Furniture fixtures, what are and how to place

To create a special atmosphere in the room or to highlight dark areas, mortise or overhead furniture lamps help. This variety of lighting devices has a universal purpose. Such furniture fixtures are installed in cabinets, chests of drawers, shelves, kitchen sets, used instead of nightlights, decorative lighting of mirrors. The presence of a large assortment of products of different color and style allows you to choose the best models for specific interiors.

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The popularity of equipping furniture with additional lighting is constantly growing. European furniture companies offer all new models with lighting elements. This significantly increases the cost of finished products, so a new trend is not taking root in the Russian market so quickly.

Spotlights are designed for emphasis. Such elements can emphasize the exclusivity of custom-made furniture. Furniture includes appliances mounted not only in furniture, but also in arches, suspended ceiling structures and niches.

Point elements can be used as additional or main lighting. If furniture lighting is used in combination with a chandelier, then the lighting is softer, without sharp shadows.The use of furniture lighting as the main lighting is possible only for small rooms. In spacious rooms, they are exclusively suitable for zoning.

Depending on the area where furniture fixtures are used, they can perform one of the functions:

on book racks and shelves allow you to quickly find a book;
when equipped with illuminated kitchen units, it is possible to achieve zoning of the space in the area of cooking and eating;
inside wardrobes they facilitate the search for clothes, shoes;
on the shelves of the bathroom create the necessary natural lighting;
Illumination of the lower part of soft sofas and armchairs of the living room creates a romantic atmosphere.

Also, furniture lighting devices are used to highlight paintings, mirrors, photographs. The stream of light from them is soft and diffused, it allows you to consider all the small details, to catch the artistic meaning. The area highlighted by light always attracts attention. The most popular models today are led lamps, which give a uniform light output at low voltage.

What are

There are several ways to install such lighting fixtures: overlay and embed. If it is necessary to allocate large areas, LED strips are used. Installation of devices is recommended to be trusted by professionals. When doing the work yourself, do not forget about the need to first turn off the electricity.

You can screw in furniture fixtures of any type of lamp:

Incandescent bulbs provide natural light, but they get very hot and can cause fires. Electricity consumption is large, a wall thickness of at least 70 mm is required for embedding such a device;
Xenon light is too bright, which is undesirable for the eyes. They are used in spacious public areas;
Luminescent are rarely used. They require special disposal conditions;
halogen consume little energy, but shine brightly. The service life of such products is long. The disadvantages of halogen products include high heating products. Housings of fixtures for them should be made of heat-resistant material. Particleboard products do not use this kind;
LEDs are the most popular type of fixtures. Their advantages include a long service life, no flicker, high environmental friendliness. A relative disadvantage is their high cost.

Depending on the installation method, all products are divided into mortise and overhead.

Halogen

Xenon

Incandescent lamps

Fluorescent

LED

Mortise

Built-in models are mounted directly in the furniture structure, for example, a roof, a door, a niche. Most often they are used to decorate storage systems, built-in wardrobes, chests of drawers. As a result, the search for the right thing is simplified and accelerated.

Mortise furniture fixtures are offered in various forms:

round;
square;
rectangular;
triangular;
asymmetric.

Soft diffused light from mortise lamps makes the interior cozy, it emphasizes individual elements of the furniture structure. Often such elements are supplemented by children's beds lofts with desks, bookshelves inside the study, lower hanging cabinets of kitchen sets. The mortise lamp, as a rule, is equipped with an LED or fluorescent lamp. They provide the luminous flux of the required brightness, but rarely burn out and consume a minimum of electricity.

Installation of built-in appliances is carried out even at the stage of assembly of furniture according to a preliminary plan. LED devices are characterized by a minimum degree of heating of the housing, which meets all fire safety requirements. The low height of the products allows them to be mounted even in furniture elements made of particle boards 1.8 cm thick.

Overhead

Overhead models are mounted directly on the surface of the furniture. Various materials are used for their manufacture: plastic, wood, forged metal, gypsum stucco.

The overhead lighting device has many advantages:

easy and simple installation;
it is possible to use the device repeatedly, removal does not lead to damage to furniture;
long product life;
wide color palette and a wide selection of materials from which the body is made;
the ability to rotate the product, which allows you to direct the light flux in the right direction;
In addition to the main backlight function, the space around is illuminated. Properly planned lighting can be the main lighting.

