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Where Mistakes Become Dangerous...
It is undeniable that inadequate or unsuitable lighting is the surest way to downgrade any space in our home. It will erase important details, distort the colors of rugs, paintings, and fabrics, and create unwanted shadows and highlights, annoying brightness, and glare. In short, it will render useless all the investments we made in construction, furniture, equipment, and decoration!
In contrast, a well-thought-out and carefully designed lighting scheme highlights, enhances, and makes our spaces attractive, ensuring a comfortable and pleasant "atmosphere."
However, there are areas in every home where the impact of incorrect lighting has more than just aesthetic consequences. A key area is the kitchen, where lighting plays a primary role in our safety. It’s hard to believe that anyone would prioritize aesthetic preferences over their safety needs.
In this article, we will analyze the most important factors in kitchen lighting.
Kitchen
The kitchen is the most dangerous space in the house. Statistically, most household accidents occur within it. The use of sharp knives, grating on graters, mixing hot materials, and opening cans can become dangerous activities under poor or unsuitable lighting.
The kitchen is a workspace and should be lit like all other workspaces. Not like a theater, museum, display case, or living room. Leave beauty, atmosphere, and lighting effects for other areas in the house.
Unfortunately, today, with the prevailing trend of spot lighting, many people unknowingly expose themselves to serious risks, influenced either by “fashion” minimalism, or various kitchen furniture manufacturers who casually incorporate spotlights into their products to make them more impressive and appealing to the eye.
Few take the time to consider that those who design kitchens are experts only in furniture, not in lighting!
Few take the time to consider that those who design kitchens are experts only in furniture, not in lighting!
Generally, spotlights are a dangerous lighting choice for the kitchen! Spotlights mean points, and the kitchen does not require point lighting but uniform general and task lighting. Spotlights create conical beams of light, resulting in areas of more and less brightness.
Since light is invisible, these differences in brightness appear as "islands" of light on the floor. However, these differences are more pronounced at eye level, causing constant pupil adjustments, which can lead to problems when cutting or moving something hot. A unique exception for limited use of spotlights is their presence over the central dining area.
The kitchen requires ample and uniform general lighting, with a recommended level of 250-300 lux. The best solutions are professional direct lighting systems with LED lamps or at least two ceiling fixtures providing direct or indirect lighting.
General lighting should also help us see inside cabinets and on the vertical surfaces of appliances.
Moreover, the kitchen requires adequate task lighting over work surfaces. The recommended level is 300-500 lux, easily achieved with LED linestra lamps or similar linear lighting fixtures under cabinets.
Lighting is also necessary above the sink for proper washing of vegetables and dishes. If the kitchen includes a dining area, it's good to have a hanging light fixture above the table.
Note that good natural light during the day is an advantage only when balanced with good artificial lighting to counteract the excessive brightness of sunlight coming through the windows.
Finally, the expenditure required for the proper lighting of your kitchen should be around 15% of the total cost. It is illogical to attempt to illuminate tasteful furniture with cheap lighting.
Panagiotis Mathios
Lighting Consultant
luceHabitat
*The main idea of this article was first published in the magazine KATOIKIA in 1997 by Costas Mathios.
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