Lighting Tips for Your Kitchen

Lighting Tips for Your Kitchen

Experts observe that lighting for the kitchen is often the last thing considered in a design and the first thing cut from a budget. But, a kitchen must be properly lit to look its best and function well; and that involves more than just specifying stylish fixtures. A good plan blends lighting into the architectural & decorative details of the room.

#1. Avoid Glaring Errors

The most common mistake when it comes to kitchen lighting, is trying to light the entire room with a single ceiling mounted fixture. The result ends up in visually overpowering everything in the space. You could also end up with too much light in some areas and shadows everywhere else.

#2. Plan for a Layered Look

No single light source can provide for all the necessary light in the kitchen. A well-lit kitchen layers & blends 4 different types of light:

1. Task Lighting:
   It provides adequate light for tasks like chopping vegetables and reading recipes. The optimum placement of this lighting comes between a person’s head & the work surface; this makes lighting located below the upper cabinets very effective.
2. Ambient lighting:
   It creates a warm glow which fills a room, softens shadows and helps to make people feel instantly welcome in a kitchen. If the cabinets in your kitchen do not reach all the way to the ceiling, it is a great spot for ambient lighting. Of the 4 types of lighting, this is overlooked most often.
3. Decorative lighting:
   It adds a different shine to the space and defines your taste.
4. Accent lighting:
   It gives depth & dimension to your kitchen. This includes fixtures placed inside glass-front cabinets to illuminate Chinaware, glassware & other collections as well as recessed, adjustable low-voltage fixtures used to spotlight art.  

#3. Dim the Lights

As with the rest of the house, being able to adjust light levels in the kitchen is ideal. You may require a bright light while cooking, cutting veggies or cleaning up and a bright light can make the task easier. However, for staying longer over a meal and chatting, dimmed lights help create a great ambience.

#4. Plan

Experts say that even if you don’t have the budget for a series of pendants over the centre island, you should at least install three junction boxes in the kitchen. Fixtures can be purchased at a later date and easily installed in the kitchen.

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