Your kitchen lighting could possibly be the most important lighting in your home. After all, not only are meals prepared there, but the kitchen is often the focal point of the home. Still, there needs to be a certain flexibility in the lighting scheme used in this room, especially considering the various functionality this room often sees. Lighting needs will also change depending on the time of day, the activities being carried out and the different moods you might want to create.
Light Sources
The correct kitchen lighting depends greatly on your own kitchen design and how things are set up in your own home. For instance, lighting needs will be different in a kitchen that has an island as opposed to one that only has regular counter space against the walls. Each kitchen will be different, so finding one that fits your own needs and desires is absolutely crucial.
Island Lights
Island lights are perfect for kitchens with islands. Not only do they offer excellent illumination of a very important area in the room, but they also add a decorative characteristic that blends right in with your other decor. Having one piece that serves two purposes is an excellent idea for the discerning homeowner with and eye for style.
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Under Cabinet Lights
These lights can easily be used with or without an island present, as they add style and functionality by lighting spaces that are often canvased in shadows. These can be as plain and purposeful as necessary, or they can also add a design motif to your kitchen as well. Available in many styles, you're sure to find one that accents and illuminates in the perfect way
Ceiling Lights
Lighting that mount close or flush with your ceiling are known as ceiling lights and have often been the go-to lighting source for many homes. While they are much more common, they are also very trustworthy and provide a great amount of light for the room, especially where lack of daylight is an issue. Just as other lighting comes in a variety of designs, you can also create the look you desire with ceiling lights as well.
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Chandeliers
For a touch more elegance than most other fixtures offer, add one or more chandeliers to your kitchen. Along with the extra touch of style, you'll get an amazing illumination that adds functionality and individualism to the room. It's a great way to mix the necessity of lighting with the unique style that's all your own.
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Track Lighting
For accent lighting, nothing works quite as well as track lighting. You can rotate and swivel these lights to provide just the right amount of lighting no matter what the task at hand. You can even aim them at the ceiling for a bit of ambiance or aim them all in the same direction for specific tasks. This is a lighting source that is truly functional, while still providing all the light you need in specific areas.
Specific Types of Lighting
Kitchens are known to be one of the most versatile rooms in the home. With a flurry of activities taking place at different times of the day and different days of the week, a homeowner is best served by lighting that meets a variety of needs. While one type of lighting might well serve many different purposes, it's likely you need at least two different types of lighting in this room.
Task Lighting
When in the kitchen, certain tasks require a good amount of bright, focused light. When you're prepping food, working at the sink or the stove, or using your laptop at the kitchen table, this type of lighting can be extremely useful. It's also important to have better light the older we get.
It's also important to know that if you have an array of shiny surfaces in your kitchen, frosted lamps and bulbs are preferred over the clear kind. This keeps the light from bouncing off such surfaces as granite or stainless steel and creating an awful glare.
Some of the best lighting for specific kitchen tasks include
- Under cabinet lighting
- Strip or track lighting
- LED lighting
- Fluorescent lighting
Accent Lighting
When you think about accent lighting, think the inner glass fronts of cabinets or wall galleries. Accent lighting can be used inside cabinets to draw the eye towards collections while spotlights can be used to wash over a wall that has a plethora of artistic design. Sconces are an excellent way to show off that beautiful textured wall while adding lights beneath your cabinets can serve as both accent and task lighting for those specific spaces.
The idea is to make sure your accent lighting works for your very own personal space. Add the lighting where you want your guests eyes to be drawn and you'll have the space you've always dreamed of.
Ambient Lighting
Ambient light actually lends to your kitchen's very first impression while setting the mood at the same time. If offering a welcoming atmosphere in this room is a priority for you, be sure to make ambient lighting high on your list.
Some of the best sources of ambient kitchen lighting include recessed "can" lighting in the ceiling as well as toe-kick lights placed in specific areas. Beneficial locations for toe-kick lights would be cabinet bases as well as islands. You can also utilize pendant fixtures, above-cabinet lighting and track lighting as well.
A Few Closing Tips
For pantries that are deeper than normal, or for lazy-Susan corner cabinets, consider using automatic lighting. This way, when you open the door, even those back shelves that are normally hard to see are much more visible, even at night.
A chandelier above the sink can be an amazing touch of designer elegance. Accenting a gorgeous faucet below, it's just like having a bit of kitchen jewelry in a most unexpected area. In fact, special lighting in unexpected areas is a great idea in other locations as well.
For even more information on the amazing and unique ways you can light your kitchen, be sure to contact us at your convenience. We look forward to serving you!