Welcome to Quiet Lighting, part 4 of a five-part series on A Quiet Kitchen design.
We demand a lot of our busy, active kitchens: food storage, meal prep, cooking, cleaning, gathering, eating, entertaining, even homework. And storing sooooo much stuff! With today’s open floor plans, what happens in the kitchen is also happening in every living space in the house. For your new kitchen, let’s design a space that can do it all, without the clamor. Leave the noisy world outside and reach for calm in a quiet kitchen design. If you don’t think you’re ready to take this on alone, no problem. A professional UltraCraft kitchen designer near you will be happy to help. They’re the experts!
There are five parts to A Quiet Kitchen: Quiet Look, Quiet Motion, Quiet the Clutter, Quiet Lighting, and Quiet the Noise. In the next few weeks, watch for part five five. Read on for Part 4: Quiet Lighting. Click here for Part 1: Quiet Look.
Part 4: Quiet Lighting
The most obvious instruction for “quiet” lighting is softer rather than harsher but planning for the right quality of light in the right places makes for effective lighting. And effective lighting can quiet your kitchen’s look, movement, visual clutter, the amount of noise you create while working there and especially, your mood. This is a glossy overview of kinds of light and when and where you might use them.
Kitchen Light
Natural Light: You guessed it, windows, doors, and skylights. Embrace nature as the sun rises and sets, but if you must control the light, quietly styled, adjustable curtains or shades will do the trick.
Ambient Light: Compliments natural light and works nights. This is the light that fills the room making the whole space feel larger and allowing easy movement throughout. This might be recessed or flush-mount ceiling lights, or in a smaller room, a larger fixture in the center of the ceiling. In all cases, it’s best if the room is evenly lit with a quieter, warmer, yellower light. Dimmers please, for mood adjustments.
Task Light: Let’s get to work. Natural and ambient light fill the room but can cast shadows in work areas, especially countertops. Place brighter, bluer-color task lighting anywhere work is done, but especially over sinks, stove tops, and under every upper cabinet to fully light countertops. Place lights inside pantry cabinets that will come on when the doors are opened (really you are going to want these in every cabinet) and suspend lights over tables and islands that can pinpoint onto the work surface and/or broadcast ambiently.
Accent Light: Aim light at anything interesting or beautiful. Add depth and dimension by placing lights inside cabinets with glass door inserts, above open shelving, and focused on artwork or architecture. Dimmed accent lights can act as ambient or mood lighting at night.
Lighting for Organizing and Cleaning
Light it up. Turn up the ambient light to set the tone for “how quickly can I get this done?” Turn on task lights that brighten any areas that need cleaning and appreciate the lights inside the refrigerator and pantries while you put groceries away.
Cooking Light
Task. Task. Task. This brilliance is for precision and safety. You need to see well enough to protect your fingers from sharp knives and everything hot. When the mechanics of food preparation are effortlessly efficient, there’s room for creativity and deliciousness. Rinse, chop, dice, mince, stir, boil, roast, sauté, taste, adjust, all at once? You’re amazing!
Eating Light
Create a soft balance between light needed to see your food (task) and a suitable atmosphere for the occasion (ambient). Pizza for the winning tee ball team has different requirements than a romantic dinner for two. Read the room and dim appropriately. Decorative fixtures (refer to A Quiet Kitchen Part 1: Quiet Look) suspended over tables and islands can be both ambient and task. They can also be beautiful and worthy of accenting!
Lighting for Entertaining
Use the “Eating Light” suggestions above and add light for munching and mingling. You’ll need enough ambient light for impressed guests to move about and talk to each other about how you’ve inspired them to upgrade, “I simply must have illuminated toe kicks!” Crank up the accent lights to spotlight your exquisite taste and architecture and send someone to the pantry cabinet seemingly to bring out extra crisps for the charcuterie board and watch as they discover the magic lights inside.
The Kitchen is Quiet Lighting
Is there anything more lustrous than a cleaned and closed kitchen after guests have gone? Shut off all the lights except the accents and quiet those to low. They’ll be nightlights at 3:00 a.m. when you want one more bite of prosciutto. Retire to the living room, kick off your shoes and fall asleep to the TV. Nicely done.
What are you waiting for? Visit your local UltraCraft designer’s showroom today!
Hero image is Piper door style in Sienna Textured Melamine; South Beach door style in Black Ops UltraMatte UltraLux Acrylic (or Adriatic door style in Coal SuperMatte Thermofoil); AF006 Metal door style in Onyx with White Matte backpainted Tech Glass. Wall panels are Sienna and Archicrete Textured Melamine.
Quiet Lighting is just one part of a quiet kitchen design. Watch for our final installment, Part 5: Quiet the Noise.
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Hey UltraCraft kitchen designers…
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