Simple But Effective Kitchen Lighting Ideas
Modern kitchens have to cope with numerous different activities these days but at heart they are still the place where food is prepared and cooked. With this is mind, the key task areas of any kitchen have to be centered around the stove area, the sink and whichever of the counters are most commonly used (typically those located closest to the stove and sink).
Unfortunately though, unless you do something to specifically address the lighting in these natural task zones, they also tend to be in the shadows (quite often a shadow caused by you). So in order to ensure that these key areas are properly lit, here are a few simple but effective kitchen lighting ideas.
The main cooking areas usually have a built in solution in the form of an oven light or hob lights. Always ensure that the highest rated light bulbs are used though – a hob can easily require up to one hundred watts total illumination in order to be able to properly check what’s cooking.
If there are cabinets above the counters then the underside of these is perfect for installing task lighting. The light fixtures should be fitted close to the front of the cabinet (not near the wall) and cover no more than three quarters of the available width at most.
In situations where there are no conveniently located cabinets (above the sink for example) then pendant light fixtures are the next best option. But don’t try to make one light fitting do too much work – you are better to install several and use less bright lamps in each rather than one or two piercingly bright lamps.
If your task areas stray out to a kitchen island or table then either consider pendants, or for a change simply fit ceiling down lights in strategic positions. In carefully located clusters these can produce excellent light straight down onto a surface. You may also want to consider fitting GU10 LED bulbs (instead of conventional halogen spot lamps) as these don’t give off heat, cost a fraction as much to run and also last ten to twenty times longer,
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