7 Bright Ideas for Cabinet Lighting
Lighting is one of the simplest ways to create a good feel throughout your home. By incorporating it into joinery you can highlight treasures, make precise tasks possible and dial up the visual drama at the touch of a switch. Plus…you get all this moody functionality cable free, as long as you plan for it in the beginning. So if you’re planning new cabinetry anywhere, consider adding lighting to the design brief.
1 What happens in this space?
Is a brilliant light free of shadows needed for the laundry, pantry, kitchen or home office work bench? Or an intriguing glow reflected off a copper backed drinks cabinet the go? Often, both are needed, so considering the functional and aesthetic needs of the space is important to finding right lighting solutions.
Above benches in home offices, kitchens, vanities and laundries, you’re going to want bright, unshadowed light. Whereas you just need ambient lighting to make a space feel safe and comfortable, with ceiling, wall or floor lights. Punctuate these with accent lighting using lamps, candles, cabinet lighting and wall lights to create a space that draws you in.
One light might serve all three functions in a small space by using dimmers but identifying the functional requirements of cabinet lighting will ensure we get the right light in the right position.
A dull glow from the dimmed LED above the kitchen bench is ample ambient lighting to make a cup of tea and toast at night from this dimmed down LED, without the need to turn on ceiling lights which would otherwise glare into the adjoining living room. Positioned close to the splash back, the light casts shadows over the textured tiles bringing the varied colours and texture of the tile to life. And when it’s cooking time, the same light with the overhead cabinet lights dial up the brightness to shower un-shadowed light onto the entire bench for perfectly illuminated food prep.
2 Hitting the right target.
The lighting design goal is to throw the right amount of light at the right angle onto the object to be lit, without glare.
This can be quite easily achieved because LED’s are available in a range of brightness, beam angles, and fittings which when carefully selected will combine perfectly to any cabinet lighting situation. This information can usually be found in the lighting specifications.
3 How should it look?
There is plenty of scope for creativity no matter what the functional requirements.Here’s a few points to consider for your cabinet lighting.
- What do we want to feature?
- Should lighting be subtle or striking?
- Will it be linear, vertical, horizontal, uplight or downlight?
- Do objects need backlighting or spotlighting?
- Should objects be lit from in front so that their colour is visible or from the back so they’re silhouetted, or both?
- Should shelving be transparent to allow light to pass through?
- What about adding wall sconces or reflecting the light with mirrors?
4 Every action has an equal and opposite reaction.
Remember the potential negative effects of lighting. For example, a light that highlights a feature could be perfect from one angle and cause glare from another. A light that is subtle by day could be too glary at night. A motion sensor that illuminates a dressing room as one person walks into it, could wake the person still sleeping in darkness. Lighting shiny surfaces causes glare and reflections.
Who on earth is Kelvin and what does he have to do with my lighting?
Kelvin is the scale used to indicate the hue of LED’s and is classified as warm, neutral or cool. You might not think it matters, but if you’ve gone to the effort of choosing paint colours and soft furnishings, you will want the kelvin to be complementary and uniform across all the lights. If you want the short answer, 3000K,is a warm white and suits most residential spaces according to Mint Lighting Designer Adele Locke
5 When true colours matter, choose high CRI
The colour rendering Index (CRI) is a measure of how accurately the light shows colour. A minimum CRI of 90 is necessary to show the true colour of objects. It’s the difference between light making the colour of objects appear bland and murky or bright and clear, so it’s highly beneficial for make-up zones, artwork and work spaces where colour is important.
The china cabinet has tiny adjustable spotlights from @hafeleau with a CRI of 94.
6 Switching and connecting
Switching should be convenient, and intuitive, like the hands free convenience of motion detected lighting for walk-in-wardrobes where your hands are often full when entering and leaving the space.
A simple button at the desk as in the image below is easily turned on and off right where the work is done.
A remote controlled light is convenient in living rooms for dimming the joinery lights from the armchair.
If you’re adding a new cabinet into an existing room, a power point is needed somewhere within the cabinetry so that the circuitry can be completely concealed.
Practical Tip- Check with your electrician early in the planning stage if they will be able to provide the power points where you need them, and discuss the possibility of smart lighting.
7 Everything in moderation.
Why do we naturally love firelight and candles? Because the dark surrounding them let’s them and the objects they highlight be the focus. This simplifies our environment and calms our mind. Switch the bright ceiling lights on and our eyes see everything and at the same time, nothing.
I consult Adele Locke of Mint Lighting Design for projects that require more than the lighting basics. If you’d like more information on lighting I recommend Adele’s blogs.