German kitchen-furniture maker Rotpunkt is adding smart-ready LED lighting to its environmentally-friendly range. This can be controlled by a digital assistant or wired-in to a smart home system.

The energy efficient, smart-ready LED lighting is being integrated across its range of cabinet-style furniture and shelving as standard.

This should help designers and homeowners optimise the kitchen space by deciding on lighting options at the same time as choosing the furniture. Delivering on form and function, the smart-ready lighting was designed using network-enabled technology so users can control the kitchen lights remotely using a digital assistant on a tablet or smartphone, as well as wired-in smart home systems that can intelligently adapt to specific lifestyle patterns and user preferences.

“Integrated smart lighting is really taking off for us as homeowners enjoy the freedom to control their home with their voice using personal virtual assistants like Alexa or Siri,” said Matt Phillips, head of UK operations at Rotpunkt. “We have now made this process even easier by incorporating long-life, energy efficient smart-enabled LED lighting as standard to enhance the overall look and feel of a kitchen space. Investing in different types of lighting will enhance a big cooking session through to downtime with the family, so kitchen designers need to become lighting experts too, both decoratively and operatively.”

With a host of contemporary styles, including the new slim-line Pendant ceiling light specially designed to complement the company’s 2021 kitchen offerings, Rotpunkt says it can place importance on kitchen lighting, which is vital for boosting hazard perception and being able to prepare and cook food efficiently.

This can be crucial in a multi-generational household as people need more light as they get older. In fact, it is reported that over 65s require double the light levels compared with people in their 20s.

Users can be your own stylist with 11 different options including pendants, strip lighting and spotlights. All the lighting fixtures and fittings are available in a modern black finish to complement the latest kitchen decors and provide seamless co-ordination with appliances and key elements such as ergonomic handles and wall fixtures.

Practical and ergonomic built-in LEDs make it easier to illuminate larders, open shelving, vitrines, display areas and island units. Users can select lighting and furniture in one package with options designed to complement the doors and drawer fronts for visual coherence and aesthetic impact.

As home technology evolves, it’s increasingly desirable to have the ability to control lighting digitally and even connect it to other smart home functions for an environment that is tailored to needs and can even anticipate the householder’s next move. The lighting can be controlled remotely: whether the owner is at home or out and about thanks to its smart home integration.

Rotpunkt started several years ago to act sustainably. Its greenline BioBoard uses a resource-saving chipboard, which saves up to 50 football pitches of forestland per year. In 2020, the company switched to chipboard that consists of up to 90% recycled wood. From January 2020, the manufacture of all Rotpunkt kitchens is 100% carbon neutral from its production sites in Germany.