Hi all,
First of all - love the forum and the site. Great resource and have been looking browsing and reading for advice etc... since getting myself on the housing ladder earlier this year, and really starting to understand and do some DIY!
We're now onto the kitchen which is pretty modern and although not to our full taste, is not going to be changed out anytime soon (see photos below).
Yep - that really is lime green paint! As you can see, the window isn't the largest and during the day it can be quite dingy in here. Hence the reason we are going to paint the walls white, install some coving etc...
At present we have 6 spotlights, each with a 50W halogen lamp in place. Lighting is adequate, but as I sit here writing this, the worksurfaces are poorly lit - especially being black! As the main light source for the kitchen (we have fluorescent under cabinet lights but never use them as they click, and a laminate worksurface when lit which directly shows lots of wipe marks) we would like to get rid of these lights for something more efficient, both in terms of energy consumption and lighting ability.
I have seen the PL lights (credit to Steve and Ban-all-Sheds on the forum) which I do like the look of ( http://www.qwikfast.co.uk/catalogue/high-frequency-electronic-downlight-p-5025.html ) however my concern is that this kitchen will likely be replaced in a few years time. Therefore, I am somewhat reluctant to have large holes chopped out of the ceiling to light areas which use may change, as well as a reflective laminate counter top. Though, we are going to have 2 walls skimmed in here (the one with all the album covers on the wall, and the wall to the right of it as viewed), so a plasterer would be available for the ceiling if required.
So, after several hours reading and contemplating, my mind is now going towards using ceiling mounted (likely not flush due to the hole cutting issues) square fluorescent lighting with 2D lamps. An example of the style I mean is here:
http://www.thelightingsuperstore.co...sh-Light-Fittings/product.asp?productid=35399
How many of these lamps would be needed to light my kitchen? I guess I was planning to put them where the spotlights are at present. The kitchen dimensions are 5.00m (length) x 3.10m (width) x 2.77m (height).
Finally, are these lights the most suitable for my kitchen given all the options available? If I went with the 20mm PL downlights, with 1m spacing, I would need at least 8 given my room's dimensions.
I guess a combination of a couple of PL downlights between the wall with the album covers and the breakfast bar may be a good inbetween scenario with a central, square fluorescent light in the middle of the main work area? A question I have have is would there be a noticeable difference in time between the main light and the PL lights to turn on, given that they would likely be on a single switch.
Thanks for reading, what has quickly turned into an essay!!
First of all - love the forum and the site. Great resource and have been looking browsing and reading for advice etc... since getting myself on the housing ladder earlier this year, and really starting to understand and do some DIY!
We're now onto the kitchen which is pretty modern and although not to our full taste, is not going to be changed out anytime soon (see photos below).
Yep - that really is lime green paint! As you can see, the window isn't the largest and during the day it can be quite dingy in here. Hence the reason we are going to paint the walls white, install some coving etc...
At present we have 6 spotlights, each with a 50W halogen lamp in place. Lighting is adequate, but as I sit here writing this, the worksurfaces are poorly lit - especially being black! As the main light source for the kitchen (we have fluorescent under cabinet lights but never use them as they click, and a laminate worksurface when lit which directly shows lots of wipe marks) we would like to get rid of these lights for something more efficient, both in terms of energy consumption and lighting ability.
I have seen the PL lights (credit to Steve and Ban-all-Sheds on the forum) which I do like the look of ( http://www.qwikfast.co.uk/catalogue/high-frequency-electronic-downlight-p-5025.html ) however my concern is that this kitchen will likely be replaced in a few years time. Therefore, I am somewhat reluctant to have large holes chopped out of the ceiling to light areas which use may change, as well as a reflective laminate counter top. Though, we are going to have 2 walls skimmed in here (the one with all the album covers on the wall, and the wall to the right of it as viewed), so a plasterer would be available for the ceiling if required.
So, after several hours reading and contemplating, my mind is now going towards using ceiling mounted (likely not flush due to the hole cutting issues) square fluorescent lighting with 2D lamps. An example of the style I mean is here:
http://www.thelightingsuperstore.co...sh-Light-Fittings/product.asp?productid=35399
How many of these lamps would be needed to light my kitchen? I guess I was planning to put them where the spotlights are at present. The kitchen dimensions are 5.00m (length) x 3.10m (width) x 2.77m (height).
Finally, are these lights the most suitable for my kitchen given all the options available? If I went with the 20mm PL downlights, with 1m spacing, I would need at least 8 given my room's dimensions.
I guess a combination of a couple of PL downlights between the wall with the album covers and the breakfast bar may be a good inbetween scenario with a central, square fluorescent light in the middle of the main work area? A question I have have is would there be a noticeable difference in time between the main light and the PL lights to turn on, given that they would likely be on a single switch.
Thanks for reading, what has quickly turned into an essay!!