Shedding New Light

Good design, which meets both functional and aesthetic needs, is all for naught without the added element of great lighting. Now, thanks to continued advancements being made in LED technology, it is easier than ever to not only illuminate a space, but to actually make it ‘shine.’

With today’s lighting solutions, everything from an expansive kitchen or bathroom to a small drawer or dark alcove can shine with just the right amount of illumination.

This month, Kitchen & Bath Design News asked designers to discuss how LED innovations have changed the way they create distinctive – and well lit – kitchens and bathrooms.

Greater Versatility

For Kathleen Donohue, LED lighting innovations have been very liberating, giving her the ability to insert lighting into more places throughout a kitchen and bathroom, with the added benefits of not having to worry about overloading circuitry, creating excess heat, etc. 

“We have so many more choices now, beyond the three ‘layers,’ i.e., task, direct and ambient, that we, as designers, so often talk about,” says the CMKBD emeritus/CAPS designer for Neil Kelly Design Build Remodeling in Bend, OR. “The layers are still important and we need to address them in any design, but LED lighting’s versatility has been very freeing.”

For instance, given LED lighting’s low profile and thin wires, it is now possible to easily illuminate places like cabinetry drawers and interiors. 

“LED tape lighting can be tucked anywhere,” she reports, noting that she channel mounts it and includes a diffuser to eliminate the ‘racetrack’ effect of light dots reflecting on surfaces. “I’ve also used LED lights in more unexpected places, too, like on closet poles and under floating shelves. Used in conjunction with a compatible dimmer, you gain even more versatility.”

Additionally, electrical trim pieces are more readily available in a range of colors, which are not necessarily expensive special- order options. And switch plate covers are now offered with built-in downlighting and sensors so the light only comes on at night.

“We recently did some decorative work in a client’s powder room,” she remarks. “The light switch wasn’t easy to find, and the room had no natural light, so we installed one of these lighted switch plate covers. It was an easy $20 fix, and I could install it myself because it didn’t take any wiring. The same solution could be used in a dark hallway. It’s a nice opportunity to enhance safety and convenience as well as add elegance to a job. Sometimes it’s the small things that make such a difference. It’s currently my favorite lighting product.”

Donohue is also a fan of small aperture recessed can lights, especially 2″ mini spotlights, for focused task lighting. For ambient light, pendants – especially in rooms with super high ceilings – are a go-to-choice because they bring the light down to a more human level. 

They were the ideal choice in a recent kitchen renovation where the designer replaced the recessed can lights, which were mounted too high and into sloped ceilings, with a trio of suspended glass globes that hover above the island and bring down the light to where it is most effective and functional. Donohue complemented them with a matching five-light linear light above the dining table in the adjacent room. Uplighting above the soffits emphasizes the high vaulted ceilings while downlighting beneath the wall cabinets illuminates the countertop. LED tape lights inside the appliance garage brighten the interior, making the coffee center more functional on dark winter mornings.

As well, lighting selections were carefully selected for the home’s primary bathroom.

“The client had been dreaming of giving her dated home a fresh new look that suited her contemporary tastes and artwork collection,” Donohue relates. “She had done lots of research, so she was able to give me a good idea of her vision. Plus, she was a fan of interesting contemporary light fixtures. In fact, she had already picked out the chandelier for the bathroom, so it gave me a great idea of what she was imagining for her space. We installed it in the center of the room to take advantage of the peak and emphasize the contemporary architecture of the home. Now, it’s the first thing you notice when you enter the room.”

As they perused lighting showrooms for complementary pieces, they focused on effective and innovative selections that provided a balance of edgy contemporary with timeless, quality design, avoiding anything that was too trendy. In the end, their selections create the desired layers of light. At the vanity, edge-lit mirrors provide soft flattering light that is combined with solid glass rod sconces. The latter’s concealed LEDs offer indirect uplighting as well as side-to-side lighting that eliminates shadows. Recessed cans add downlight for focused task lighting. The icing on the cake is the floating vanity’s undercabinet lighting to illuminate the pathway unobtrusively.

“All of the layers can be utilized in just the right combination to suit my client’s needs or moods,” she notes. “I always remember a comment my older sister made when she saw my lighted magnifying makeup mirror for the first time…’that would be too much reality for me!’”

Set the Tone

Lighting has always been essential to any kitchen and bath space. However, Brittany Farinas indicates that, these days, it is taking on a much more intentional and prominent role.

“From both a functional and aesthetic standpoint, there are so many more opportunities to create unique layouts and designs for lighting,” says the CEO of House of One in Miami Beach, FL. “On the architectural side, groupings aren’t necessarily so symmetrical and specifications are much more elevated. From a decorative standpoint, there’s more opportunity to design custom lighting.”

