We  hope you enjoyed last weeks post about bathroom lighting. This week we are sharing our designer secrets for kitchen lighting.  Keep reading to learn tips and tricks!

First, the best place for recessed can lighting is directly above the counter edge.  Too often we see cans placed over the kitchen walkways, which causes your body to cast a shadow on the counter.  We like to place the cans spaced somewhat evenly, and centered on upper cabinet doors   This creates a gorgeous wash of light on your cabinetry. Another bonus of placing the can lights directly above the counter edge is that it illuminates the lower cabinet drawers when they are pulled out.  These can lights should be in the 2700 to 3000 degree Kelvin range and placed on dimmers.  It’s helpful to select your decorative lighting first and match your recessed can and under cabinet lighting temperatures to them.

There are multiple layers of lighting in a kitchen – ambient, task and decorative lighting.  Well placed recessed lighting can create both ambient and task lighting. Under cabinet lighting illuminates the counters where kitchen tasks are performed. Decorative lighting over an island or peninsula is a beautiful way to shine task lighting on the counter. When deciding on switches, if there are multiple ways to enter the kitchen, consider a 3-way switch for your main lighting.  We like to place under cabinet lighting and decorative light fixtures on separate dimmer switches to get the lighting just right.

Some key areas to place task lighting are above the kitchen sink and by the cooktop.  Options for task lighting include pendants, sconces, hoods with integrated lights or even led light strips routed into shelving if there isn’t the opportunity for a light fixture.

There are so many other fun ways to incorporate lighting into your space that enhances the design.  These include faucets that light up,  illuminated countertops, toe kick lighting, lighting in cabinets, lights above cabinets, and oversized pendants over a kitchen island.  See some of these examples below:

Any other questions on kitchen lighting?  Ask below!

 

Photo Sources: 1,2,3,4,5,6,7