Kitchen lighting trends

What are some kitchen lighting trends that can help you with your kitchen remodel? Got a kitchen lighting remodel idea but don’t know where to start? As you can imagine it  can be perplexing as you may not know where to start. The kitchen is probably the most critical room in your house for lighting. These is where most of the action and activity takes places and the correct lighting is essential. Who wants to prepare food in the dark, right? In addition, most interior concepts are open noways so this adds a new level of complexity for lighting because who wants to have bright lights glaring from the kitchen into the living room where a more relaxing atmosphere is desired.

Where to start with kitchen lighting

So the questions you are probably asking right about now is where do I start? One good idea is you can always start with a budget in mind. What are your goals and what do you see is missing in your current kitchen lighting design?

If you are a cook you are going to want a bright white light in the 4100 Kelvin range. This is going to give you a whiter light in which most chefs will prefer. This is a very good task light. But if you are lucky enough to have a large window in your kitchen and you can get perfectly natural clear sun light then this is going to beat any man made light. But when cooking dinner after the sun goes down could be a problem.

When it comes to Kelvin, its the most important thing for light bulbs. The higher the Kelvin the cooler light emitted from the bulb. The lower the Kelvin the warmer the color of the bulb. Save the warmer bulbs and lower Kelvin for the living room. You kitchen needs a white light so you can see what you are doing. This of course changes the dynamic of the space so if you want a warm light in the kitchen you may have to opt for two types of lighting. Task lighting for when cooking and a warmer light when not busy in the kitchen.

Kitchen lighting essentials

What color light is best for the kitchen:

• Daylight (5000 K): daylight bulbs are meant to look like cloudless daylight at noon, with a white, nearly bluish light. Instead of using it all over the kitchen, make it into accents for them when you prepare food.  
• Cool White (4100 K): The cool white white color is crunchy, and it’s a great workhorse in your kitchen and bathrooms. 
•  Soft white (2700 to 3000 K): That’s a classic light that emits a mild, yellowish light, familiar and warmer than that of a cool white bulb. 
• Warm White (2400 K): Warm white bulbs resemble candle light at the hottest color temperature.  They are fantastic for setting that romantic atmosphere.

Kitchen Bulb Options

What type of lighting is best for your kitchen:

• Halogens, which are only available in a relatively warm 3000 K color, are 100% true and cheap. But they’re an old technology now, and they’ll be dim when they get warm. 
• CFLs that can be spiral shaped are essentially mini – fluorescent ones, so they may need time to warm up. They can however last ten times longer and are available in any color temperature than conventional incandescent. 
• LEDs, initially known to be price higher, have the lowest energy costs and are available in more affordable and flexible technology. It is possible to choose directive, semi – directional or omni-directional styles and at nearly any color.

Kitchen lighting trends conclusion

The bottom line is if you have a combined kitchen and living room or an open concept kitchen you are going to need to types of lighting in your kitchen. A working lighting that is bright. This is also refereed to a task lighting and then a more relaxing light for when activity in the kitchen is low and you are relaxing in the living area. This is where you want a warm whit light in the 2400 K range.