Your range hood, a brilliant light source
All interior designers agree; the secret to achieve a perfect setting lies in a judicious light play. That is true for the family room, main rooms, bathroom...and your kitchen as well. Although your range hood will serve as the primary light source for your cooking area, at night, it can also provide accent lighting for your dining area.
The importance of clarity
The kitchen contains various areas which must be well-lit. In theory, general and indirect lighting will radiate a comfortable level of brightness in the whole room. This can be achieved with either a central ceiling-mounted fixture or recessed lights installed at regular intervals along the perimeter of the room. Whether they are equipped with a programmable timer or not, this source of lighting will cast uniform light over an entire area.
Kitchen worktops, however, require flawless task lighting. For this reason, track and surface lighting fixtures placed directly above a kitchen island will ensure optimal illumination of your cooking surface. A faux pas to avoid: positioning your light source behind you in the food preparation area which will result in shadows to be cast on the counter. This is not ideal when handling knives and other sharp tools!
Accent lighting: a must when planning your dining area
Accent lighting complements ambient or general lighting by adding nuance to a room and creating visual interest. As part of a good lighting plan, accent lighting is used to highlight architectural features or certain aspects of your interior design, such as a mosaic backsplash, a painting, sculpture or decorative vase used as a centerpiece for your table. To achieve this effect through directional lighting, simply aim a beam of light towards the item of interest or focal point. That’s all there is to it!
A range hood can play an important part in your lighting plan. For instance, the sleek and clean lines of a laboratory kitchen can be highlighted with a blue LED backlight accent (available on range hoods such as the EWP1 and EWT1 Series). At night, turning your range hood LED lights at the lowest intensity can be used as a Night Light mode and create a safety space for the entire family.
In sum, to ensure that your kitchen is adequately lit, it becomes important to have a well thought-out plan. Magazine-worthy interiors will have taken into account the various surrounding elements in terms of architecture, ergonomics and interior design. Materials, furniture, appliances, windows, wall colour, etc. These aspects must be viewed in the proper perspective before determining the lighting required and how best to achieve the desired effect. It is a matter of bringing together the visual aspects of your design in perfect harmony, including your choice of range hood as a source of accent lighting.