Layering with Lighting Controls: Kitchen Example

Good residential design often entails layering ambient, accent and task lighting to provide suitable task illumination while creating interesting contrasts and points of interest. Proper layering not only renders a space more visually interesting by enhancing the design and architecture, it tells a story about the home and its owners. Light may be about the science of sight, but lighting is about the art of perception.

Lighting controls support layering by enabling the homeowner to control which layers should be active via switching and adjusting their intensity via dimming. Dimming can be truly transformative, allowing the owner to completely change how a space is used and perceived. For example, dimming down cove lighting while dimming up wall sconces located near the center of the wall will bring the eye down in the space, creating perception of a more human scale and transforming the room from a visually bright, spacious and public space into a more private and intimate space. Dimming can also turn a “one size fits me” lighting design into a flexible, responsive tool enabling the homeowner to select scenes of layers that fit the primary functions of the space. Dimming does this while saving energy and extending bulb life.

As a larger example, consider a kitchen where dimming is used to extend convenience while making the lighting design itself more robust:

Figure 1. Kitchen and dinette with the lighting divided into four separately circuited groups of light fixtures serving different functions in the space. In controls language, these groupings are called zones (numbered 1-4 and color-coded here), with each zone controlled by a single ON/OFF switch ($ symbol on the walls at each entrance to the room).

This kitchen features four groups of similar lights on separate switch-legs, identified as color-coded control zones on the drawing.

Zone 1 consists of undercabinet and overcabinet light fixtures providing task lighting on the countertop and sink while articulating the cabinetry and “heightening” and “widening” the wall and ceiling planes.

Zone 2 includes energy-efficient halogen downlights providing ambient lighting as well as task lighting on the stove and island.

Zone 3 includes small-aperture downlights (or decorative incandescent pendants) providing dramatic highlighting on the bar counter, while a person can snack while sitting in a chair facing the kitchen.

Zone 4 consists of a single decorative incandescent pendant in the adjoining dinette that provides both ambient light and some downlight.

Making this work functionally in this kitchen takes seven switches, three at the west entrance and four at the south entrance (three-way control). To realize the potential beauty and function of the space, instead of ON/OFF switches, simple wall-box dimmers can be installed in a multi-gang configuration. This allows users to manually create scenes by adjusting the intensity of each zone—as shown in Fig. 2.

Figure 2. Kitchen and dinette with the light fixtures in the different control zones dimmed to various levels to create a desired scene for final meal preparation while guests congregate at the counter. (The $ symbol in this layout indicates dimmer switches.) There are no “rules” regarding dimming levels; the dimming levels shown are simply a matter of taste for this homeowner.

In this scenario, the meal will be served in the dinette. Because the kitchen and the dinette are visually united even though they are separate spaces, a degree of unity in how both area’s lights are controlled is required. In this case, the owner can adjust the control zones’ intensity accordingly, creating a new scene—an entirely different function, visual hierarchy and mood for the space, as seen in Fig. 3.

Figure 3. Kitchen and dinette with the light fixtures in the different control zones dimmed to various levels to create a desired scene for intimate dining in the dinette.

Multiple switches can be unattractive on a wall, confusing to visitors, and time-consuming for users who have to manually recreate scenes on the fly. A preset scene control dimming system consolidates the functionality of multiple dimmers into a single keypad. The keypad removes clutter from the wall and simplifies use by enabling programming of scenes with repeatable push-button recall. In our scenario, instead of adjusting four dimmers twice to create the desired mood and look for meal preparation and eating, the owner can simply push two buttons with custom labels identifying the scene desired—with an instant, smooth transition between scenes.

Another remarkable benefit of preset dimming control is the ability to enrich the lighting design with additional light sources and/or more detailed/granular control zoning by leveraging the convenience of push-button, single-device control.

In our scenario, what if we wanted to add a decorative pendant or downlights over the kitchen island? Small downlights providing additional task illumination on the sink and stove area? Accent lights in the dinette space to highlight art on the walls?

Adding these three groups of lights to our kitchen would require another three switches or dimmers at the west entrance and seven at the south entrance. At this point, we are jeopardizing the use of the controls because they are becoming inconvenient to use, not to mention becoming very noticeable on the wall. If preset scene control is used instead, these and any other zones could be created and controlled by a single attractively styled keypad device, which scenes of any complexity created and recalled at the push of a button.

Figure 4. Kitchen and dinette with additional fixtures added to strength the accent and task layers, increasing granularity and flexibility—an option made more attractive by replacing multiple dimmer switches with two keypads (marked “KP”) with push-button scene recall. Zone 5 consists of a decorative pendant (or downlights) focused on the island. Zone 6 features downlights over the sink and stove, with the lights over the stove also illuminating artwork above the window. And Zone 7 consists of adjustable downlights accenting artwork on the walls of the dinette space.

Empowered by using preset scene control, the resulting lighting design allows us to program and recall scenes such as ENTERTAINING …

… CLEANUP …

… and LATE NIGHT (photos courtesy of Lightolier Controls) …

Once the kitchen design is completed, we can repeat the process of establishing layers and control zones in other rooms. Then multiple rooms, or the entire home, can be tied together into a single control system with master keypads controlling all control zones, enabling composition of scenes at the room and whole-house level.

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