The right kind of lighting can take your kitchen from drab to fab, and make it so much pleasanter to work in. You can not only have a brightly lit space in a hue of your choice but also use ornamental lights that add to the aesthetics of your space. Whether you use your kitchen for only cooking or also for dining, the options to light it up are numerous. There are three types of lights you need in your kitchen: ambient lights (the lights that evenly light up the whole kitchen), task lights (the ones that focus light on a small area so you can work more comfortably) and accent lights (for accentuating a particular feature of the kitchen, mainly with the purpose of enhancing aesthetic appeal). Here is how you must go about choosing the best in each category for your kitchen.
- Start with choosing ceiling lights Ceiling lights make for excellent choices in ambient lighting. The number of ceiling lights you’d need depends on the brightness of each light bulb and the size of your kitchen. The ideal placement of ceiling lights is in a straight line parallel to your countertop – this way, you do get evenly distributed ambient light in the entire kitchen, and at the same time, you also get more light in the areas you need it the most. Recessed downlighting and flush mount lights are popular options for ceiling lights.
- Get under-cabinet lighting for additional brightness on the countertop Under cabinet lights are an extremely functional addition to your kitchen. They focus light on the primary work areas making your tasks easier – be it chopping vegetables, mincing meats, reading new recipes out of your favorite recipe book or distinguishing between similar looking ingredients on the shelves. Strip lights and puck lights are great for use as under-cabinet lighting: while the former evenly distributes light on the countertop, the latter creates a round or oval shape of light on the countertop leading to a rather atmospheric look.
- Pendant lights above the island or dining table If you have a kitchen island or a dining table inside the kitchen for that matter, pendant lights are absolutely fantastic additions to bring out the best in the space. These are a classic example of accent lighting. Your pendant lights need to be at least 30 inches and at the most 40 inches above the countertop for maximum appeal and ease of movement.
- Over-cabinet lighting As the name implies, over-cabinet lights are between the ceiling and the top of the cabinet. They are known to create an exceptionally dramatic effect. The main use of an over-cabinet light is to highlight a particular feature like kitchen backsplash tiles. Not many people think of over-cabinet lights while designing their kitchen but it’s an excellent concept that, if utilized well, can really enhance the beauty of your kitchen.
- Toekick lights Another very unique and stylish lighting option, toekick lights light your floors – they are installed under the base of your floor cabinets and create a beautiful effect. In case you also dine in your kitchen, you can always turn off all the other lights and only keep the toekick lights on for a romantic atmosphere. You can have two types of toekick lights: LED tape and rope lighting – the current trend inclines a lot more towards LED tapes because of their flexibility, power efficiency, and dimming functionality.
- Category: Blog