Products vary in thickness. Models of considerable thickness give the furniture a more attractive appearance, while thin luminaires save space. Long overhead lights have a universal purpose. They look equally good in office and home interiors, utility rooms. Flat luminaires are more suitable for home use. Halogen bulbs with a power of 10-20 W or LED lamps are installed in the devices.

LED

Lamps for furniture with LED bulbs are the most popular. The cost of finished products is relatively high, but it is fully offset by low energy consumption. The thickness of the LED elements is minimal, so the built-in lights can be used in all furniture. The advantages of such products are:

soft luminous flux as comfortable as possible for the eyes;
easy wiring installation;
the ability to adjust the intensity of lighting;
a large assortment of products of various shapes and colors;
effectiveness in zoning rooms;
profitability;
long lamp life 5-7 years;
safety of operation; no special disposal is required;
luminous flux does not contain ultraviolet radiation.

LED elements are used in kitchens, living rooms, bathrooms, children's rooms. They are not afraid of the difference in humidity and temperature.

Placement Methods

Depending on the control method, the furniture lamp can be contact and non-contact. Contact connection is used when it is possible to install a switch near the lamp. Lighting devices are connected to a common electrical network along with a switch.

The non-contact type provides a glow only when using a piece of furniture. For example, a motion sensor is installed on a point element, which is triggered when the chest of drawers is pulled out or the cabinet door is opened.

Furniture lighting fixtures can operate on battery power with a wired or wireless type of connection. Battery cells are easy to install, but require regular recharging.

The most convenient option is the remote control, which allows you to turn on the backlight even from the other end of the room. When installing the backlight, you can provide the ability to adjust the light intensity. Subdued light creates an atmosphere of relaxation and peace, bright colored light bulbs enhance mood.

Lighting devices can be placed in different ways:

spot - luminaires give not a diffuse, but a continuous luminous flux. He is sent to a specific work area. For example, round or cone-shaped products illuminate the kitchen worktop in the cooking area;
accent - intended for the placement of light accents. Mortise lights can highlight an open niche or a shelf on which there will be frames with photographs, beautiful vases, floral arrangements;
decorative - in such lighting, colored lamps are used that place accents in rooms decorated in monochrome. When you turn on the backlight, the room will take on a festive look.

Miniature appliances can be installed in interior items of any size, while large ones are used to illuminate large furniture.

In rooms of various functional purposes, lighting devices can be used in different ways:

inside the spacious hall, the backlight system will create the necessary visibility, maximum comfort. Point out a key keeper, a hanger for small accessories;
the kitchen is pre-zoned to the cooking and relaxation area. Where food is prepared, bright spotlights are used, the dining area is decorated decoratively;
bathroom headsets are equipped with lamps in the upper tiers, where mirrors and shelves are located;
inside the nursery, the workspace and reading area are highlighted. Lighting elements are mounted in bookshelves, roofs of cabinets;
bedroom sets can be equipped with bright top lights used as the main lighting. Or apply decorative furniture mortise lamps with colored lamps in the lower parts of the bed and nightstands, which add romance to the interior.

Creative lighting design

From the place where the lamps are placed, the visual perception of the backlight depends. In closets, traditionally built-in appliances in the upper part to improve the visibility of the internal filling. If unusual design is required, then the lower area is highlighted. Thus, even a massive cabinet will look easier.

When decorating desktops, lighting elements are mounted in the upper shelves. The luminous flux is soft and does not create shadows. An interesting solution is to install LED strip around the perimeter of the inner boxes. Finding the right thing will be easy even in the dark.

With the help of decorative lighting, it is possible to visually increase the space of rooms. The main techniques are:

filling weak niches with diffused light. Furniture lamp choose with frosted glass;
poofs with low light are placed along the wall, which is preferably visually expanded;
it is possible to expand a narrow corridor by arranging a backlight around the mirror inserts of the cabinet. If the design of the wings does not allow the installation of circular illumination, then the floor is illuminated with devices built into the very bottom of the wings.

Almost all kitchen sets are equipped with additional lighting. The element above the sink will add light when washing vegetables and dishes. The case of such a device must be waterproof. If you need to visually raise the ceiling, then use overhead lights in the upper part of the hinged section. By directing the flow of light upward, a visual removal effect is obtained.

You can add decorativeness to a one-color kitchen by installing multi-colored appliances in the area of the handles of drawers and shelves. If bookcases are installed in the room, then the bottom lighting of each section will make them very beautiful. The highlight of the interior is helped by the installation of furniture lighting. Elements crashed into the body or fixed on top. Instruments with led bulbs are economical and safe. They create a comfortable light stream and do not strain your eyes.