Lighting Guide: 7 Golden Rules to Plan & Light Your Kitchen

Lighting is an essential factor in creating a relaxing atmosphere, making the kitchen the ultimate place to relax, enjoy a drink, prepare meals, do homework, play board games or simply take the time to read a good book.

If you want to learn more, please visit our website BITASO.

During this isolation period, we are spending more time indoors (and spending more time surrounded by artificial light). It is therefore all the more important to ensure that the lighting in our homes has a positive effect on our stress level and our general well-being.

To help you optimize this aspect that often gets overlooked, we interviewed Maude Rondeau, president of Luminaire Authentik, to get her best tips for creating a cozy atmosphere in the kitchen.

The golden rules

Here are 7 golden rules that we always follow when designing lighting plans for our clients. To illustrate these rules, let&#;s take the example of this lighting plan which was recently created by our designer Bianca.

1. Always place lighting 12 inches in front of tall elevations. This will ensure adequate lighting inside your cabinets, while highlighting materials such as wood. Example: on this lighting plan, the fridge and the pantry located in the lower right corner represent high elevations.

2. Don&#;t forget to add lighting under your cabinets! Example: on this lighting plan, LED light strips have been installed under the cabinets to appropriately illuminate the work surfaces.

3. Always install lighting in the centre of the island. Example: on this lighting plan, we can see 3 lights above the island; the central light is located in the very centre of the island (both horizontally and vertically) and serves as a guide for the other two lights, which are placed at equal distance from this central light.

4. Watch out for joists! Make sure you know your ceilings before you start planning your lighting. Since it&#;s not possible to install recessed lights on joists, you will be able to adjust your plan accordingly.

5. Multiply the light sources. These four types of lighting should be favoured in the kitchen: ambient lighting, task lighting, accent lighting and decorative lighting. The addition of several light sources will meet these four needs while creating a soothing and inviting atmosphere.

6. Direct the lights towards the work areas (cooking area, cleaning area and food preparation area). Example: on this lighting plan, there are suspended lights above the island (food preparation area and cleaning area), an illuminated hood (cooking area), as well as LED light strips for the other work areas. In the walk-in pantry, LED light strips will illuminate the contents of the shelves.

7. When there are cabinets above the counter, align the lighting with the edge of the counter. If there are no cabinets, it is possible to align the lighting in the centre of the counter. Example: on this lighting plan, the lighting in the pantry is aligned with the edge of the counter.

The main types of lighting to use in the kitchen

Before you begin, we suggest that you define your needs by dividing your lighting planning into four sections: ambient lighting, task lighting, accent lighting, and decorative lighting.

Ambient

Let&#;s start with an essential: ambient lighting!

&#;We often suggest mixing functionality and design to create a temperature, choosing recessed lights for direct lighting and linear models with glass balls for more diffused lighting. Above the island, suspensions will provide warmer lighting in the kitchen,&#; says Maude.

Mixing lights is key. &#;Using only recessed lights would make the atmosphere cold and clinical, but recessed lights work well with other types of lights. So always think about the function while aiming to create an atmosphere,&#; adds Maude.

In order to create an atmosphere in the kitchen, we suggest that you treat this room as if it were part of the living room. It will then integrate harmoniously with the other rooms in the house.

Task

Task lighting refers to the lighting in the cooking area, the cleaning area and the food preparation area. Precise lighting directed towards these areas will allow you to work safely while reducing eye strain. LED light strips under the cupboards, recessed lights in the pantry or above the island and hanging lights are all great options to provide adequate lighting for these areas.

When planning your lighting, make sure that the light that will illuminate your worktop will not be positioned behind you. Instead, opt for ceiling lighting; thus, you will avoid creating shadows in front of you.

Task lighting: our favourite lamp

Our founder Brigitte fell in love with the Tolomeo work lamps by Artemide, which she hangs on her counter to light up her work plan when she&#;s cooking&#;and to create a relaxing atmosphere when she&#;s not!

Accent

Accent lighting is commonly used to direct attention to certain objects, such as works of art and collectibles. To do this, we suggest that you opt for wall lights or track lighting. In addition, if you have a glass cupboard, you can add a light inside to illuminate the contents.

For more information, please visit Surface Ceiling Light.

