Lighting in a kitchen with stretch ceiling: the choice and location of fixtures

To make your kitchen look as aesthetically pleasing and beautiful as possible, installing a stretch ceiling is not enough. It is also important to install the lighting in such a way that it performs all the necessary functions, creates an additional pleasant atmosphere and matches the style of the interior. Not everyone knows how to choose lamps for a suspended ceiling structure, as well as how to arrange them as organically as possible. Therefore, before installing lighting in a kitchen with a stretch ceiling, familiarize yourself with all the nuances of such lighting.

In order for the lighting system in the kitchen with a stretch ceiling to last for a long time and look at the same time as aesthetically pleasing, it’s worth taking care of a number of nuances, which must be observed for successful installation.

• Whatever lamp you choose, it is necessary to fix it on the base surface before the installation of the ceiling coating begins.
• Before this process, a series of calculations are carried out that determine further work. The calculation includes the number of fixtures per 1 unit of area, which usually ranges from 1.5 to 2 squares. It also takes into account the dimensions of the base ceiling, the marking and measurements of the tensile structure, the distribution of wiring according to the scheme by which the fixtures in the kitchen will be located.
• Choose the brightness of the lamps according to the texture of your headset. If its surface is glossy, then due to this, the effect of lighting devices increases. An environment too saturated with light can be tiring over time.For a white glossy kitchen there will be enough products whose power rating does not exceed 40 watts.
• A prerequisite for safety when installing kitchen lighting is to de-energize the room in which work will be carried out.
• The power of the selected fixtures completely affects the distance at which they should be located from stretch ceilings. If you prefer LED products, then it is permissible to place them even very close to the surface, since they do not heat up to such an extent that they negatively affect it. As for incandescent lamps, the optimal distance for their location is 10 cm, and the fluorescent type candles are placed at least 6 cm from the stretch ceiling.
• If there is more than one stretch web on the ceiling and there are seams, then the installation of built-in lighting devices should be carried out at a distance of at least 15 cm from the junction.
• It is important that the light temperature of all light sources in the kitchen is uniform.

There are a number of lighting designs that make the stretch ceiling in the kitchen room truly original. Such products include some types of lighting equipment.

• Pendant lights imply that the lamp with the ceiling is on the cord, which is located at a considerable distance from the ceiling. These designs are best placed only in kitchens with high ceilings, for example, 3-meter.
• Spot products embedded in a stretch ceiling direct small light beams to a specific area and in combination with each other illuminate the entire space of the room. They can have various shapes and dimensions, and are also almost universal, as they are suitable for many interior concepts.
• Interesting models are spots - small ceiling lights with spotlights. Their feature is the housing, the light from which can be directed in the desired direction, creating accent lighting.
• LED backlight. It is laid along the ceiling level boundary using a special pre-installed polyurethane frame. This lighting design places an additional emphasis on the geometry of the tiers of ceiling tiered structures. This type of lighting can even visually increase the space of the kitchen.
• Fairly difficult to install, but very spectacular is the lighting with fiber optics, which is located in pre-designed places under the stretch fabric at a distance of 50 mm. Thanks to such illumination, you can create the effect of a starry sky, northern lights or even flames on a stretch ceiling, which looks really bewitching, especially at night.
• Partial lighting in combination with an unusual pattern can be done using LED strips. They are installed in the space between the concrete and the tensile structure. In such lighting, you can change the brightness using a special remote controller. And also a linear LED strip can be combined with spotlights, which are located in zones.

It is important not only to choose the right model of a kitchen lamp under a stretch ceiling, but also to position the appliances so that they look as organic as possible indoors or even fulfill the function of zoning elements in the interior. Lamps are usually placed according to one of the traditional schemes.

• Spot lights can be located both around the perimeter of the canvas, and along the border of a particular ceiling level.
• A uniform arrangement involves uniformly filling the kitchen space with light.This can be achieved both by combining several types of sources, and by using one source with sufficient power.
• Sometimes devices are positioned so that they illuminate a specific subject. This option is called accent lighting. An example would be lamps mounted in a ceiling above a stove.
• Zone lighting usually involves distinguishing ceiling levels with the help of light. This is because the zones are initially emphasized by multi-level ceiling structures, and the light located along their edges creates an additional demarcation effect. Most often, spotlights are placed in this way.

It is also worth considering that for the stretch ceiling of kitchens in different styles, the types and design of lighting fixtures can vary significantly, which also affects the choice of products.

• For classic destinations Stretch ceiling is best combined with hanging chandeliers. The Shabby Chic concept even includes elements such as candelabra.

• For a high tech kitchen, the best option would be a built-in lighting fixtures or LED strip. Color lighting is also acceptable.

• Loft style may include a stretch ceiling with spot and contour lighting. It can be built-in lamps and tapes. And also to such a ceiling, small ceiling lamps are sometimes installed in a row.

• Stretch ceiling in the Scandinavian interior kitchens can combine built-in lamps with pendant lamps, the design of which is quite simple in comparison with models for the classic direction.

In order to install kitchen fixtures in a suspended ceiling as simple as possible, and their operation - economical and efficient, Pay attention to expert advice.

• If 20 or more fixtures are built into the suspended ceiling, it is advisable to connect the wiring of every 4 or 5 devices with a separate power supply. This will help you avoid high energy costs, and will also facilitate the process of replacing a failed lamp if necessary.

• If you doubt the choice between fluorescent, LED and halogen light sources, then give preference to LEDs. For a stretch ceiling, they are as safe as possible, since they are the “coldest" of the above types.

• An additional level of protection will be the choice of such LEDs that have protective thermal rings. Thanks to them, warm elements do not come into contact with the film.

• If you want to create an optical effect on a stretch ceiling, the location of the fixtures plays an important role in this. If the light from the devices is directed upwards, then the ceiling surface will visually increase in height. To visually raise the ceiling, you can also install an LED strip around its perimeter. If the rays shine down and horizontally, then the height of the ceiling will seem lower. For visual expansion of a narrow kitchen, it would be advisable to install devices with transversely directed light into it.

• If you decide to place kitchen fixtures in a stretch ceiling above the working area, it is better if they are at a distance of 40 to 50 cm from the wall. Otherwise, during cooking, the shadow from your head will block the light that falls on the countertop.
• Choose the lighting temperature to match the color of the walls and ceiling in the kitchen. If they are painted in cold tones, then additional artificial sources of cold light can deprive the kitchen of proper comfort.

For how to arrange lighting fixtures for lighting in the kitchen, see the next video.