I'll shed some light on illuminating your kitchen.
These are some really quite simple ideas that you wont regret investing in, infact if you dont you’ll wish you had. This is worth a read …I promise you wont regret learning about these tips, ideas about lighting your kitchen.This maybe not ALL you need to know, but its going to be close!
Undercabinet lighting in your kitchen
- Let’s talk style! Lighting is an accessory, end of story. Think of it as such. It says something, a big something. Whatever you want it to say, it says it, and says it loudly. Do you want to pick something safe? It will say safe. Do you want style that’s “out there”? That’s your message. What’s the point? Take your fixture design SERIOUSLY please…put TIME into choosing your lighting accessories
- Pendants – hang ‘em LOW! Low is cozy. Low is dining table-like. Low is cool. If your mother tells you they are too low, you know they’re close to perfect, and maybe a little bit lower will do. If your contractor says they’re too low, lower them two feet! And, no, you need not worry as much as you think you need to worry, about the fixtures bumping your head. See? I knew you were thinking that!
- Pendants – hang ‘em HIGH! Some pendants look okay hung high, and they would be wider/bigger/fatter fixtures, please, not the small ones hung high. Please! They will look lost, or worse, insignificant. I can think of lots more adjectives of an unfortunately negative nature for small pendants hung high!
- Pendants – hang ‘em CLOSE TOGETHER! They do not have to be hung 3? apart (yawn) over the island. Put a few close together, especially on a smaller island. Where you’d normally put 2, put 3 closer together.
- Does the island have a seating area? Put two different types of fixtures on the island…pendants on the work part, a larger fixture to feature the seated part.
- Mix your metals, finishes, colors…do it with care, I don’t want the lighting police banging on your door, but get creative with complementary styles and color.
- Don’t forget the dimmers.
- Recessed lighting – Save the planet and use CFL (flourescent fixtures)
- Recessed Lighting – There are two schools of thought…the recessed lighting plan is either:
a) Equally spaced in a logical grid type pattern.
b) Positioned over certain elements without a strict grid pattern.
Give thought to which you prefer, keeping in mind if a light is off center close to a featured cabinet, it could look like a mistake. Take care in your planning. Me, I usually look to see what features are important in the kitchen, and sometimes use a particular feature as a starting point and then move off from that, like the hood, for example. Then, of course, get ready to do it all over again once the electrician says, “lady, there’s a beam in the way!”
10. Under cabinet (not under counter as it is typically called) lighting – There are several choices I like the Kitchler fixture with xenon bulbs. LED lighting is another choice its crazily energy efficient!
BOB’S BONUS - for the many people like me that left on the light over the stove for years so they could find their way to the refrigerator at 2 am or the client that likes mood lighting. I recommend putting and extra couple of outlets above the wall cabinets and plug get some wonderful uplighting with inexpensive rope lighting. These can be controlled manually or with automatic timers either way it provides and upscale look for a bargain price!
If you are looking for a professional NJ remodeling contractor, then please call us today at 908-517-5581 or complete our online request form.