As an example of the latter, she cites lighting designer Alison Berger’s recent creation for John Legend where a chandelier in his home’s piano bar features lyrics from his early albums etched into the glass globes. 

“It’s almost like a sculpture,” she states. “Opportunities like this one are something we’re always looking for…things that lean into the artistic realm of design.”

Currently, Farinas herself is working on a custom lighting piece for a local plumbing fixture boutique.

“One of the main features we discussed was for this massive custom light fixture to represent the different finishes offered,” she relates. “Bronze, copper, brushed nickel, etc. are all collaged together to create an ombre effect. It’s unique and custom to the concept, but it also provides ample lighting for the space.”

Farinas attributes lighting’s new capabilities, in part, to improved technology, where manufacturers have a greater ability to execute one-off bespoke designs. The designer also credits the recent pandemic with changing how people view lighting.

“After COVID, everyone started to look at design a little differently,” she notes. “We now pay more attention to, and understand the value of, designing a space that feels unique to a client while including all of the components they need. As humans, I think we are all artists in our own way. Some express it more than others, but I think there’s a huge appreciation for custom pieces and lighting.”

Aside from custom pieces, even mainstream lighting choices have evolved. In particular, the designer appreciates Apure Architectural Lighting’s Minus Series LED lights.

“We’re seeing a lot of minimal applications and this light is very, very small,” she relates. “It can be recessed into the ceiling to give you as much, if not more, light than a traditional 4″ or 5″ ‘high hat.’”

Farinas also appreciates that lighting selections can set the tone for a particular design style. For example, in the kitchen of a new-construction home with a contemporary Polynesian vibe, the lighting layout and fixture selections were chosen to illuminate and highlight certain materials throughout the space. As such, an abundance of recessed can lights are complemented with undercabinet lighting and toe kick lighting. The omission of pendants over the island is purposeful given the full coverage of other lighting sources. 

“These clients wanted a space with a lot of rich tones highlighted with various shades of blue that speak to the rest of the common areas in the home,” she explains. “Overall, they wanted to keep it neutral and bring in a pop of color. To highlight the walnut and natural stone, we focused on creating a lot of layers of light. We really thought about how our clients would experience their kitchen…from head to toe. We asked ourselves how lighting should be when they grabbed something from a base cabinet drawer or how we should light a countertop surface. We thought about it vertically…from floor to ceiling.”

An entirely different lighting approach was implemented in the kitchen of a Spanish Mediterranean home where natural light serves as a main light source during the day.

“The overall aesthetic of this home is old meets new with a vintage feel,” she says. “It has a totally different design style than the more contemporary home, so we took an entirely different lighting approach, with fewer recessed can lights and two oversized pendant lights over the island, that ensures adequate lighting when our clients come into the kitchen at night.

“Lighting design, whether architectural or decorative, should be looked at from a bespoke standpoint,” she continues. “There’s really no component within the design process that shouldn’t be reviewed for an opportunity to create something cool and unique.”

Integral to the Design

Given his California location, John Lum, AIA,/founding principal of John Lum Architecture in San Francisco, CA, is especially appreciative of the advancements in LED lighting and the changes they have brought to his designs. 

“With our strict energy codes, we’ve had to use high-efficacy lighting fixtures for quite some time,” he relates. “Usually, this has meant fluorescent lighting, which has always been a problem, since, for many years, it didn’t have warm color temperatures. That made it very difficult to create comfortable living environments because we would have to use very ‘cold’ 4000K lighting. With the advent of LED lighting, which has the added benefit of low energy usage, we’ve been able to achieve much better lighting throughout the kitchens and bathrooms that we design.”

He cites under cabinet lighting in a kitchen as just one example.

“Fluorescent fixtures would buzz or flicker,” he recalls. “Another option were halogens, which produced sharper, focused light, but unfortunately would emit a lot of heat. Plus, they were not energy efficient. Now, LED lights have pretty much replaced both of these options.”

The availability of LED lights in a variety of fixture types also makes it easier to layer light, which is an important consideration for his designs.

“Don’t rely on only one light source,” Lum relates. “Instead, layer the light. For example, work surfaces need to be well lit so you can do various kitchen duties without any glare. In addition, you want general lighting that is controllable and dimmable in order to set the mood while still having ample illumination to complete the task at hand. Admittedly, LEDs are still a bit tricky when it comes to dimming as the light does not become warmer, like an incandescent bulb, when turned down. Typically, we’ll also have some kind of accent or feature light, such as a pendant above an island, to enhance the general ambient light.”

While lighting is important, he stresses that not everything needs to be evenly illuminated. 

“You don’t need to light up every single cabinet,” he says. “It’s nice to create contrast between the kitchen’s main areas and the in-between spaces. Shadows are actually nice because they add a subtle element of play and intrigue.”

