LED Makes Countertops Really Shine
Two areas of the home that account for most of the decorating expenditures and most of the design headaches that homeowners find themselves facing are the kitchen and the bathroom. These are formidable locations that anyone would rather ignore than deal with. Maybe that is about to change, thanks to new and innovative ways that LED lighting is being used to upgrade and update kitchens and baths around the planet. Forget about utilitarian under-cabinet lighting and overhead task lighting. We are talking about pure and simple fun, fashionable lighting. Making it all look good is the whole story this time, and the only way to achieve these fantastic new looks is with LED lighting solutions.
Countertop in nightclub bar is glass with LED lighting incorporated in the glass. Bars and other businesses are discovering creative new ways to use LED lighting to create spectacular effects.
Specifically, we are talking about countertops in the kitchen and bath. They are often a focal point in these spaces and are perfect locations to add spice and style. Countertops come in a plethora of materials today, including several that are perfect for LED lighting and related components such as fiber optics. Some of the best for LED lighting are resin, concrete and glass but less obvious choices are Corian and even onyx stone. Depending on the medium used, there are many different ways that the lights can be incorporated into the counters. Opaque concrete and resins lend themselves to a different range of finished looks and incorporation options than transparent and translucent materials like Corian, glass and onyx.
Pinpoint effect achieved by embedding LED lights in concrete countertop.
When LED lighting is added to concrete or resin countertops, most frequently the lights appear as individual light points. These pinpoints can be arranged to burst into the darkness like tiny stars in the kitchen universe. At other times, they can be embedded in shapes and geometric designs, sometimes filled with clear resins that achieve amazing up-lighting for counter displays with just the perfect degree of brightness. One of the most intriguing LED-embedded counter designs was created by Toronto area concrete counter maker, Concrete Elegance. Concrete Elegance created a deep chocolate brown concrete kitchen bar counter that had large and jagged pieces of broken glass embedded randomly throughout the top. Under each chunk of glass is an LED light that glows gently up, illuminating these points of interest.
LED lights give an entirely different feel to translucent materials, including onyx and Corian. Most counters made of these materials are best suited to whole counter under-lighting. The effect achieved with this method of lighting creates a modern look in any kitchen, bath or bar. The gentle glow comes from the entire slab, and backsplashes too. With solid-colored materials, the effect can be something of a science fiction look. If the counter material has patterns like the striation lines within stone, the LED lights bring these patterns to the forefront and assure that not one inch of the natural beauty will be missed.
Dramatic look with LED lights embedded in textured glass kitchen counter/tabletop design.
There is no question that the most brilliant and showy counter lighting displays use glass countertops. As if these hip and eco-friendly amenities weren’t cool enough, LED lights kick the look up by about twenty-seven notches. LED lighting can be used with glass to do many different things and achieve many different looks. It can be used to wash the entire counter in light, from beneath. This is a spectacular way to show off edge finishes and patterns within the glass. One stunning example features a 4-inch-thick countertop that carries a rippling water pattern within the glass slab. With the LED lights turned on, the counter looks like a pool of water, glistening atop the kitchen cabinets.
LED lights can also be used to create points of accent within the glass countertop. An example of this uses stainless side-light fixtures to softly draw viewers’ eyes to the point where it seems the free-floating counter disappears, only to be rejoined on the other end by equally illuminated glass leg and counter edge. Still other glass counters featuring LED focus primarily on color or light washing techniques. Homeowners can now have whatever color they choose for their counter tops, or however many they choose. Maybe amethysts are the thing you cherish most of all? With an LED illuminated glass counter top, your kitchen or bath can have brilliant amethyst colored counters, and they glow!
LED lighting, the latest and greatest in kitchen and bath counter design.
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