Adding The Finishing Touches
Designing and creating the kitchen of your dreams includes making superior product choices all the way through to the finishing touches – like kitchen lighting, cabinet hardware and more. Finishing touches add the elusive ‘Wow!’ factor to a beautifully executed design. Capturing this high impact effect doesn’t happen by accident, so we’re sharing some professional kitchen design tips to help guide you through kitchen lighting and cabinet hardware selections.
3 Types of Kitchen Lighting
Effective lighting design is achieved through the combination of three very different types of lighting. In fact, layering all three types of lighting into your kitchen design will add a striking impact to all other design choices in the room.
Ambient Lighting
General lighting that fills the space and bounces off the ceilings is referred to as ambient light. One example of ambient lighting in a kitchen would be a chandelier. A small space may require just one ceiling mounted light fixture. Larger spaces may require a couple of lighting fixtures working in unison to fill the space with light. Many homes feature a chandelier over the table in the eat-in kitchen. There may be another ceiling light over the food preparation areas.
Task Lighting
Under cabinet lighting Illuminates your countertop workspaces so you can see what you’re working on and work more safely. Task lighting makes food prep areas and other workstations function beautifully. Task lighting can even be added inside of cabinets to help light the dark corners of deep drawers and cabinet areas, especially at night. Create a nightlight by adding a strip of lights at the toe kick of your base cabinets.
Accent & Decorative Lighting
This final layer of lighting can be used as a highlight to accent depth and dimension of an architectural feature such as a vaulted ceiling. Recessed and track lights spotlight a specific area. Sconces, pendants and chandeliers light up a room, but their main function is to get noticed. Accent and decorative lighting is, in fact, eye candy.
Kitchen Lighting Strategy
No one single lighting layer stands alone. All three types of lighting are necessary to create a successful kitchen design. To help you get started on your kitchen lighting strategy, here are a few factors to consider.
Natural Light
How much natural light comes into your kitchen? From what sources? For how long? During what hours of the day? At what strength?
Ceiling Height
Can ceiling hung fixtures illuminate the space below? Can a person walk comfortably under a ceiling mounted light fixture? Can individuals see one another around the fixture?
Surface Finishes
What color are walls, floors, cabinets and countertops? How much light is reflected? Are there shadows or bright spots in the room? Polished countertops of granite and quartz reflect light creating a whole new dimension of brilliance.
Size of Room
Poor lighting could make a room feel dark and dim instead of bright and airy. Think of how your kitchen is used. Make sure that all areas are easy to work in and comfortable to be seated in by making sure to layer lighting throughout the room. Pay special attention to alcoves and corners. Keep in mind, open floor plans gain the benefit of light spill in from other areas of the house.
Lighting Sets the Mood
Bright lighting generally produces cheerful effects and helps those in the room feel alert and energetic. On the other side, cool lighting creates an atmosphere for focus and concentration.
Smart Home features, automated switches, dimmer switches, bulb color, fixture color and fixture scale all contribute to the mood established.
Your Kiba Studios kitchen designers and product specialists are trained lighted experts who can assist you in making your kitchen lighting selections.
Cabinet Hardware is Kitchen Bling
‘Cabinet hardware’ is the boring name given to those dramatic and stylish door knobs and drawer pulls – one of the finishing selections you’ll make when designing or remodeling your kitchen. But, why call it ‘hard’? Cabinet hardware. Kitchen jewelry. Bling. Sprinkles on top. Ooh la la! Yes, please! Those all feel more suitable.
Cabinet hardware is available in a virtually limitless array of colors, styles and finishes. Kitchen cabinet hardware or ‘kitchen bling’ can range in style from regal to rustic, modern to vintage, and everything in between.
Functionality of Cabinet Hardware
But when you look at cabinet hardware for its true function, you realize it is the armor worn by your kitchen’s cabinetry day in and night out, each and every year, after holiday, and barbeque, and party, fad diet, and science fair project.
Your cabinet hardware protects the finish of your cabinets from what would otherwise be constant touching, opening, closing, slamming, bumping, pushing, and pulling. Your cabinet hardware stands up to repeated exposure to natural oils in your hands and the ingredients from tonight’s dinner. And last night’s dinner. And… so on. And it does so, so beautifully!
Like jewelry for the kitchen, the selection of fine cabinet hardware is virtually unending. Choose one or mix and match.
Considerations: Choosing Cabinet Hardware
When selecting kitchen cabinet hardware, consider the other finishing touches in the room like lighting, cabinetry, and backsplash to name a few. Here are some additional considerations:
Color
Like the other materials you’ll be selecting for your new kitchen, cabinet hardware is available in a wide range of colors. Matte black and brushed gold are trending cabinet hardware colors. These metals remain popular choices in today’s kitchen design: silver, nickel, pewter, brass, bronze, copper, chrome. Mixing metals is also a very popular design choice.
Finish
Within each color group is an array of finishes to allow even greater personalization in your kitchen design. Metal cabinet hardware styles may be offered as polished, antique, satin, weathered, burnished, tarnished, relieved, oil rubbed, or today’s hottest trend – matte. The finish of knobs and pulls impact the aesthetic of the selection every bit as much as the color choice.
Hands of Users
Cabinet hardware should feel good in your hand so it is easy, comfortable and safe to operate in your home’s kitchen. When selecting the style, size and shape of your kitchen cabinet hardware, don’t forget to take into account the hands that will be using it. Accessibility, arthritis, and age (young and young at heart) should factor into your cabinet hardware selection.
From kitchen fundamentals to dazzling finishing touches, Kiba Studios is here to help you create your perfect space every step of the way.