Lighting the Home: The Kitchen 1
02-06-2011
Lighting the Kitchen: 1 - the workshop of the world
It doesn't matter whether you're turning out gourmet offerings or turning out TV dinners from a foil tray - the kitchen is a workshop and you need to be able to see what you're doing.
One of the biggest lighting disasters of recent years is the indiscriminate use of downlights. They pepper the ceiling, burning up the electricity and often achieving nothing more than highlighting the floor behind you. And now we have LED downlights that DON'T burn up electricity, while achieving nothing more than highlighting the floor behind you.
SO KEEP IT SIMPLE: the light should be between you and the things that you're cutting-up with that very sharp knife. Light travels in a straight line and can't find it's way round you - that's why we have shadows.
Everything else is dressing, so if you've spent loads of money on that fantastic new kitchen system, be happy to dress the space with anything else that takes your fancy, but remember - when all's said and done IT'S A WORKSHOP!