As such, he recommends lighting up the main focal point of the room, and then letting other parts of the room recede.  

“If you light everything evenly throughout the whole room, it becomes neutral, so having some drama can be beneficial,” the architect explains.

This approach is evident in one recent renovation where Lum worked with lighting designer David Scott Lighting to create a dramatic, illuminated ceiling, which was accomplished with panels of dimmable LED lights, set behind white plastic panels, accented with teak.

“We took a fairly bland mid-century modern home and upped the ante, adding a Japanese Zen aesthetic,” he says. Along with Mana Behdad, a project designer at his firm, he credits contractor Floyd Construction, metal fabricator 522 Industries and cabinet maker Dovetail Architectural Woodworks with the design.

While the ceiling serves as the main light source, additional lighting includes LED light strips beneath the teak island that illuminate the black onyx marble façade, halogens in the hood to brighten the cooking area, and recessed LED can lights that provide task lighting for the sink area. Additional recessed LEDs illuminate objects on the glass display shelves, which are also backlit with natural light. 

“Lighting isn’t only about artificial solutions,” he adds. “Natural light is certainly something to be considered for the daytime. It’s wonderful to have sunlight as well because it changes the mood of the space and warms it up.”

Lighting also played an important design role in this home’s bar, where LEDs back light a bold orange 3form resin panel wall that plays off the hues in the teak and marble.

“I love, love, love the color,” he says. “With the lights shining through, it creates a beautiful, fiery glow that works with the other materials, such as the brass and teak in the space.

“Our goal, always, is to have lighting integrated into the design,” he adds. “It sounds very obvious, but lighting needs to be considered ahead of time, rather than as an afterthought. It’s important to think about how a fixture will work with other objects in the room. Consider all the elements, including lighting, to make sure they all support the design goal.”

Creating a Better Experience

Lauren Lerner loves that advances in LED technology are changing how people interact with lighting, thereby creating a better user experience. As an example, she indicates that some table lamps are now available with built-in dimmers.

“We’re seeing more technology integrated into familiar products, such as table lamps,” she explains. “Because some of them have built-in dimmers, we don’t have to install dimmers on the wall to dim the fixture. Also, with some recessed can lights, upon installation, you can fine-tune the color of the light to be cohesive with the color palette of the room and what appeals most to the client. The technology is built into the can, so if someone wants a certain ambiance during the day and a different ambiance at night, they don’t have to change the bulb, which isn’t realistic to do on a daily basis. Creating a better environment isn’t only about having a light on or off, or dimmed or full strength. As technology changes, so does everything else within the home.” 

Lerner also appreciates that LED light sources are available in smaller sizes and outputs, giving her clients a broader selection of products and abilities to fine-tune lighting to their specific needs. 

“Recessed can lights don’t take up as much space in the ceiling,” she explains. “In areas where we typically include cans and pendants or sconces, we now have a greater ability to do both. That allows us to meet functional needs with can lights and aesthetic needs, as well as directional lighting, with pendants and other decorative lights.

“Using a variety of lights, carefully blended together, also creates a cohesive design,” she continues, noting a resulting layer of light. “In general, we love using both ceiling and wall lighting in conjunction with can lighting in our projects.”

Such was the case in one recent primary bathroom where she used recessed cans and elegant brushed brass sconces that frame the vanity mirror. Both are complemented by a brass and smoked seeded glass chandelier that was later installed by the client.

“We aimed to create a bathroom with lighting that served both practical and aesthetic purposes,” she explains. “Our client loves decorative lighting, so the sconces are beautiful yet neutral to allow the handcrafted black and white terracotta tiles on the floor and in the shower to be the showstopping moment.”

Lerner also included locally made black metal doors, a custom rift-cut oak vanity topped with quartz and a freestanding tub, which offers a dash of color.

“We wanted to maintain a cohesive aesthetic between the primary bathroom and the bedroom’s black and white color palette,” she continues. “The resulting contrast and uniqueness elevates the space effortlessly.”

While the sconces and the chandelier in this bathroom are brushed brass, the designer often mixes metal finishes to create a more collected look as opposed to a more matched vibe.

“People are more open to mixing and matching,” Lerner says. “And brands are beginning to offer all of the finish options, including more in brass.”

To successfully execute the mixed metal technique, she keeps all the lighting fixtures on a particular visual plane the same. For example, all the hanging fixtures within a room, or in spaces that are visible from one other, will have the same finish. 

“If you can see the dining room from the family room, or the entry from the family room, all of the fixtures on the same visual plane should be the same,” she believes. “But if you have a table lamp and pendant lights, those can be different finishes. I like the idea of being able to mix finishes for a more curated, collected look, rather than having everything the same.” ▪