Beginners Guide To LED Kitchen Lighting
The best kitchen lighting designs almost always use a lot of lighting, which doesn't mean simply adding a few more ceiling rose fittings. Kitchen lighting demands different types of lighting for different zones. In fact, almost the worst way to light a kitchen is to put a few bright fluorescent tubes on the ceiling. You'll certainly get bright light - but also flat, cold and certain to give you a headache in no time at all.
An obvious problem with central ceiling lights in a kitchen is that you inevitably create dark spots and are always standing in your own shadow. A common solution to this is to install banks of halogen down lights uniformly across the ceiling with additional lighting for worktops and hobs.
This solution works reasonably well, but does have its own downsides: halogen lamps operate at extremely high temperatures, don't last very long, and are without rival as the most expensive means of lighting a kitchen. Some 90% of the cost of incandescent lighting (of which halogen is an extreme example) is the electricity they use.
This one fact helps explain the growing popularity of cool, super energy efficient LED kitchen lights. For mains powered lighting you simply replace all existing GU10 halogen lamps with equivalent GU10 LED lights. For low voltage systems, you first replace existing 12 volt transformers with a smaller number of constant voltage 12 volt LED drivers (each can power a number of light fittings) then replace MR16 halogens with LED light bulbs.
The three main aspects to consider when installing LED spotlights are: luminosity (brightness); colour temperature (how cool/blue or warm/yellow); and beam angle. Try to match these as close as possible to the characteristics of the halogen lamps you might otherwise have considered using.
We have become accustomed to rating brightness by wattage, but the rated wattage for an LED light bulb should be about 10% that of the equivalent normal incandescent or halogen bulb. So expect to replace a 35w halogen lamp with an LED rated 3w or greater, 50w requires a 5w LED and so on.
Color temperature is used to measure how warm or cool a light seems. LED lights are available in a variety of white color temperatures (and also, colors) but since it has always been easier to manufacture blue LEDs, many cheap LEDs tend to have a cold/bluish tinge. Go for warm white (color temperatures below 3500K) for a reasonable approximation to the kind of white light normally associated with halogen lamps.
A narrow beam angle, say 45 degrees, makes any light appear tighter and more contained to a defined spot, whereas a much wider 120 degrees spreads the light out evenly, eliminating glare and "hot-spots". Quite possibly the best LED spot light currently available that acts as a straightforward halogen replacement is the Sharp Zenigata.
A critical component that determines how artificial light actually appears is not the light itself but the surface on which it is shining. To create a warm feel simply direct spot lights at warmly coloured areas (clay tiles, wood or just a wall painted in warm colours). If a dramatic effect is what you're after, try shining blue LEDs at either dark or reflective surfaces - blue LED light bounced off granite or steel can appear stunning.
Combine LED lights of varying characteristics with different textures and colours to produce a range of effects suited to individual zones in your kitchen. The are almost boundless possibilities, even before you get to playing with LED strip lighting to accent plinths, worktops, coving and more or less anything else that takes your fancy. As ever though, the best designs often emerge by limiting things to a handful or less of the most appealing ideas - but don't be surprised how stunning even small amount of LED kitchen lighting looks.
An obvious problem with central ceiling lights in a kitchen is that you inevitably create dark spots and are always standing in your own shadow. A common solution to this is to install banks of halogen down lights uniformly across the ceiling with additional lighting for worktops and hobs.
This solution works reasonably well, but does have its own downsides: halogen lamps operate at extremely high temperatures, don't last very long, and are without rival as the most expensive means of lighting a kitchen. Some 90% of the cost of incandescent lighting (of which halogen is an extreme example) is the electricity they use.
This one fact helps explain the growing popularity of cool, super energy efficient LED kitchen lights. For mains powered lighting you simply replace all existing GU10 halogen lamps with equivalent GU10 LED lights. For low voltage systems, you first replace existing 12 volt transformers with a smaller number of constant voltage 12 volt LED drivers (each can power a number of light fittings) then replace MR16 halogens with LED light bulbs.
The three main aspects to consider when installing LED spotlights are: luminosity (brightness); colour temperature (how cool/blue or warm/yellow); and beam angle. Try to match these as close as possible to the characteristics of the halogen lamps you might otherwise have considered using.
We have become accustomed to rating brightness by wattage, but the rated wattage for an LED light bulb should be about 10% that of the equivalent normal incandescent or halogen bulb. So expect to replace a 35w halogen lamp with an LED rated 3w or greater, 50w requires a 5w LED and so on.
Color temperature is used to measure how warm or cool a light seems. LED lights are available in a variety of white color temperatures (and also, colors) but since it has always been easier to manufacture blue LEDs, many cheap LEDs tend to have a cold/bluish tinge. Go for warm white (color temperatures below 3500K) for a reasonable approximation to the kind of white light normally associated with halogen lamps.
A narrow beam angle, say 45 degrees, makes any light appear tighter and more contained to a defined spot, whereas a much wider 120 degrees spreads the light out evenly, eliminating glare and "hot-spots". Quite possibly the best LED spot light currently available that acts as a straightforward halogen replacement is the Sharp Zenigata.
A critical component that determines how artificial light actually appears is not the light itself but the surface on which it is shining. To create a warm feel simply direct spot lights at warmly coloured areas (clay tiles, wood or just a wall painted in warm colours). If a dramatic effect is what you're after, try shining blue LEDs at either dark or reflective surfaces - blue LED light bounced off granite or steel can appear stunning.
Combine LED lights of varying characteristics with different textures and colours to produce a range of effects suited to individual zones in your kitchen. The are almost boundless possibilities, even before you get to playing with LED strip lighting to accent plinths, worktops, coving and more or less anything else that takes your fancy. As ever though, the best designs often emerge by limiting things to a handful or less of the most appealing ideas - but don't be surprised how stunning even small amount of LED kitchen lighting looks.
About the Author:
Before you design your new kitchen lighting, Abigail Monot strongly recommends you discover more about LED kitchen lighting in particular and LED domestic lights in general.
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