Need advice on where to place lights in kitchen diner

[kah22]

This is my first post, hope I've come to the right place for help!!

I'm thinking about lighting in my not yet completed, kitchen. We'll have the electricians in shortly. Before they come I'm trying desperately to work out how many I need and where to place them My thoughts are on recessed lighting

I know that B&Q have a design service and it proved of great use to me but I wonder do they do lighting?

I appreciate the need for good light in the kitchen and I'd like to go for recessed lighting but my fear would be that there would be to many of these lights and it might look like a shop!

If I were to opt for recessed lighting how many would I roughly need? Would it be best just to keep the recessed lighting in one half of the room - kitchen or family side? Other forums that I've read seem to suggest mixing different types of lights

The large circle is a table top where we can eat and there will be a suspended light hanging over it as much for a design feature as for the light The dimmensions of the room are 4.54m x 5.80m

https://www.dropbox.com/s/y2f6kcx2ba343p7/plan view 002.jpg?dl=0

https://www.dropbox.com/s/6yrfwwsbhlgrq3n/kitchen plan converted.docx?dl=0

The blank space that you see will be a living area with TV and woodburner

I'd appreciate any suggestions you have.

Kevin

 

[ericmark]

No two kitchens will be the same and the main problem is what will reflect the light changes. So angle some small spot lights to bounce light off white cupboard doors and great but change door to dark wood and you lose all the light.

So although spot lights can be part of the design you also need some general lighting and the old 58W fluorescent tube takes some beating but does not look that good.

So some compromise is required the folded tube in a large round fitting to me is a good compromise the old 2D fitting fits flush to ceiling and gives a wide general light. Today there are also LED versions but not sure I like the idea of not being able to change a bulb.

Lights on the ceiling will always cast shadows even with 4 foot tubes so having counter lights removes the problem with your own body casting a shadow on the work surface. The thing is it is a work place however you want to make it look good and so lights do need to be practical.

With a suspended ceiling you can have the lights designed to fit in them but with a standard plasterboard ceiling you have to consider fire risk it is after all a kitchen and you don't want a kitchen fire spreading through the holes cut for lamps so in the main cutting holes for recessed lamps is rather foolhardy. I know you can fit fire hoods but in the main that means access from above so they are not very practically.

Don't know what you used for pictures but it wanted me to sign up to look so may as well have not posted link.

 

[kah22]

Don't know what you used for pictures but it wanted me to sign up to look so may as well have not posted link.

Thanks for the thoughtful reply.

The link is to my dropbox account and to the best of my knowledge you don't have to have an account to view links, it's just a pop up they have to encourage people to sign up.

A dropbox account is no bad thing it lets you share info which might be to much for a email. I use it to share photos and things of that nature with distant relatives and friends.

Kevin

 

[Simon35]

This is my first post, hope I've come to the right place for help!!

I'm thinking about lighting in my not yet completed, kitchen. We'll have the electricians in shortly. Before they come I'm trying desperately to work out how many I need and where to place them My thoughts are on recessed lighting

I know that B&Q have a design service and it proved of great use to me but I wonder do they do lighting?

I appreciate the need for good light in the kitchen and I'd like to go for recessed lighting but my fear would be that there would be to many of these lights and it might look like a shop!

If I were to opt for recessed lighting how many would I roughly need? Would it be best just to keep the recessed lighting in one half of the room - kitchen or family side? Other forums that I've read seem to suggest mixing different types of lights

The large circle is a table top where we can eat and there will be a suspended light hanging over it as much for a design feature as for the light The dimmensions of the room are 4.54m x 5.80m

https://www.dropbox.com/s/y2f6kcx2ba343p7/plan view 002.jpg?dl=0

https://www.dropbox.com/s/6yrfwwsbhlgrq3n/kitchen plan converted.docx?dl=0

The blank space that you see will be a living area with TV and woodburner

I'd appreciate any suggestions you have.

Kevin

I have a kitchen diner, with two pendants with LED bulbs in them in the dining half over the kitchen table, and four of these in the ceiling of the kitchen half https://www.lightrabbit.co.uk/10w-integrated-led-downlight-750-lumens-white.html

I have gloss cream units, so they probably bounce a bit of light around.

Anyway, its nice and bright, no worktop shadows or anything like that, not too many holes in the ceiling, and not too many watts.

I picked those downlighters because according to the manufacturer, they have a wide angle of light output, and it seems that they do in reality

 

[kah22]

Simon a very useful answer. Tell me roughly what size is you kitchen section and what size your diner section?

I'm beginning to think 5 recessed lights: two along each run of cabinets, one over my island, in addition to an overhang light I'll have at the top (dining section) of the island

You've two in the diner area, have you any other lighting there, it doesn't sound to much.

One final question did you decide on the number and placements of lights yourself or did you take advice. As I'm sure everyone will agree lighting is something you've got to get right.

Many thanks for sharing

Kevin[/img]

 

[Simon35]

Simon a very useful answer. Tell me roughly what size is you kitchen section and what size your diner section?

I'm beginning to think 5 recessed lights: two along each run of cabinets, one over my island, in addition to an overhang light I'll have at the top (dining section) of the island

You've two in the diner area, have you any other lighting there, it doesn't sound to much.

One final question did you decide on the number and placements of lights yourself or did you take advice. As I'm sure everyone will agree lighting is something you've got to get right.

Many thanks for sharing

Kevin[/img]

You're welcome.

Kitchen half is approx 3m by 3m, and diner half is the same. The kitchen is L-shaped, full of units along 2 walls.

I have a 1m by 1m roof lantern in the centre of the ceiling in the kitchen half, which is great, but obviously provides no light at night time, so it made sense to put a recessed light along each edge of the roof lantern.

Those downlighters I linked to say they are each equivalent to a 100W bulb, and I thought that if I had 4 100W bulbs in my kitchen then that would be very bright.

I bought two to start with and lashed a bit of temporary wiring, taped them to the ceiling and plugged them in, then bought two more because I felt two wasn't enough light. I got them in warm white, and the suck it and see method worked well, and I can recommend it

I'm sure the glossy cream units must scatter the light around, which is a help I guess, for eliminating shadows.

The two dining half pendants have got 40W equivalent LED bulbs in I think. Certainly it's bright enough for a dining area, they are directly over the table about a metre apart.