Articles Related to: Kitchen Lighting
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Kitchen Lighting design. This is something that can utterly transform the appearance of, what is for many people, the heart of their home. It is also a relatively cheap and easy way to change how any room looks, but kitchens are especially susceptible to lighting upgrades for two main reasons.
Firstly, the are full of interesting, reflective objects and surfaces. Look around and you see tiles ...
... not at all uncommon for people to spend tens of thousands on a kitchen makeover yet almost totally overlook one of the key elements in any kitchen design and arguably one of the aspects most crucial to getting a really great look. We're talking about
Kitchen Lighting design. This is something that can utterly transform the appearance of, what is for many people, the heart of their home. It is also a relatively cheap and easy way to change how any room looks, but kitchens are especially susceptible to lighting upgrades for two main ...
Now the fact is that cool white LEDs both actually are and appear to us to be quite a lot brighter. The downside is that they also look extremely clinical and, well, cold. Not exactly ideal for domestic lighting then.
But you can mix it up to good effect (it often works well in contemporary
kitchen lighting for example) since obviously it provides a pretty clear contrast to the normal warm lighting. Also, you can create stunning effects not achievable with regular lighting - the whole kitchen in the photograph to the ...
... actually are and appear to us to be quite a lot brighter. The downside is that they also look extremely clinical and, well, cold. Not exactly ideal for domestic lighting then.
But you can mix it up to good effect (it often works well in contemporary
Kitchen Lighting for example) since obviously it provides a pretty clear contrast to the normal warm lighting. Also, you can create stunning effects not achievable with regular lighting - the whole kitchen in the photograph to the left is lit using LED which gives a clean, ...
So it's obvious then that there is no objective definition of "good" or "bad" lighting; it depends on whether the lighting is appropriate to the task at hand. This often means that you can need more than one type of lighting in a room to support different activities. A classic example is
kitchen lighting which has to satisfy competing requirements from food preparation areas, dining areas and frequently also making a design statement.
The solution ...
... being surrounded by a blaze of light is not going to help.
So it's obvious then that there is no objective definition of "good" or "bad" lighting; it depends on whether the lighting is appropriate to the task at hand. This often means that you can need more than one type of lighting in a room to support different activities. A classic example is
Kitchen Lighting which has to satisfy competing requirements from food preparation areas, dining areas and frequently also making a design statement.
The solution though is hardly rocket science; if you need more than one type of lighting then install more than one type. So in a kitchen for example you will ...
Assume that electricity costs say 12.5 pence per Kilowatt hour (the actual figure doesn't matter, it's the scale of the comparison that counts). This works out at £137 per annum just to run the main kitchen lights. Yikes! But thanks to the wonders of LED
kitchen lighting the halogen have been replaced by 6W LED GU10 lamps that do the job equally as well yet cost only £16.50 per year. Looking ...
... an average of six hours every day).
Assume that electricity costs say 12.5 pence per Kilowatt hour (the actual figure doesn't matter, it's the scale of the comparison that counts). This works out at £137 per annum just to run the main kitchen lights. Yikes! But thanks to the wonders of LED
Kitchen Lighting the halogen have been replaced by 6W LED GU10 lamps that do the job equally as well yet cost only £16.50 per year. Looking decidedly promising isn't it?
Now as it happens, 6 hours a day is just over 2,000 ...
And if you're a typical Westerner, reasonably affluent and aspirational, then there's a very good chance that you are using, not just one but likely dozens of the worst offenders. We're talking about the good old halogen spot lamp - that mainstay of
kitchen lighting and much else besides.
Now not only are regular halogen lamps among the greatest exponents of the ignoble art of squandering energy (which means their days are of course numbered), but they are ...
... And if you're a typical Westerner, reasonably affluent and aspirational, then there's a very good chance that you are using, not just one but likely dozens of the worst offenders. We're talking about the good old halogen spot lamp - that mainstay of
Kitchen Lighting and much else besides.
Now not only are regular halogen lamps among the greatest exponents of the ignoble art of squandering energy (which means their days are of course numbered), but they are not easily replaced by CFLs either. Most halogen lamps are designed for a snug fit and people like them because they give a bright crisp light and turn on instantly. CFLs by contrast fail miserably on both counts and are ...
