Eurolux – Functional Decorative Pendant Lighting in the Kitchen

The kitchen is one of the hardest working rooms in the home, so when it comes to keeping it illuminated your lighting options need to be carefully considered. You may think that pendant lighting only serves a decorative purpose but its practicality is often underestimated and overlooked.

When installing pendant lights that will serve both a decorative and functional purpose, the most important thing to consider is the type of lighting already available in your kitchen. For example, you may have lots of natural light streaming in from a large window or a glass sliding door. Or perhaps you have abundant recessed lighting or wall fixtures that illuminate the room.

Either way, it is important to identify what function your pendant lighting will serve in order to select the right design for your space. With EGLO’s variety of designs, it’s easy to find a pendant lighting solution that not only looks stylish but is efficient too.

The perimeter of the kitchen is often occupied by cupboards, shelves and appliances, so it’s very likely that your pendant lights will find their place above the centre island. It is recommended that you purchase multiple drops to create a pleasing cluster effect, with three being the golden number.

The repetition of an element three times provides a balanced look. However, it is important to consider scale in this instance. For example, if the centre island is on the small side and the pendants are large and bold, then only two are required.

The height at which you hang your pendants depends on several factors. If you are using them as task lighting, then hanging them lower down and at the same height will be most effective.

Just be sure to hang them high enough so that they don’t obstruct your line of sight. You can be more playful with pendant lights used for ambient or accent purposes by suspending them at slightly different heights to each other to create interesting levels in the room.

If your pendant lights need to provide enough illumination for tasks like chopping at the centre island, reading from a cookbook or stirring pots on the stove, then a pendant that aims the light downward and has an open or translucent bottom is best. The Tarega pendant does just this.

Part of Eurolux’s new concrete range, this trendy pendant has a two-tone brown wood and grey concrete shade. Another option for task lighting is the new Tindori pendant with a naked bulb and maple wood shade.

If the main purpose of your pendant lighting is to create ambience in the kitchen, then you need to select lights that gently illuminate the room as opposed to targeting one spot.

The kitchen is the heart of the home and we often find that people gather here during a dinner party or reconnect here in the evenings. For this reason, you want pendant lighting that creates a warm and welcoming atmosphere as opposed to a harsh, targeted light. The Pontevedra pendant with its curved shade and frosted diffuser glass is perfect for this.

This pendant is available in a clear shade, as well as in a smoked glass and amber hue which emits a particularly pleasant glow. For ambient lighting with a decorative effect, consider pendant lights that cast interesting shadows on the ceiling and walls.

The Stellato and Cossano are great for this as they consist of a steel frame with maple wooden slots and internal white glass diffuser – perfect for drawing the eye upward and creating shapely silhouettes.

In other rooms of the home accent lighting is traditionally used to highlight pieces of furniture or artwork, and pendants aren’t typically ideal for this.

However, the kitchen is an exception because it presents a large variety of surface areas. From beautiful brushed metals to flecked marbles and earthy timbers, accent lighting can really bring out the tones and detail in these materials.

The Brixham cylinder pendant works perfectly for this as it provides direct lighting to a specified area, adding an element of visual interest to the kitchen. The Brixham has a subtle retro aesthetic and consists of a cylindrical glass shade with cork and chrome detailing.

For more information on pendant lights and to view the full range of designs on offer, browse the Eurolux website.

visit: www.eurolux.co.za

 

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