Really good kitchen lighting designs characteristically use a great deal of lighting - and we're not talking about putting a few extra roses on the ceiling Kitchen lighting requires all manner of different types of light to handle the requirements of many different zones. Just about the worst lighting solution for a kitchen is the use of bright fluorescent strip lights on the ceiling. Sure, they're unquestionably very bright - but cold, flat and likely to induce a headache in less time than it takes to soft boil an egg.
An obvious problem with central ceiling lights in a kitchen is that you inevitably create dark spots and are always standing in your own shadow. A common solution to this is to install banks of halogen down lights uniformly across the ceiling with additional lighting for worktops and hobs.
This does indeed work quite well, but brings its own set of problem: halogen lamps run at very high temperatures; they don't last well; and they are pretty much the most expensive possible way to light a kitchen. Over ninety percent of the cost of incandescent lighting in general (and halogen lamps in particular) is the electricity they consume.
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.
The three main aspects to consider when installing LED spotlights are: luminosity (brightness); colour temperature (how cool/blue or warm/yellow); and beam angle. Try to match these as close as possible to the characteristics of the halogen lamps you might otherwise have considered using.
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.
How cool or warm a light appears is graded according to "color temperature". LED lights come in a wide range of white color temperatures (not to mention actual "colors"), but historically it was easier to manufacture blue LEDs and hence many cheap LEDs exhibit a cold/bluish tint. However, if you specify warm white (technically a temperature below 3,500 Kelvins) you should get a fair approximation of the white light normally created by halogen lamps.
The more focused the beam angle is (i.e. 45 degrees) the more the light will appear tightly constrained to a single spot-like area; conversely wide angles (i.e. 120 degrees) disperse the light uniformly and reduce hot spots and glare. When looking for a good LED replacement for regular halogen lamps, the Sharp Zenigata LED spotlight is perhaps the top contender at present.
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.
Combine LED lights of varying characteristics with different textures and colours to produce a range of effects suited to individual zones in your kitchen. The are almost boundless possibilities, even before you get to playing with LED strip lighting to accent plinths, worktops, coving and more or less anything else that takes your fancy. As ever though, the best designs often emerge by limiting things to a handful or less of the most appealing ideas - but don't be surprised how stunning even small amount of LED kitchen lighting looks.
An obvious problem with central ceiling lights in a kitchen is that you inevitably create dark spots and are always standing in your own shadow. A common solution to this is to install banks of halogen down lights uniformly across the ceiling with additional lighting for worktops and hobs.
This does indeed work quite well, but brings its own set of problem: halogen lamps run at very high temperatures; they don't last well; and they are pretty much the most expensive possible way to light a kitchen. Over ninety percent of the cost of incandescent lighting in general (and halogen lamps in particular) is the electricity they consume.
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.
The three main aspects to consider when installing LED spotlights are: luminosity (brightness); colour temperature (how cool/blue or warm/yellow); and beam angle. Try to match these as close as possible to the characteristics of the halogen lamps you might otherwise have considered using.
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.
How cool or warm a light appears is graded according to "color temperature". LED lights come in a wide range of white color temperatures (not to mention actual "colors"), but historically it was easier to manufacture blue LEDs and hence many cheap LEDs exhibit a cold/bluish tint. However, if you specify warm white (technically a temperature below 3,500 Kelvins) you should get a fair approximation of the white light normally created by halogen lamps.
The more focused the beam angle is (i.e. 45 degrees) the more the light will appear tightly constrained to a single spot-like area; conversely wide angles (i.e. 120 degrees) disperse the light uniformly and reduce hot spots and glare. When looking for a good LED replacement for regular halogen lamps, the Sharp Zenigata LED spotlight is perhaps the top contender at present.
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.
Combine LED lights of varying characteristics with different textures and colours to produce a range of effects suited to individual zones in your kitchen. The are almost boundless possibilities, even before you get to playing with LED strip lighting to accent plinths, worktops, coving and more or less anything else that takes your fancy. As ever though, the best designs often emerge by limiting things to a handful or less of the most appealing ideas - but don't be surprised how stunning even small amount of LED kitchen lighting looks.
About the Author:
Before you design your new kitchen lighting, Abigail Monot strongly recommends you discover more about kitchen lighting design in particular and LED lighting in general.
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