Lighting Your Kitchen

A bright idea for your kitchen! We get a lot of requests for adding light to kitchen during the renovation process. This can mean both natural light and manmade.

In this post we will talk about electrical lighting and save our ideas for letting in natural light for an upcoming post. As part of the design process we take into account how much lighting is needed for any project and provide a good initial lighting design to every room we are working in. 

Task and Ambient Lighting in Kitchen Design

Kitchen lighting requires very specific aspects of light to make all the other elements even better! When you are using the kitchen to cook, task lighting above the counters and above appliances without the cook blocking the light are essential. Carefully placed recessed lights and additional light provided from the vent install can typically take care of this. 

Another important element is the ambient lighting that can provide warmth to the room as well as personality. Ambient light sources are pendants, chandeliers, wall sconces and even lighting inside of glass cabinets or under cabinet lighting. Adding ambient light to task lighting evens out the light and reduces fatigue on the eyes and add the wow factor by introducing the kitchen’s focal point above the island.  While under cabinet lighting started off a task lighting source, it has become the icing on the cake for what we believe is a fully layered lighting package in the kitchen. We like to refer to this as the mood lighting in the lighting plan. The cabinet layer of light helps present a comfortable amount of even counter light. When the task and ambient sources are reduced, the cabinet lighting makes the environment cozier for entertaining or during movie night in a connected family room.

Every kitchen renovation asks the client to make a statement about their style. This story can be told through the use of finish work including tile, countertops, cabinets, and flooring, but lighting choices are very important part of the finish and the way you will use the space.

Here is a look back at some of the pendant lighting that we think has made a kitchen come to life.