by: Paul
Forte
Your kitchen, more than any other room
in your home, needs a good well thought out lighting plan. Today's
kitchens have many more functions than just cooking a meal. For many
families it is the most frequently used room in the house. Besides
the obvious preparation of meals, kitchens today are also a place for
the kids to do homework, parents to pay the bills, reading, eating
and watching TV. For this reason it is important that the light not
only be adequate but flexible.
The first place to start in
any room when devising a lighting plan is to address general
lighting. This is the light that will be used most of the time. In
the case of a very small kitchen, one light in the center of the room
will provide the general light. With most of today's kitchens being
larger, a single light fixture in the center of the room probably
won't satisfy your lighting needs. The most common solution is
recessed lighting. Depending on what part of the country you are in
they may be called high hats or pot lights or can lights. All these
terms mean the same thing. Recessed lighting is a good way to provide
general lighting in a kitchen in a neat and clean way.
The
placement of the lights is very important. When designing a layout
for the general lighting in a kitchen, we want to take into account
the areas where tasks will be done. This includes counters, islands
and tables. In most cases, by designing the light to illuminate these
areas, the rest of the room gets a good spread of general light as
well. Try to have the recessed lights fall out on the ceiling so that
they are directly above the outside edge of the cabinets. The key
here is getting the lights close enough to the work area so that you
don't create a shadow with your body. Putting the lights to far away
from the counters is a sure formula for shadows. Don't overlook any
nooks that may be dark.
Islands can provide a great outlet
for adding a decorative fixture or fixtures to the room. There are a
multitude of pendants to choose from that can really enhance the
room. I find it is probably one of the most commented on aspects of a
kitchen lighting plan when the homeowner sees the finished product.
Simply installing 2 or 3 pendants in line over an island can be quite
stunning.
The next step is the task lighting. In a kitchen
this is the light directly over the counters, stove and sink. Having
one or two small recessed lights on a separate switch over the sink
is both attractive and useful. The stove these days is almost always
lit from a fan hood or microwave but if it is not it should be
addressed. The way the counters are illuminated is with under cabinet
lighting. This can be in the form of simple fluorescent fixtures on
an economical level. A very nice effect is to use low voltage linear
track. These can be dimmed and provide very good light to the
counters. There are also xenon fixtures and halogen fixtures. If you
can try and stay with xenon as they burn cooler and have a longer
bulb life than halogen.
After you have your general lighting
and task lighting covered the last thing to consider is any accent
lighting. On some kitchens where there is a space above the cabinets,
lighting on top of the cabinets can look spectacular. Tray ceilings
with crown molding can also benefit greatly from this type of
lighting. Using either a low voltage type track or rope light, you
can add that extra touch that makes your kitchen unique. For more
lighting tips and lighting design help visit the links below.
Paul
Forte has been in the lighting and electrical field for over 25
years. He has helped countless homeowners across the country with
their lighting needs through his website. He will be appearing on an
upcoming episode of "It Takes a Thief" on the discovery
channel installing some security lighting.
(c) Copyright 2005
Paul Forte. All rights reserved.
About the
author:
Paul Forte has been in the lighting and electrical field
for over 25 years. He has helped countless homeowners across the
country with their lighting needs through his website. he will be
appearing on an upcoming episode of "It Takes a Thief" on
the discovery channel installing some security lighting. How to
Layout Recessed Lighting
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