INTD 52 kitchens—the new gathering place

have become the new centers for entertaining more casual way of entertaining trend toward more open house plans— newly defined space is often called a “great room”

this impacts lighting design—kitchen should now be as inviting as the rest of the house remember light layers! under-cabinet lighting general illumination accent lighting

under-cabinet lighting first step toward successful light layering mounted below the wall cabinets provides an even level of illumination along countertops—between your head and the work surface to cut down on shadows

under-cabinet lighting come in a variety of styles and lamp sources mounted toward the front of the cabinet, project a portion of the light toward backsplash

mounted at the back of the cabinet, light can hit people directly in the eye if they are sitting down

under-cabinet lighting often faced with the challenge of highly reflective surfaces—black granite or glossy tile choose a reflector that points light to backsplash

under-cabinet lighting

what if backsplash is shiny too? talk to clients first—choose a matte finish miniature recessed adjustable luminaires with louvers—false bottom in cabinet to hide housings

under-cabinet lighting

general illumination ambient light plays an important role variety of options: pendants linear luminaires above cabinets cove lighting series of wall sconces

general illumination—pendants

general illumination—linear

general illumination—cove lighting

general illumination—wall sconces

general illumination—skylights great source during the day best are made of white opal acrylic or fitted with diffusing material at night, light sources can be mounted within skylight to produce adequate light

general illumination—skylights

general illumination title 24 first switch in the kitchen must be fluorescent efficiency of at least 40 lumens per watt

general illumination title 24

accent lighting ceiling height…natural light…work surfaces affect the placement or amount of light used many other facets affect it as well: color reflectance texture mood tone code windows sloped ceilings pot racks door swings

accent lighting color— darker finished surfaces absorb more light an all white kitchen requires dramatically less light (40-50%) than a kitchen with dark wood cabinets and walls

accent lighting reflectance— highly polished countertop (or other surface) has a high degree of reflectance acts as a mirror

accent lighting texture— you may choose to show off textural quality of surfaces (brick or stucco) direct light at an acute angle onto textured surface—light too far away will smooth out walls

accent lighting mood— remember flow from kitchen to dining to living room—kitchen should be just as inviting as rest of house ambient light softens shadows and creates a warm glow

accent lighting tone— make a color temperature choice that works well with skin tones and room colors

accent lighting code— title 24 today many decorative luminaires are made to take compact fluorescents that have dimming capabilities

accent lighting windows— let in wonderful light during the day become black holes at night unless consideration is given to exterior lighting

accent lighting sloped ceilings— select special recessed luminaires that don’t cause glare some are made especially for sloped ceilings while others have a 90-degree aiming capability

accent lighting pot racks— extremely difficult to light a work surface through cookware consider installing recessed adjustable luminaires to cross-illuminate the counter surface—increase amount of ambient light to diminish shadows

accent lighting door swings— make sure light switches are on the unhinged side of a door make sure you are informed of swing changes that occur during construction

INTD 52 dining rooms—the main event

dining room used to be the last holdout for traditional static furniture arrangement—now want to reclaim under-utilized room tables more flexible in size fold down divide into two pushed up against wall for buffet-style dining changes create a need for FLEXIBLE lighting

dining room as dining tables began to be moved around, the centered chandelier started getting in the way

dining room

for traditional feel with more flexibility: specify a decorative luminaire that hugs the ceiling— doesn’t look odd when table isn’t centered

for traditional feel with more flexibility: select a pendant light on a pulley system— allows client to raise and lower as needed

for traditional feel with more flexibility: traditional chandelier could be hung in a recessed dome or coffer— links it to ceiling configuration instead of table

for traditional feel with more flexibility: decorative luminaire mounted over the table should be at least 12-inches narrower than the tabletop bottom of the fixture should be inches from tabletop if ceiling is higher than 8 ft, add 3 inches per additional foot varies according to room layout and ceiling slope

modern-style homes rely instead on recessed adjustable luminaires

make sure luminaires are not pointed straight down—cast harsh shadows and create glare keep outer two angled at less than 45 degrees in order to create a soft underlighting of people’s faces

same luminaires can be redirected toward the wall when the table is being used as buffet

even with a chandelier, the addition of two recessed adjustable lights on either side will help at drama to the table

decorative sconces act as “jewelry” for a dining room— think of the chandelier as the crown sconces as the earrings

ambient lighting solution chosen for table illumination does not complete lighting scenario—decorative luminaires can easily overpower the rest of the elements of the space ambient options previously mentioned work here as well: torcheres wall sconces cove lighting

accent lighting 2-3 recessed adjustable over dining table single-downlights accent centerpieces next look for possible areas in need of accent: walls side table/buffet plants art every piece does not have to be illuminated

candles candles do count—but need to be used correctly as well typically candles are placed flanking centerpiece at eye level problems?

candles use candles that are either lower or higher than eye level provides a low, soft complimentary uplighting

candles use candles that are either lower or higher than eye level adds romance without the glare

dining room light layering is key dimmers offer many levels of illumination goal is to create a balanced illumination that enhances other elements of your design