Kitchen Lighting

Cook up an efficiently lit kitchen. Under-cabinet lights brighten countertops so you don't work in your own shadow. Halogen bulbs render food colors accurately. Position recessed, track and pendant lights to illuminate work centers.

Install low-voltage strip lights inside cabinets with glass doors. Choose lighting according to its application. General, or ambient, lighting brightens an entire room indirectly; task lighting helps you read or cook under focused illumination; accent lighting spotlights decorative objects.

Use dimmers to adjust the brightness of almost any fixture to suit different moods.Create dining-room intimacy with a low pendant or a candle-style chandelier (both on dimmer switches). Use twin lamps on a sideboard for soft background light.

Selecting the right lighting for your kitchen is actually a pretty simple process. The first step is identifying the main areas of the kitchen that need sufficient lighting. This often includes the sink, countertops, and range. There are several options available, typically the use of one or two track lights above the sink provides sufficient lighting to wash dishes and other sink related activities. For a solution for the range, you can use an energy efficient fluorescent tube with your standard range fan, or a recessed down light in the general area of the stove. As for the general all purpose areas of the kitchen (usually where people gather), you want to have lighting diffused. One solution to this is using a ceiling fixture that has an energy saving florescent tubes. This provides an evenly dispersed light source suitable for your kitchen.

There are several types of lighting environments that can be used for your kitchen. Your kitchen design and the mood you are looking is important, the following are three popular lighting environments for the kitchen.

Ambient Lighting - provides a soft and soothing indirect light source, examples include a ceiling fixture, skylight, or outdoor light from a window. This is a kitchen lighting that allows you to do everyday tasks.

Accent Lighting - is used to highlight or accentuate certain elements of a kitchen and to provide a desired mood.

Task Lighting - uses spot, recessed, or tracking lights to directly point the lighting to an areas that is used for standard kitchen tasks.

kitchen lighting fixture photo