During the holidays, the kitchen is often the epicenter of the home (this can also be said during the other months of the year – who are we kidding?!). And with all those pies being made, turkeys being stuffed, potatoes mashed, and cookies getting decorated, functionality of the kitchen is key. And by functionality, we mean good lighting.
When it comes to getting the right lighting in your kitchen, a trained lighting designer can help you choose the best-suited products for the layout of your kitchen. With the large variety of lighting options available, there is no excuse why your cutting board isn’t lit, or why you can’t read Grandma’s classic gravy recipe! However, the kitchen is the most complex room in the house to light, due to the many different tasks and uses for the space, and the endless kitchen layout combinations. But fear not! Layering these three lighting techniques will give you the ultimate lighting regardless of what your kitchen layout is:
Baking
1) Overhead ambient lighting (i.e. recessed cans, ceiling lighting) is often an accompaniment to the natural lighting. It is needed to light the entire room for big tasks like sweeping, mopping, cleaning countertops, etc. This type of lighting also allows you to control what kind of environment your kitchen will be – soft lighting will give you an inviting ambience, and brighter lighting will allow your kitchen to be used by multiple people doing different things – homework, socializing, cooking, entertaining, cleaning, eating, etc.
2) Task lighting (i.e. pendant lights, led strips, under-cabinet lighting) ensures good visibility (and promote kitchen safety!) for task and detail-oriented activities like chopping, reading, prepping, cooking, and surface cleaning. This kind of lighting also adds to ambience, and you can completely transform the look of your space with the variety of styles of pendant lights and fixtures available. Common places for task lighting include above the sink, counters, tables, islands, cooking areas, and prepping areas.
3) Accent lighting (i.e. spotlights, glass-front cabinet lighting) is great to show off special design features of the kitchen and special kitchen items like the fancy china and collectible Italian plates.
This simple 3-ingredient formula will not only give you the best lighting your kitchen as ever seen, it’ll also create the ultimate environment to put together a five-star meal for the holidays. Because even if you’re not trying to impress your in-laws anymore, it feels good to have everything run smoothly for once, doesn’t it?!