When developing the lighting design for this room, pay attention to the combination of several light sources. See how stylish and impressive sconces look in the interior of the kitchen.
Competently selected devices will make the surrounding space bright and effective. It remains only to find out how to choose a sconce specifically for your kitchen.
Place for sconces
Correctly selected light sources will become your faithful assistant in space zoning.
In the kitchen, attention can be focused on the work area (kitchen set) or the dining area. You can also highlight a place of rest, if you have one.
To achieve this goal, hang a chandelier above the table, and install two sconces next to it on the wall.
Built-in lights come in handy when setting up a cooking area. Hang two wall lights above the sofa as well.
Local lamps are useful not only for zoning the room, but also for creating the most uniform lighting in the room, which guarantees a comfortable stay.
This is especially true for spacious rooms. The sconces can be hung along one wall at an equal distance from each other.
If your kitchen is combined with the dining room, then additional lighting may be required above the sideboards, paintings. This will help to harmoniously combine two rooms into one, as well as correctly place accents in it.
Low ceilings are not the best option for installing a central chandelier. You can completely abandon it by placing several wall lamps around the perimeter of the kitchen. Don’t forget to highlight your eating area.
Remember: the light emanating from only one ceiling lamp will visually narrow the walls, so you should not use the chandelier itself in small and narrow rooms.
Even a couple of wall sconces will make the lighting as uniform as possible, which will visually increase the size of the room.
Wall lamps can be used to illuminate paintings and photographs hung on the walls, as well as unusual decorative elements that you would like to emphasize.
If you have open shelves instead of upper cabinets in the headset, or if you even prefer a single-level kitchen, then you can safely install the sconces directly above the work area countertop.
You can also hang the sconce above the bar, above the stove, on the free sides of the cabinets. There are just a lot of places for installing sconces, so you need to proceed from the individual characteristics of the kitchen configuration and personal preferences.
Practical advice
If you want to create cozy and comfortable lighting, hang the sconce lower. But at the same time, the room will visually become smaller. If the lamps are hung higher and the light flux is directed upwards, then the kitchen will seem more spacious.
The installation of several wall devices at the same height and with a certain step from each other will also help to visually adjust the size of the room upwards. This will be especially true for narrow kitchens, the walls of which are painted with a fairly dark paint.
To decorate your kitchen as harmoniously as possible, choose sconces and chandeliers for yourself from the same designer collection.
If you have not found a suitable set for yourself, you can also pick up dissimilar lamps that would be in harmony with each other in style, shape, color scheme and material.
Luminous flux direction
The effectiveness of lighting design will largely depend on how correctly the shades are selected and where the light flux is directed.
If you choose luminaires with solid shades that completely cover the lamps, they will emit a softer light.
If your sconces have diffusers installed only at the bottom, then the maximum light will go to the ceiling and the upper part of the wall. This solution is suitable for those who want to create not local, but general lighting.
Lamps covered with a shade on top will direct the flow downward. Such lamps are suitable for lighting functional areas. To prevent them from dazzling your eyes, give preference to frosted lamps.
There are quite a few sconces on the modern market with the function of redirecting the light flux up or down, through diffusers or a shade. This is a universal option for many, because it allows you to create both local and general kitchen lighting.
Design and materials
Ease of maintenance is one of the key requirements for lighting devices installed in the kitchen.
Give up fabric lampshades, because it will be difficult to avoid droplets of fat and burning on them, which will lead to a premature loss of aesthetics and attractiveness.
Do you prefer wooden elements? Be sure to pay attention to the presence of a layer of protective varnish. Forged elements must also be covered with a special mastic that provides reliable protection of the metal from soot and other contaminants.
Fingerprints will remain on the chrome or gold-plated shiny brackets. Under the influence of light, various contaminants will be clearly visible. Consider the appropriateness of hanging these sconces over your dining table or work area.
Classic models with glass, crystal or plastic are also not suitable for the work area. A regularly switched on hood will help you protect the surface of the sconce from fatty deposits.
Choosing classic candle-shaped lamps. Match them with matte lamps. They will not blind your eyes, but will create a soft light.
Luminaires with shades of warm neutral colors are best placed above the dining table. Under such influence, your culinary masterpieces will look even more delicious.
Transparent glass in purple or lilac is not the best solution. Discard them if you do not want to impair the appetite of your household.
Recessed lamps
The wattage and type of lamps are also important selection criteria. For a 10-square kitchen, the optimal indicator is a luminous flux power of 120 W.
Incandescent lamps are the most optimal for the eyes in terms of their light spectrum, but they are too energy intensive. In addition, they have a short service life.
Cold luminescent models emit too much flux, which can be tiring on the eyes.
When thinking about which lamps to choose, transparent or matte, pay attention to the lamp shade.
If it has holes or slots, you can select transparent models. Thanks to this tandem, original shadow patterns will appear on your ceiling and walls.
If the luminaire does not provide for a diffuser, a lampshade, or a shade, then a matte lamp will be the best solution.
For sconces installed in the area of the work surface, lamps emitting a luminous flux in a cold spectrum are suitable, while it is better to illuminate the eating area with muted warm shades.
Optimal height
If you give up the central chandelier in favor of a sconce, then they should be installed around the perimeter of the kitchen at a height of 1.7-2 meters from the floor. They should not be at eye level to avoid dazzling.
Plan the switch so that you can easily reach it.
By installing the sconces above the chairs in the dining area, the height can be adjusted so that the device is slightly higher than the head of a seated person.
Installation features
It is necessary to select lighting devices and plan their placement around the room even at the stage of repair. This is also relevant for sconces.
Two or even more cable outlet points should be provided, depending on the design features of the luminaire.
Draw a three-dimensional model of your kitchen on a scale on a sheet or in a special computer program, plotting all the places where the appliances are installed, as well as their switches.
After the completion of the repair, you will no longer be able to hide the wires, which will not only spoil the aesthetic picture, but will also interfere with you.
If it turns out that you will still come to install the sconces after the walls are fully decorated, cover the cables with special plastic boxes. They will of course remain noticeable, but still not as conspicuous as the wires themselves.
How to install a sconce with your own hands
Want to install a wall light yourself? Stock up on a wire of the required length, a hammer drill, a screwdriver, a drill, a hammer, a voltage indicator, as well as fasteners, in particular screws and dowels.
We carry out several stages in sequence:
- mark on the wall the direct installation location of the lamp;
- assemble the sconces into a one-piece structure, as indicated in the instructions;
- turn off the power supply;
- mark the locations of the fasteners and make the appropriate holes for the bracket or plate included in the delivery kit of the luminaire;
- install the dowels into the holes and hang the sconce fasteners on them;
- connect the cartridge to the wires taken out from the wall using a tester to determine the phase and zero cable;
- connect the rest of the luminaire components to the socket;
- check the device is working properly.
After completing these works, you will only have to make sure how stylish and effective the sconces look in the kitchen interior.
