Designing with Fluorescent Lights

Just read an interesting article from the London Telegraph.

Apparently all of Europe will begin tomorrow with its plan to ban incandescent lightbulbs:

"From tomorrow a Europe-wide ban on traditional incandescent bulbs will begin to be rolled out, with a ban on 100W bulbs and old-style frosted or pearled bulbs."

The article details problems with the light level of compact fluorescent lightbulbs (CFLs) labeled as equivalent to the incandescents they are about to replace in European homes. Testing reveals that even the better CFLs achieve only about 2/3 the light intensity of 60W incandescents. That means Europeans are going to need to buy 100W equivalent CFLs to get similar light output they got from their 60W incandescent lightbulbs. Obviously, if they want 100W of light intensity to replace a 100W bulb, they will have to buy 150W equivalent CFLs.

I have been specifying 100% fluorescent lighting in kitchens for many years now (as long as my clients would go along, and most have). I experimented early-on with the amount of light I needed to achieve to get adequate illumination of the space, with the cooperation of some treasured contractors who put up with my futzing.

Because I try very hard to design fluorescent lighting schemes that bounce the light from hidden coves and the tops of cabinets, I early-on realized that the intensity needed to be higher to achieve the desired results. Direct lighting is automatically more intense than indirect lighting. Also, hiding the fixtures, as I prefer to do, means there are only so many places in most kitchens that offer the opportunity to hide a light. And sometimes not enough.

I found if I planned a double row of T12 (the big ones) tubes on top of cabinets in a typical kitchen layout, that would be enough. Later we were able to swap for T8s and then T5s. I put each row on a separate switch, so there is a "high" and "low" for those lights. This scheme provides a pleasant "fill light" in the room. It's called "general lighting" by lighting designers. The great thing about this kind of bounced light is that it picks up the color of the ceiling as it bounces. Consequently we don't have to deal with yucky fluorescent light color. Of course I do also specify that the fluorescent tubes be the best color my clients can afford, or at least minimum warm white.

Then I turn my attention to "task lighting". This is the light that must fall on countertops, where the work of creating a meal happens. Where there are upper cabinets, I use undercabinet lights. In the early days they were Alcko "little inch lights". Fluorescent undercabinet lights that fit neatly in the recess at the bottom of wall cabinets, or behind a light baffle trim. Nowadays I also consider LED undercabinet lights if the budget can tolerate the strain.

In areas where there are no upper cabinets, such as over the sink or an island, I use recessed can lights to light the work surfaces. Early-on they were incandescent downlights, then CFLs. Now I like to use LED downlights like the CREE LR6, which has great color rendering (so tomatoes look red and my skin looks pink).

Beyond general and task lighting, for those kitchens where we are trying to make a statement, I introduce some "accent lighting". Perhaps highlighting a painting or hood with some special sparkle. Others would use halogen here, but I have avoided halogen because of the danger of fire associated with the heat generated by halogen. I prefer LED lighting here as well, and (thank goodness) the inventors have recently obliged with sparkly LED that is very focused. I have also used backlighting behind glass block, edge lighting on a glass or lucite panel, all kinds of playful ways to introduce light as a design element.

So, lighting doesn't have to be just utilitarian...A bare bulb or fluorescent box on the ceiling. Lighting can be a way to make a mundane space really special, a special space spectacular. All it takes is a little extra attention. It's called "design".

Peggy