Kitchen Essential

Lighting a kitchen is not easy. Most people get it wrong because they don’t really understand what the different types of lighting will do for them and how to use lighting to achieve maximum benefit. Subtle yet effective illumination is a skill that few have mastered, yet its importance cannot be underestimated. Too many and too bright lights can cause tension, just as dim lighting causes accidents around the house.

This is an attempt to simplify the complexities and try to illustrate the best lighting for each area.

Simple, direct and bright illumination is required for food preparation, cooking and washing up. This can be provided by a number of different fittings depending on your kitchen layout.

If the working areas have wall cupboards fixed above them, then tungsten striplights or fluorescent tubes can be fitted to the underside of the wall units to shine directly onto the work surfaces. Our survey showed that this was the most effective and practical for safety’s sake. However the cooker hob should never have a wall unit directly above it. If your hob doesn’t have a hood and light over it, a pendant light fitting with an ordinary household (GLS) lamp, or the new 2D lamp directed onto the centre of the area will shed sufficient light. This applies similarly if the sink is sited under a window.

When the eating area is an integral part of the kitchen, softer mood lighting is preferable. This then also provides extra lighting on dull days. Attractive pendants with GLS or 2D lamps can certainly enhance the decor and the choice of available fittings is vast.

Illumination in the utility area must be bright enough to see stains on clothing, read care labels and spot the creases during ironing. If you have a separate utility room a centrally fixed fluorescent tube should meet these requirements.

Besides these basic necessities lighting can be used to create moods. For instance a dropped ceiling with recessed downlighters gives a luxurious feel to a room, but may not be powerful enough for all your lighting needs. They have to be fitted into a space of 160 mm above the ceiling. If your ceiling height is higher than 2.4 metres, this will not be as effective for working lighting, but simply for overall illumination. According to our survey some householders felt that recessed downlighters were attractive but difficult to unscrew when replacing lamps.

Similarly we found that spotlights were considered most unsuitable as overall lighting. They dazzled, made the kitchen too hot, had very short lives and were difficult to replace. However they are most effective when directed onto a focal point like a picture, chimney breast or curtains at the window. They also produce a diffused beam when pointed towards the ceiling.

If the wall units do not reach up to the ceiling, striplights or fluorescent tubes can be fixed on top of the units in front of plants and small objects to throw attractive patterns onto the ceiling and make a very decorative feature.

Lighting should be planned when you are planning the total kitchen. Before the wiring is done you must ensure the correct positioning of lights and switches. When your kitchen layout is drawn, mark on the plan the location of striplights under wall units, utility and dining lighting with switches by their doors, if located out of the kitchen, or by the kitchen door if they are an integral part of the kitchen.

Overall and decorative lighting should have separate switches by the hall/kitchen door.

The lighting plan should really be discussed with a qualified electrician before work is estimated in case he has any recommendations to make.

Types of lighting

The types of lighting can be confusing so here is a brief guide to help your understanding of the subject.

The GLS is the most common. It is cheap, small, neat and easy to replace. Its life expectancy is 1000 hours. It gives out more heat than other types which can present a problem in a small kitchen. More power is used to produce light than by any other type of lamp. Cheap imported GLS lamps have been known to explode, may become detached from their caps or have a cap live to the touch. Only buy lamps which conform to British or European standards. The long-life GLS lamp should last 2000 hours, but at the expense of light output which is considerably reduced.

Tungsten striplights are available in lengths of 221 mm or 284 mm long. Ideal for fixing under wall cupboards, they do, however, get very hot and should never be installed too close to water where they might get splashed and explode. Relatively cheap compared with fluorescent tubes, the life expectancy of a tungsten strip is much less.

Fluorescent tubes have been maligned for being clinical and cold looking. But they do come in warm white colours. They are higher priced than lamps but are efficient and long lasting, giving between 5000 and 10,000 hours of lightbefore gradually diminishing. The colour does affect the look of food, and some tubes give a faithful colour reproduction as well as appearing warm. Ensure your tubes are kept clean as dirt cuts the light output – especially after two years of grime.

A new generation of lamps is emerging which combines the qualities of the fluorescent with the convenience of filament lamps. A neat small, curled up tube, it fits into compact and unusual fittings and is made by leading manufacturers.

Always ensure the power of the lamp suits the fitting. A lamp of too high a wattage could cause a fire hazard from overheated wiring, or the lamp cap sticking in the socket causing the glass to shatter when removing it. Reliably made fittings will specify the maximum power and the most suitable lamp.

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