Kitchen & Bath Business - July/August 2019 - 46

Smart Lighting

Good lighting is crucial in the kitchen and bath. Both rooms serve many purposes - a place
to unwind, the spot where the day starts and ends and an area where important tasks are
completed. Because of its energy-eﬃcient qualities, LED lighting is the way to go in any area
of a home.

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LED bulbs diﬀer widely in their brightness, color temperature and color rendering. Some
create a soft, warm light; others cast a cool, neutral tone. Since neutral and cool white light
create better contrast than warm white, they are a good choice as the main ambient light
source in kitchens and bathrooms. Look for kelvin numbers between 4000K and 5000K
for the main ambient ﬁxtures, advises Elemental LED, a leading U.S.-based engineering
and technology company. However, if there is an area like a cozy dining nook or an elegant
bathtub where you'd like to evoke a warmer atmosphere, consider using an additional layer
of light, such as wall sconces with a warm white light in the range of 2700K that can be
switched separately from the main ambient light.

Top 10 Smart Home
Technologies for the
Kitchen & Bath
If you mention at least a few of these high-tech
features to your clients when designing a new
kitchen or bath, chances are they want them
because these rooms are gaining steam as valid
candidates for all kinds of smart home gear.Technology, in many forms and fashions, can enhance
the environment of a kitchen and bath, transforming these spaces into areas of entertainment and
relaxation - keeping in mind those important
convenience, comfort and efficiency factors.
Smart home technology runs the gamut - from
projection screens that drop from the ceiling and
big, beefy speakers that morph ordinary rooms
into spectacular entertainment venues, to light
fixtures and thermostats that adjust automatically based on any number of variables. There are
window shades that lift and lower on command
and security systems that recognize faces to permit
access into a home. Bridging together these and
other products to operate as one cohesive unit are
home automation systems.
As with any type of home design, having options is a good thing, but it can also complicate
the decision-making process. Which types of
technologies make sense? How will they change
the room design and environment? In what ways
will they enhance a person's lifestyle? These are
all questions designers and clients should ponder
before incorporating smart products and systems
into a kitchen or bathroom.
To help you hone in on technologies that offer
the biggest bang for the buck in the kitchen and
bath, we've compiled a list of the best types of
products and offer suggestions and advice on how
to integrate them beautifully into these spaces.
Year after year, kitchen and bath renovations
deliver the biggest returns on investments of all
home improvement projects. Updating these
rooms with modern materials is the goal, and
smart home technologies should be included in
your discussion of countertops, flooring, etc. Smart
home technologies not only add convenience,
comfort and enjoyment to these rooms, they can
actually complement many of the finishes that
were added.

For task lighting, you'll want true representation of contrast and colors when preparing
a meal and applying makeup, for example, so for undercabinet and vanity lighting choose
neutral to cool white in the 3500K to 5000K range. In addition to the color temperature, a
proper color rendering index (CRI) and brightness level are particularly important for task
lighting. For task lighting, a CRI of 90 and above should be considered.

Whichever bulb you choose, being able to easily dim it can bring even greater beauty
and convenience to the space. For the ultimate in control, tie the dimmer to a smart lighting
system. This way, the brightness levels can adjust automatically based on the time of the
day, the activity in the room or when a button on a wall keypad or mobile device is tapped.
For example, a good morning command could instruct the undercabinet lights by the coﬀee
maker to activate. This same command issued in the bathroom could illuminate the shower
and the vanity perfectly for the user's morning routine.

Architectural Speakers & Music Systems

Music is a proven stress reliever, and with many people heading to the kitchen or
bathroom to unwind and refresh, loudspeakers tied to a central music system are a wise
investment. Thanks to low-proﬁle designs, speakers can blend seamlessly into the ceiling
- an approach that saves counter space and doesn't interfere with other elements in the
room. In fact, many in-ceiling speakers have been designed to match the size and shape
of recessed light ﬁxtures - even square-shaped styles that have become popular. Flushmounted architectural speakers can be rendered even more inconspicuous by applying a
coat of paint to the grille and bezel.

Unlike a media room, where creating a surround-sound eﬀect is the objective, in a kitchen
and bathroom audio is consumed more casually. Therefore, it's important that speakers are
positioned to blanket the entire room evenly with sound. In the kitchen, installing a speaker
over the island, another at the breakfast nook and one within the work triangle makes sense.
Because most people want nothing more than background music in the kitchen or
bath, "mono" speakers - those that produce only one channel of audio - will usually
suﬃce. However, if your clients express a need for something more substantial, a dualvoice coil speaker is a good alternative because it is engineered to produce a stereo
eﬀect. One speaker basically does the work of two - saving space, preserving the room
aesthetic and giving your clients a better listening experience.

Take note: The speakers you install are only as good as the content that's able to be
accessed and the system that delivers it to the speakers. Distributed music systems are ideal
for the kitchen and bath, as the equipment that sends music to the speakers can be hidden in
a closet or utility room. Additionally, many systems support streaming services so users can
cue and control music from apps on smartphones. As convenient as smartphone-enabled
music listening might be, an alternative is a small, single-gang keypad recessed into the wall.
Buttons can be programmed to engage favorite presets, playlists and volume settings.
Made in a Portuguese furniture factory
and designed by one of the worlds' foremost
acousticians, Jorge Castro, Artnovion
blends sculpture and function in its sounddampening panels. Recommended for
rooms with high ceilings or hard surfaces, the
panels enhance modern architecture while
removing noise and echoes. The panels will
be in the Origin Acoustics Booth 3837

/ JULY-AUG. 2019 / KBBONLINE.COM / The official publication of NKBA (NKBA.org) and KBIS (KBIS.com)

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Kitchen & Bath Business - July/August 2019

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