Features of choosing a chandelier for lighting the kitchen

To choose a chandelier for the kitchen, you need to take into account a number of functional and visual aspects. The article introduces the main criteria for selecting lamps for the kitchen, offers interesting solutions, talks about the rules for placing lamps and lighting rooms with different designs.

The nuances of choosing a chandelier in the kitchen

To choose a lamp for installation in the kitchen, you need to build on 5 key parameters:

• room height;
• ceiling type and mounting method;
• lamp diameter;
• place location;
• kitchen design style.

Now more about the influence of the first 3 parameters. The other 2 will be touched upon later.

Room height

Important! A principle that must be remembered as an indisputable truth: the height of a kitchen lamp should not exceed a quarter of the entire height from floor to ceiling. That is, in a room with a ceiling of 2.80 m, you can install a chandelier up to 70 cm high.The "height" of a luminaire refers to the distance between the top and bottom extreme points.

The height of this chandelier is suitable for the room.

Ceiling type and mounting method

Depending on the type of ceiling in the room, the appropriate mounting method is selected. There are four options in total:

• hook;
• bracket;
• cross plank;
• double platform.

For hanging on a hook, you need models of lamps that have a hook for it. In fact, this is the only way to mount on a stretch or false ceiling. The hook itself is fixed on the concrete ceiling, it is not visible under the stretch ceiling.

Brackets and cross bars are usually used with concrete surfaces, and I-beams are needed to mount very large and heavy chandeliers, which are almost never installed in kitchens.

Recommended for viewing: Creative chandeliers for the kitchen.

Luminaire diameter

There is also an important relationship between the size of the kitchen and the diameter (width) of the fixture. This parameter should not exceed 1/3 of the total width of the ceiling, excluding the part that is occupied by built-in furniture. If the kitchen ceiling is not square, but rectangular, they are guided by the short side. For example, in a kitchen with a length of all walls of 3 m, you can put a chandelier up to a meter wide.

Modern types of chandeliers for lighting the kitchen

In the design of chandeliers for the kitchen, there are no restrictions on the part of fantasy. The main thing is that they fit all the parameters of the room and match its design. These are the main criteria by which it is necessary to select. Type, material, shape - already to your taste. Several points need to be taken into account:

1. Instead of the standard round shape, an elongated one will be more profitable.In it, the lamps are placed along one line, which allows you to illuminate a large area.
   Elongated chandelier.
2. Even more tasks will be solved by a chandelier with two groups of independent lamps, directed up and down. The lower light will be responsible for local lighting, the upper one for general lighting.

Material

The material from which the lampshade is made is also important. For example, a paper or textile lampshade is not the best solution. This is not so much dangerous (although not without it) as impractical. Such a lampshade gets dirty quickly, especially if the stove is not far away. Grease stains, soot, traces of fumes - all this spoils the look of the chandelier. It is the effect of steam and moisture that is what you need to protect the kitchen lamp from in the first place.

The main materials for kitchen chandeliers are crystal, glass, plastic. New innovative ideas are constantly being developed. So, for 2021, kitchen chandeliers with energy-saving lamps are popular. They give little lighting, almost like a floor lamp in the bedroom, but the body material is important here. Wood veneer, concrete, even silkworm cocoons or stork nests: this is no joke.

The nest lamp is an original and bright solution.

Color

The color of the lampshade is also important. It sets the mood for the kitchen. Briefly about the main colors of lamps:

1. White is a classic that goes with any design. Looks especially good on a white ceiling.
2. Black - this color of kitchen chandeliers is rarely used and fits in few places.
3. Red, pink - these colors always attract more attention. This chandelier should not be "a lot".
4. Blue, blue - shades are not only universal for different designs, but also trendy, modern.
   Blue lamps are beautifully complemented by chairs of the same color.
5. Green, light green - lamps of these colors add freshness to any kitchen.
6. Yellow, orange - bright colors give a feeling of summer and joy.

Best Accommodation

In general, there are only two areas for installing a lamp in the kitchen:

• over the table;
• at the geometric center of the room.

More often resort to the first option. The table is a permanent gathering place for the whole family, dinners with guests. Therefore, it is logical that it be well lit. On the other hand, the light of the chandelier, of course, should not blind. Here it is necessary to adhere to one principle.

Condition. It is always necessary to put lamps less than the maximum power allowed for the lamp. That is, if the instruction says that the maximum can be 60 watts, you can safely put "magpies". If there is not enough light, the main chandelier can be strengthened with sconces, built-in spots, additional lighting.

The minimum distance from the bottom of the luminaire to the table must be at least 1.20 m.

But in the kitchen of a small area, it would be appropriate to hang a chandelier in the geometric center. Then additional light will not be needed. Each zone will receive good lighting.

A lamp in the center of a small kitchen.

If the kitchen is very large and it has a bar counter, there is another way to place it. One chandelier is installed above the dining table, the second - above the counter. This will achieve a balance of light between different areas of the kitchen.

The principles of lighting a combined kitchen-living room

Now many combine the kitchen with the living room. So the space is saved, and the usable area is increased. A number of useful tips on the choice of lamps and lighting of such premises - further in the text.

1. Depending on the size and shape of the kitchen, one chandelier in the center or several, evenly distributed along the ceiling, can be responsible for the main lighting.
2. For additional light, sconces and / or LED strip lighting.
3. It is important to observe zoning. So, the cooking area should be accentuated with brighter light than the rest or tea area. But nothing can be left completely dark.
   Decorative lamps on the wall create coziness and at the same time illuminate the dining table.
4. It is better to put more light sources, but with less power. So there is no glare, which is very important for the kitchen-living room.
5. With the help of lighting, you can change the visual perception of the room. Several lamps along one longitudinal line "lengthen" it, across - will give the features of a "square". If the light falls on the walls, the kitchen, on the contrary, "falls" lower.
6. Light zoning will help separate the kitchen from the living room. A large chandelier is hung in the living room, and near the armchairs and the sofa they put floor lamp. A large lamp is also installed above the table, and the remaining zones can be equipped with spots.

There is a chandelier above the table, and spots in all areas.

In general, the light in the kitchen should be made noticeably brighter than in the living room with its calm lighting.

Choosing a lamp for different styles of kitchen interior

Finally, interesting chandelier options to the kitchen in different interior styles. Basically, you need to focus on the color and shape of the kitchen set. And, of course, there must be compliance with the overall design.

1. Classic style. A chandelier with fabric shades or candelabra with crystal or glass pendants is well suited here.The lamp in the kitchen in a classic design should be installed above the dining table.
2. Modern. For such a room, a lamp is needed to match. Usually these are modern chandeliers of non-standard shape: spherical, cylindrical, in the form of a cube. Often for modern kitchens, unique author's models are made to order.
   An example of modern style.
3. Country, Provence, Italy. For these interior styles, a large wrought-iron chandelier with plafonds - “candlesticks” or analogues is best suited.
   Typical chandelier for Provence kitchen
4. Japan. Asian-style kitchens involve the use of special ethnic chandeliers. They are made of wood and colored glass. The lampshade is sometimes made of rice paper. The luminaire should not violate the authenticity of the "Japanese" design.
   Japanese style.
5. Eclecticism and fusion. Everything is mixed in these styles, and they are famous for that. The main thing here is not to overdo it. A good option is a crystal lamp. It will look restrained, but at the same time original.