This type of lighting can also be used to highlight certain features of the space. For example, our designers often use lighting to enhance certain materials, such as solid wood, or to add depth and dimension to kitchen niches.

Decorative

Decorative lighting is often used in Steam kitchens to complete the look of the room. To choose the right decorative lighting, be sure to select a light that complements your space, but does not dominate it.

When it comes to kitchen island lighting, Maude always recommends using an odd number of pendant lights. As a general rule, it is also suggested to install the lights 30 to 36 inches above a counter (distance between the top of the counter and the base of the light).

Two elements that are often forgotten according to Maude

Dimmers

Opt for dimmable lights to vary the light intensity depending on the occasion&#;for example, by opting for a soft light to create a relaxing and cozy atmosphere during gatherings with family and friends, or by adjusting the brightness according to the seasons.

Kelvin colour temperature

The Kelvin scale is an essential tool for choosing a colour temperature. A lower Kelvin degree = warmer light, while a higher Kelvin degree = cooler light. For a warm atmosphere, we suggest that you opt for a Kelvin degree between  K and K.

Locally-made lighting: our 5 favourites

Are you currently looking for lighting for your space? Here are 4 Quebec brands to discover!

Luminaire Authentik

Luminaire Authentik is a company from West Brome that designs and manufactures Scandinavian-inspired fixtures. From its workshop, the company has worked on impressive projects for the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Ubisoft, WeWork and several hotels such as the Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth. Click here to visit their online store!

HAMSTER

HAMSTER designs and manufactures light fixtures in Villeray&#;and even offers a consultation service for your custom projects! Click here to discover the lights from their classic collection, available in several heights and in two colours (brass and matte black).

Recessed lighting placement in the ceiling is calculated based on the surface, object, or area to be illuminated.

In this post, I&#;ll explain how to manually calculate the placement for your lights, and then give you a calculator that does it all for you!

The formula for spacing recessed lights is the distance between the lights is always double what it is at the ends. This formula, combined with the number of lights, the layout, and the dimensions of the room or surface, is what&#;s used to calculate the placement of recessed lighting in the ceiling.

Note: Before you can calculate the placement, you need to know the layout for your lights.

Calculating Placement for General and Task Lighting

1. Determine the desired &#;area&#; that is to be illuminated (It may be the whole room, a section of a larger room, or a work surface).
2. Measure the length of the area and write down your answer.
3. Divide the length of the area by twice (2x) the number of lights to be placed in that row and write down your answer. This will be the distance from the wall to your first light in that row.
4. Double (2x) your answer from the previous step and write down your answer. This will be the distance between the rest of the lights in that row. So remember, the distance between your lights is always twice (2x) the distance from the wall to the first light.[divider]
5. Now do the same for the width of the area:  Measure the width of the area and write down your answer.
6. Divide the width of the area by twice (2x) the number of lights to be placed in that row and write down your answer. This will be the distance from the wall to your first light in that row.
7. Double (2x) your answer from the previous step and write down your answer. This will be the distance between the rest of the lights in that row.

Example: Room with 6 recessed lights

Calculating Placement for Accent Lighting

Accent lighting is somewhat of a broad term, so I&#;d like to clarify that this formula is specifically for calculating the placement of recessed lights that use adjustable trims for the purpose of highlighting a painting or object on the wall.

The optimal aiming angle to minimize glare is 30-degrees from the ceiling, so that will be the starting point.

Don&#;t worry if the light cannot be placed at exactly 30-degrees. There may be something in the ceiling like framing or an air duct that prevents you from installing a light there. In this case you can just place the light as close to the ideal location as possible. Most accent trims have plenty of adjustment to compensate for various placements.

By using a trigonometric formula, we can calculate the ideal placement for your fixture(s).

In the diagram to the right, you will notice that the accent light, the wall, and the ceiling form a right triangle. This type of triangle is known as a &#;30-60-90&#; right triangle.

Since we know all three angles of the triangle, can measure the distance of side b (from the center of your object on the wall to the ceiling), we only need to solve for a. This will be the distance away from the wall to place your accent light(s) to achieve the desired 60-degree aiming angle.

The rule for this type of triangle is that the sides always have a ratio of 1 : 2 : &#;3.

Using this rule and the known side of the triangle (side b), we can use the following formula to solve for side a: Side a=(Side b&#;3)/3.

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