How to properly position the luminaires on a stretch ceiling?

Lighting in a kitchen with a stretch ceiling should be comfortable, beautiful, and provide a sufficient level of comfort in working areas. It is important not to spoil the canvas, which does not tolerate heating more than 55 - 60 degrees and melts. Also, lighting fixtures can improve the attractiveness of a room, rather than highlight dust, ceiling structures, without fatiguing the eyes with bright direct light.

Choosing types of lighting fixtures

If there is a stretch ceiling in the kitchen, all types of lighting fixtures can be used for lighting. Chandeliers, pendants, spots, spotlights provide general illumination, which gives diffused uniform light in the kitchen and is an alternative to natural light at night, cloudy the weather.

The targeted light improves visibility in those functional areas where the person has to see fine details. It is provided by spots, built-in elements in furniture, ceiling. Some of them play a decorative role at the same time. LED lighting, floor lamps, sconces, table lamps, matched to the style, help to create a certain atmosphere.

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Chandelier

A chandelier is used for general lighting. Without it, it is difficult to achieve a finished look in the kitchen of Provencal, classic style, modern. Depending on the size and style, choose the right model. A large chandelier looks organic in spacious, tall kitchens. With a modest size, small ceiling lights are more suitable. Neoclassicism is compatible with chandeliers of simple geometric shapes, classic - with pendants, loft - with a conventional incandescent light bulb.

Lighting for a kitchen-living room with stretch ceilings is often provided by several chandeliers: one near the kitchen unit, the other in the living room above a table or sofa. In a small room, a single device in the center is enough.

You need to calculate the center without taking into account the space occupied by furniture, a refrigerator. If the kitchen is angular, then measure the distance from the edge of the furniture, and not from the wall. Otherwise, the light will appear to be biased to the side.

Hanging lampshade

It is arranged over a dining table, bar counter, kitchen island, or over a seating area in a seating area. Lampshades must be made of a material that is resistant to the settling of grease and dust. It is better if it is plain or colored glass, plastic, fabric protected by a grease and water-repellent mixture, metal.

The distance from the lower edge of the lampshade to the table is at least 70 cm, from the ceiling - 25 - 40 cm. The direction of the arrangement of such lamps is always only downward, so the radiated heat from the lamps will never overheat the tensioning material.

Spots

This is a small lamp that turns in different directions, some of them are dimmable. There are suspended, built-in and overhead models. They are performed in different styles - from industrial to classic. Looks good in a modern kitchen design, with minimalism, art deco styles.

To choose the type of lamp itself, you should consider:

• Incandescent lamps are the most wasteful, they get very hot. Frosted glass reduces the heating of closely spaced objects.
• Halogen ones consume a little less energy, but they also heat up, turn on quickly, and give predominantly a cold spectrum of light. Since they pass the rays behind the tensioning web, wires and other engineering structures become visible, which should be hidden from view.
• Fluorescent lamps provide brighter light at the same power, but it takes up to 30 seconds to turn on, which is rather inconvenient. They heat up less. Such lamps are installed between ceiling levels or above the work surface.
• Most often, LED lamps are used as the most economical, non-heating, durable. LED lamps should be selected approximately of the same spectrum with a difference of up to 500 K. For a recreation area, warm tones are better (2 700 - 4 200 K), for the culinary process - cold tones (4 200 - 6 400 K). For the eyes, the most natural light is perceived in the region of 4200 K.

Built-in and surface-mounted luminaires

The lower the ceilings in the kitchen, the more carefully you need to select the lamp model so that it does not take up space. Built-in luminaires are installed in furniture or ceilings. For lighting in a kitchen with a stretch ceiling, overhead lamps are used (they are attached to a flat surface) or built-in, the main part of which is hidden behind the canvas. Mount the base to the concrete before decorating the ceiling. To install incandescent lamps, an additional 12 cm is required, for halogen lamps 4 - 8 cm, LED - 5 - 6 cm.

If the center of the ceiling is made of stretch fabric, a plasterboard tier is often made around. Built-in lamps can be installed in it even after the completion of repair work.

Panel and modular

They are used more often in non-residential premises - trading floors, offices, classrooms. But for some kitchen styles, such options for lighting a kitchen with a stretch ceiling are quite suitable - this is modern, loft, minimalism. The dimensions of translucent panels are usually 60 by 60 cm.

In depth, the LED panels take up only 2 cm, significantly saving space in the kitchen. The luminous panels can be alternated with the tiles on the modular ceiling. They are easy to dismantle, replace with another model in case of malfunction.

Point

The location of spotlights in the kitchen can be symmetrical or arbitrary. They provide general and local lighting. The total number of devices is calculated so that for 1.5 square meters. there was one light source. For good visibility in the working area, they are mounted in the ceiling above the upper row of furniture so that the stove, sink, tabletop are illuminated. 45 - 50 cm recede from the wall, taking into account that the depth of the upper cabinets is usually 35 cm. So the light will fall not from behind the cabinet and not from behind the person.

Sometimes they completely refuse from a chandelier or suspension, and point light sources are distributed on the ceiling. In this case, it is better to install lamps of several types with different degrees of brightness.

If the center is illuminated, spotlights are placed around the perimeter of the room or grouped with lines, in a semicircle, corner, wave above the cooking and eating area or on the border separating different zones. With a large number of devices (more than 20), it is important to provide for several exits of wires from the wall, make several switches.

