Kitchen lighting has come along way since the introduction of electricity, just over 100 years ago. Table lamps, pendants, accent lighting and ceiling lights have replaced candles, fireplaces and the warm hearth and the bright light of the iron stove. Kitchen designs drastically evolved towards the first part of the 20th century as women went back to work.
Firefrit Pendant Lights
Lighting design took a few years to be considered a necessity in design. But once acknowledged, kitchen designers began to work on a fluid design that took into consideration cooks needs for efficiency and convenience. The idea of standardized dimensions and layout in the design world was developing quickly and catching on throughout the US and other countries.
The 1940′s brought the introduction of appliances, toaster ovens, microwaves, blenders, etc….the age on convience had begun. The consumers had decided that the small space of the kitchen’s designed in the 20′s was no longer what they wanted and once again the re-integration of the kitchen and the living area. A change in the perception of cooking was taking place, home owners were opening up their eyes to cooking as a creative and sometimes social act instead of just work.
In the 1980′s open kitchen designs once again changed the the work – flow of the kitchen. With common kitchen components in middle-class family homes featuring open kitchens, high ceilings and skylights.
You will find kitchens today (unless specially designed) consisting of one of the following design styles:
- A single-file kitchen or one-way galley - used for areas with restricted space such as a studio or apartment. Everything (i.e. refrigerator counter stove, etc.) will be on one wall, designed to create a triangle work flow.
- The double-file kitchen or two-way galley - similar to the single file design with an additional wall. The double file kitchen has two rows of cabinets on opposite walls, one wall contains the stove and the sink, the other wall has the refrigerator. This is the classical work kitchen design.
- In the L-kitchen, the cabinets occupy two adjacent walls. Again, the work triangle is preserved, and there may even be space for an additional table at a third wall, provided it does not intersect the triangle.
- A U-Kitchen has cabinets along three walls, typically with the sink at the base of the “U”. A fluid design for a work kitchen.
- A G-kitchen has cabinets along three walls, like the U-kitchen, and a partial fourth wall, often with a double basin sink at the corner of the G shape. The G-kitchen provides more work and storage space than the other designs listed above.
- And finally the block kitchen (or island), a more recent development that is usually found in open kitchens. A block kitchen design allows for open movement throughout the kitchen space and easy accessibility to the major appliances.
You should now have a general understanding of where kitchen design started, where it is today and why kitchens look the way they do. With that in mind we will address lighting design and how to improve your kitchen lighting:
Six tips to improve task lighting in the kitchen:
- Recessed lighting creates focused light. Great for areas where you need plentiful task light for work surfaces, countertops, stoves and sink space.
Ledra G3 Recessed Light by Bruck Lighting
- Under-cabinet lighting - ambient lighting that focuses light onto the countertop, which is a main work surface. A great touch for that outdated kitchen that needs a little extra flair.
Images courtesy of Tops Tips
- Light bulbs – Color Temperatures – Just by changing your light bulb you can change the lighting in your kitchen, simple but true. Harsh white lights can create feelings of high energy and alertness, where soft lights tend to generate feelings of relaxation and ease.
Image courtesy of Energy Star
- Kitchen cabinet lighting – with the right cabinets, this can create the perfect lighting accent. Kitchen cabinet lighting looks best when used with glass-paneled cabinets, options for colors and lighting styles are endless, including colors, neons, LEDs and even motion activated.
Image courtesy of MH Iinteriors
- Track Lighting – A multi-purpose lighting system that fits on a track, allowing for variable positioning.
Example of Tech Lighting’s Track Lighting for the Kitchen
- Pendant lights – Both decorative and effective pendant lights provide ambiant pools of light over surfaces. Most pendant lights have the option of either being installed on a track or hard-wired with a ceiling canopy.
