The Three Layers to Lighting Your New Kitchen Design

White kitchen design by Monarch Kitchen & Bath Centre

With so many important elements vying for the attention of homeowners during a kitchen reno, it's easy to understand why many DIYers often make the mistake of leaving lighting decisions to the end of the renovation process. This can be a huge mistake.

Lighting plays a significant role in a kitchen's overall design. It not only serves to highlight select elements of the space, it enhances the practicality of one of the most used rooms in your home.

"When planning your new kitchen or bathroom, be sure to pay attention to your lighting plan," says Monarch designer Jackie Schagen. "To create effective lighting for your space, you should consider both function and aesthetics. Spend time considering who uses the space, at what of time of day and what tasks are being performed."

White kitchen design by Monarch Kitchen & Bath Centre

Layering is essential to good lighting. There are three main layers involved in lighting a space effectively.

General Lighting

The purpose of this lighting is to illuminate the overall space. "Most often we are using recessed LED pot lights, but ceiling fixtures can also be installed," says Jackie.

Task Lighting

In the kitchen, under-cabinet lighting is both useful and safer than chopping in a dark, shadowy place. In the bathroom, it's important to have good lighting at the vanity area to reduce shadows on your face and ensure good makeup application.

Ambient Lighting

This includes decorative ceiling fixtures and lights inside glass cabinets. This use of lighting is intended more for decoration than function.

"It's important to remember that all of these lights will perform best when switched separately, especially with individual dimmers to accommodate different times of natural light," says Jackie. "The beauty of a well-lit space is not to see the light but know that it is there."

What is Melissa Foley's Favourite Design Trend for 2011?

 LED Lighting

"One of the growing trends in kitchen design today is LED lighting," says Monarch designer Melissa Foley. "LED lights are about 10 times as energy efficient as incandescent bulbs with the same light output. This means high efficiency, low energy use and less maintenance for the homeowner.

Photo courtesy of Richelieu Hardware

"LED lights also last approximately 100 times longer than incandescent bulbs and 10 times longer than a fluorescent tube.

"In the past, the downside to LED lighting was that the colour temperature was more similar to a fluorescent light, and they did not give off the warm lighting tones of an incandescent," Melissa explains. "However, as technology advances, more and more suppliers are catering to the design world and finding ways to create LEDs with a warmer colour temperature.

"At Monarch, we have installed LED lighting in many of our clients' homes and they couldn't be happier! We have a variety of lighting options available and can help you decide which works best for you and your space."