When you remodel your kitchen, one of the most important considerations, apart from your cabinet and flooring design, is the lighting. Some kitchens receive wonderful natural lighting from windows, skylights and doors. Others receive very little natural light and need to, therefore, be carefully planned when it comes to lighting. Here are some tips and guidelines when it comes to lighting your kitchen.
First and foremost, consider the fact that your kitchen lighting primarily needs to be designed to be functional. You need to have ample lighting for your food preparation, eating, cooking and washing. If you have inadequate lighting, cooking and cleaning becomes a sort of guessing game where you have to try very hard to see in minimal lighting if your space is properly prepared and cleaned.
Because your lighting has to be functional, you will need plenty of it. However, it is likely that you will also want your lighting to look nice. Creating a combination of function and aesthetic lighting can be difficult, especially if you have low cabinets without a lip. However, it is not impossible.
Before you go anywhere in terms of installing lights, call an electrician to help you install a few extra outlets. The more outlets you have on your wall, the easier it will be to install lighting in exactly the places you want it. Furthermore, it will be easier to have both nice lighting and usable appliances.
Track lighting is recommended for overhead lighting. Track lighting is basically a series of smaller-sized lights that fit along the tracks installed in the ceiling. You can move the individual track lights back and forth along the track and you can always even add more lights, as the occasion or need arises.
The major benefit of track lighting that most people enjoy is the fact that it is not only strong, but that you can move and angle the lights in any direction you desire. For example, if you have a piece of artwork in your kitchen, you can put a spotlight directly onto the artwork using the track light. You can likewise put a spotlight on your counter space, stove space and kitchen sink so that you can clearly see what you are working with.
In addition to track lighting, many people like to have one solid overhead light that is controlled by a simple switch or dimmer. This light will illuminate the whole room, but does not provide the spotlight functionality of the track lighting. Overhead lighting is generally used when you do not care about mood, but are preparing a quick and simple meal, or are tidying up.
If you have glass cupboards, you can create dazzling mood lighting by installing lights inside of the cupboard. These lights will help to illuminate your belongings and add a sense of mood and elegance to your space. Use the cabinet lighting if you need atmosphere, but not function.
Finally, most people find that installing under the counter lighting is an effective way to completely illuminate counter space. Under the counter lighting is essentially strip lights that are attached to the under side of your cabinets. You can turn them on when you need lighting in the area where you are preparing your cleaning up food.