The kitchen is often considered the heart of the home. No matter its size or age, the kitchen is where meals are made and where the family convenes to make long-lasting memories. A home is not a home without a kitchen. For this reason, it’s important that your kitchen expresses the essence of your style.
Do You Need to Improve Your Kitchen Lighting?
Does your kitchen still have that one fluorescent light that never seems to be the right kind of lighting you need at the moment? Is your lighting drab, too dim, or too bright? Nowadays, the lighting technology available to homeowners is vast and will cover all your kitchen’s needs.
Since many kitchens are in close proximity to dining rooms and living rooms, they often serve as a hub for social gatherings. They can even double as workspaces sometimes. That’s why it’s important to make sure that your kitchen is as inviting and dynamic as the rest of your home. Your kitchen should boast a wide variety of lighting so that you can do everything from cooking for family, to entertaining house guests, to paying bills without any discomfort or safety hazards.
Prioritize Your Kitchen’s Ambient Lighting
Ambient lighting shouldn't be disregarded because it sets the foundation for the room’s overall lighting. Ambient lighting usually emanates from the ceiling like in the case of chandeliers. Another trending form of ambient lighting is recessed lights or track lighting systems.
When planning recessed lighting, it’s best to focus on lighting areas that serve as walkways where you can expect foot traffic. If recessed lighting isn’t a feasible option for you, flush mounts are a great alternative.
Upgrade Your Kitchen with Task Lighting
One of the most essential components of lighting in the kitchen is task lighting. However, it’s usually overlooked. Since the kitchen is primarily a workspace, you should make sure it has the right kind of lighting to facilitate a safe working environment.
Most times, the kitchen countertop is going to be your workspace. Seeing that one of the most commonly used tools in a kitchen is knives, a poorly lit space can be dangerous.
You may also want to use under-cabinet lighting. This kind of lighting can significantly enhance the usefulness of a kitchen. In addition, there are a ton of other fixtures that you can use to increase your kitchen’s task lighting, such as rail kits that will allow you to incorporate lighting in your kitchen’s backsplash area.
If you lack overhead cabinets, feel free to use downlight pendants or directional sconces for a stylish and efficient design.
If you have an island and/or breakfast bar in your kitchen, you may want to think about hanging pendant lights above. Pendant lights are stylish and allow you to spotlight your island to make it seem like an intentional part of the design.
Get Creative with Your Kitchen’s Accent Lighting
Accent lighting is really where you can let the creativity flow. Accent lighting usually serves to complement ambient lighting and allows you to accent certain favored aspects of your home.
Many times, you will see accent lights above islands, breakfast bars, tables, or your kitchen sink. As a general rule, when hanging accent light fixtures over your island or peninsula you want to leave a clear space of about 30-36 inches between your chosen countertop and the fixture, that way you avoid people knocking their heads into it.
Need Help? Tru-Line Is Here!
Whether you’re looking to remodel your kitchen or you simply want to upgrade your lighting, our electricians are more than happy to assist you. Sometimes these projects can be complicated. or just plain time-consuming. If you call us, your local professionals, we can ensure you receive an accurate estimate of what the work will cost and the best options so that you choose a solution that isn’t only affordable but will also leave you satisfied. Book your next appointment today!
