Kitchen Lighting

Kitchen Lighting

Because kitchens today serve many functions; the kitchen lighting needs to be varied. In our parents’ day the kitchen was used for one thing; food preparation. One ceiling fixture was sufficient and kitchens were utilitarian rather than attractive. These days we have more open floor plans and the living room, family room, or dining room may flow directly into the kitchen and guests are often included in the food preparation.

If you are remodeling your kitchen or building one from scratch there are four types of lighting to consider. Task lighting should be installed in work and food prep areas. Many times it is installed under the upper cabinets and certainly over the island. You want bright focused lighting in your work area so you don’t lop off a finger or misread a recipe. Strip lighting is a popular choice and halogen puck lights provide the bright light you need in a prep area.

Ambient lighting softens the area and provides a welcoming glow. You could use flush mounted ceiling fixtures, track lighting, or pendant lights over an island. The added perk is that this soft diffused lighting makes everyone look better.

Accent lighting may be used to accent art work, a tile mural backsplash, or inside glass cabinets to highlight a beautiful pottery collection. Track lighting, up lights, directional eyeball lights and wall sconces are all examples of accent lighting.

Decorative lighting will probably take the biggest bite out of your budget. It should be in direct proportion to the size of your space. If you have a very large kitchen, the pendant lights or chandeliers will need to be large as well and kept within the overall style of the kitchen. If the budget is tight, have the junction boxes installed and shop for the decorative lighting at a later time. You might need a little time to save up for that vintage chandelier you’ve had your eye on.

Installing dimmer switches will allow you to control the lighting in all areas of the kitchen. Of course, if you can reach the switches, so can your kids and some guests might decide to alter the lighting as well. For around a thousand dollars you can have a scene integrator hardwired into your electrical system that will allow you to preset the lighting levels in four different areas. “Smart homes” will allow you to preset lighting in all areas of the house via a computer keypad. It’s a great idea for new homes, but can be very expensive to install in a remodel.

Several levels of kitchen lighting will allow you to set the scene for cooking or entertaining and accent the features you want to showcase. Check out the lighting department of your local home store or a lighting showroom for ideas to make your kitchen a showplace.

 

 

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