In spotlights, you need to take into account the angle of light scattering (the larger it is, the larger the surface the lamp can illuminate). The service life is extended by the grill on the back of the luminaire, thanks to which the device cools down more efficiently and faster. If the model is equipped with a diffuser, a certain pattern will be visible on the ceiling.

LED lights

In addition to single LED sources, LED strips are widely used in kitchen design. They are a thin strip with LEDs evenly spaced along the entire length. Such a model is energy efficient, lasts for a long time (from 50,000 hours), does not heat up the surrounding objects.

Can produce white and multi-colored light spectra. Additionally, you need a 12 - 24 V power supply. It is protected from moisture by placing it inside a special profile, or more expensive moisture-resistant models are used. For 1 sq. should have 5 W, this power of LED lamps will be enough for high-quality illumination of the surface for work.

Install LED strip most often under hanging cabinets on the wall or on the ceiling in the area of ​​transition between levels. Ceiling contour lighting is attached to a polyurethane cornice and accentuates the beauty of the tiered ceiling.

Also, an apron, glass cabinet facades are often decorated with LED strip. Sometimes the tape is run along the bottom edge of the countertop and dining table. This option looks especially impressive if the cover is made of glass.

Ceiling lighting

Located behind the stretch cover. Such illumination of a kitchen with a stretch ceiling allows you to achieve unique designs. Use single color or RGB backlighting. It is possible with the help of glowing ribbons to create unusual options for lighting the kitchen: various geometric shapes, ornaments on the ceiling. The view of the starry sky, tongues of flame, the northern lights is mesmerizing. This can be achieved by using fiber optic and LED lamps.

The lighting of the headset improves visibility in the work area and emphasizes interesting details of the furniture, making the interior original and memorable.

Dimensions and shape

The dimensions of the luminaires must correspond to the dimensions of the room. In a spacious classic-style kitchen-living room, a multi-level chandelier with crystal pendants above the dining area will look gorgeous. But in a small kitchen, an overhead lamp of the correct shape, a suspension with a small fabric lampshade or spotlights along the entire ceiling will have to be more appropriate. Therefore, lighting options for a kitchen with a stretch ceiling must be selected taking into account the geometry, style, size of the room, and the location of the furniture.

The shape of the different luminaires must match well with each other. If this is a row, then the products must be the same. If lighting fixtures are in zones of different purpose, they may differ, but something should overlap in them: color, shape, style, material from which they are made.

If you buy products from one collection, you will not have to puzzle over their combination. Spot lights fit almost any chandelier and style. It is better if the rim around the lamp is white, such products will be invisible against the background of the ceiling. Although in some interiors, metal elements also look good.

Distances between fixtures and indents

It is important to know how to position the lamps in a stretch ceiling so as not to spoil the material. Firstly, it is better to install them before the installation of the canvas itself. Secondly, use lamps that heat up slightly - LEDs. It is better that the luminaire has a heat-resistant rim.

When choosing lamps that heat up significantly during operation, you need to maintain a distance from them to the surface of the canvas (for lamps incandescent 10 cm, fluorescent - 6 cm) or take models of low power (incandescent lamps no more than 40 - 45 W, halogen up to 35 Tue).

PVC film is more sensitive to heat than fabric ceilings. Mirror reflectors and a temperature-resistant metal ring help reduce heat build-up. Glossy canvases reflect light, so with the same number of sources, the illumination will be brighter. But more frequent cleaning will be required so that against this background dust and stains on the ceiling are not conspicuous.

Arranging spotlights can improve illumination anywhere. This technique saves after rearranging the furniture, if it turns out that there is not enough light over the table or sofa. The sources should be at least 30 cm apart from each other, at least 20 cm to the wall, 15 cm to the junction of the canvases on the ceiling.

You can arrange the lamps in the stretch ceiling according to ready-made schemes or come up with your own. Most often they are installed along the perimeter of the kitchen, above functional areas in a row or in the form of a semicircle, waves, any geometric shapes. Here you should watch that the final look matches the chosen style. To install point sources, it takes 6 - 8 cm to the concrete base, so they are often located at the lower level of the two-level ceiling, or above the set, make a plasterboard box arbitrary forms.

Location guidelines

It is advisable to plan the location of light sources in advance. Be sure to consider where the furniture will be. First, choose your main chandelier and a location for it. Then add point sources until an eye-friendly regime is achieved in important areas of the kitchen.

The arrangement of lamps in two rows, and not in the center, visually increases the width of the room, so it is ideal for elongated narrow kitchens. Depending on where the dining table is, choose how to highlight this area. If near a wall, a sconce will do. If in the center, a chandelier would be the best option.

It is convenient to place a floor lamp or a decorative table lamp near the sofa. The work area requires overhead lighting (on the ceiling or wall) and under overhead cabinets.

The variety of lighting models allows you to choose the right devices in style and functionality. With the help of modern technologies, you can adjust the illumination level from the remote control, change the location of the lamps, move them along the rails, direct the flow from the lamps in the right direction. It is convenient if 2 - 3 lighting levels are thought out: bright local for cooking, uniform general and dim, when it is enough to navigate the room without considering the details. This makes your stay in the kitchen comfortable, because you can choose the right lighting mode for any activity.