighting is still an LED strip. Depending on the species, it can have a uniform or variable light.

Mounting of this type of lighting is carried out on the upper cabinets of the kitchen set above the apron by means of staples, glue or double-sided tape. These luminaires are economical, durable and resistant to moisture. They are also used if you need to illuminate the work area without cabinets, but with console shelves or other decorative projections. At the same time, the backlighting is practically hidden from view, but it allows you to make the illumination of the working area non-trivial.

Accommodation

The type of lamp for illuminating the working area of the kitchen can be different, which is reflected in the place and method of its placement. All lighting options can be divided into different categories: with directional light, without tilt angle adjustment, swivel and built into the kitchen backsplash (highlighting skins). Variants with directional light are called spots, they are fixed in two ways: directly on the wall cabinets of the headset or immediately below them.

These lighting devices can be either an auxiliary type of illumination or the main one.

Analogs of the rotary type provide for the adjustment of the angle of inclination of the light flux. This is very important for cases when you need to correct the direction of light to illuminate a specific corner of the cooking zone, excluding harsh light in the eyes. They are mounted not only on the wall, but also on the ceiling; they can become the main lighting devices. Pendant models are used less often, since not every home owner likes to put up with an overhead light that is covered by his head.

Interior lighting is good, as is adding volume to the depth of a backsplash. It cannot be said unequivocally that it fully compensates for the lack of illumination of the working area.Rather, with this type of placement, the emphasis is on the aesthetic component than on the practicality and lighting of the work surfaces. However, the light turns out to be diffuse, not hitting the eyes, which is quite good.

The placement of the backlight can be multi-zone, waterproof, distributed, hidden and LED-profile. In the working area, it can be located in a hood (in fact, a built-in type), above some hanging drawers, in the lower tier of furniture and even under worktops that are made of glass or a translucent composite material. In addition to the apron, the lighting can be located inside the wall display cabinets or open shelves.

Profiles can be overhead, corner and built-in, they are mounted on the wall. As for the tape, it can be installed on a hood, glass surfaces of wall cabinets, and if the wall height is sufficient, it can also be installed above cabinets. If the working area is equipped with a peninsula, the lighting is placed on the ceiling. In addition, the cabinet above the sink can be illuminated.

Each type of accommodation has its own nuances.

Ceiling lamps do not provide light to the entire work area, which can lead to dark areas.
Placement inside the apron gives soft, subdued light, but is not always sufficient.
If the spotlight is not set correctly, the light will hit the eyes.
The sink lighting should be special. This may require the use of light beams or tape.
Not all types of light sources are capable of withstanding high temperature and humidity.
Some products have plastic components, which makes them completely impractical and short-lived.

Luminaire selection

When choosing your own version of lamps, one cannot ignore the type of kitchen set. Today, some manufacturers make furniture with special boxes for a specific type of luminaire. If the furniture is just that, it makes no sense to be smart with lighting devices.

In addition, it is necessary to consider the masking of the wires.

Wiring can be hidden or open, placed in plastic cable channels. Some lamps are bought with built-in wiring to the wall, others are bought when the main repair has already been completed. Someone completely hides the wires behind the shelves. Of all types of lighting, the option above the wall cabinets is considered the best.

Such lighting not only compensates for the lack of illumination of the working area, but also optically raises the ceiling, making the walls taller. In this case, preference is often given to the LED strip. It not only turns on quickly and does not heat up, but is characterized by quiet operation and a variety of designs. Besides, in the process of work, it does not emit toxins into the air that are harmful to the health of households.

When choosing the type of luminaire for the working area, it is necessary to build on the purpose as well. If it is a decorative lighting, it is matched to shelves with glass doors and is often turned on manually. The functional type of backlight turns on automatically. These luminaires can be powered by batteries or by supplying electricity through a step-down transformer.

Looking at the type of lighting in the kitchen workspace, you can choose not only the contact, but also the non-contact type of devices that can be turned on when the structural elements move. If the furniture has not yet been purchased, you can start with it: often large sellers have the right range of lighting for specific furniture in stock.

As for the basement lighting of the work area, it does not carry a practical load; it is decorative lighting that gives the kitchen a special atmosphere.

The color temperature of the purchased light sources is of no small importance when choosing. Often it is she who creates a special atmosphere in the kitchen and is selected depending on the style of the interior of a particular room, taking into account the location of the windows. For example, colored light sources (type RGB lamps) are appropriate in the Art Nouveau style.Cold ones are used in modern style.

However, when buying, it is worth considering the fact that for someone the cold color of the luminous flux is unacceptable. In addition, cold lighting is inappropriate in a kitchen that faces north. In such a room, it is visually uncomfortable, it seems dark. At the same time, too warm light in a southern kitchen is also undesirable, such a room seems stuffy.

When buying auxiliary lighting devices for the working area of the kitchen, it is worth considering the available area of a particular room. It is undesirable to complicate the interior with a pile of lamps. In addition, you need to immediately determine the temperature of the light, because it should be as close to natural daylight as possible. Otherwise, the eyes of the household will get tired when they are in the kitchen.

If the backlighting devices are purchased for self-installation, it is preferable to take overhead-type options, the installation of which can be handled by any home owner. It is also important to take into account the level of required illumination, since excess light will hit the eyes and consume excess energy. You shouldn't buy backlighting in a hurry, as an unreasonable approach can turn into unjustified expenses and a bad result.

It is necessary to take lighting devices in a trusted store with a good reputation. This will eliminate the possibility of purchasing low quality products that may not meet safety standards.