“Overture, dim the lights, This is it, the night of nights…”
We had trouble memorizing Shakespeare, but the classic Bugs Bunny Show theme is stuck in our heads. Maybe it’s the “dim the lights” part. Or, because understanding Shakespeare can be tough.. both. What we’re trying to say in a showbiz way is that lighting can set the mood– for better or for worse.
The “worse” part of mood lighting is when there’s suddenly no light. An electrical safety inspection can help you avoid that. But let’s assume that you’ve wisely chosen Stapleton Electric to inspect your home and you’re “good to go” for an upgrade that allows for some lighting creativity. Where to start? Let’s focus our cameras on the “set” for your personal food show: The Kitchen.
If you’re living in an older home, it’s probably all too obvious that lighting was the last thing considered in your kitchen’s design. You may be a victim of the old and common design mistake of trying to light the entire kitchen with a single ceiling-mounted fixture. Even newer homes and homes with recently upgraded kitchens are victims of such a dearth of creativity. Good news! We have ideas for kitchen lighting that helps fit the occasion.
Kitchen lighting falls into 4 broad categories. Utilize them all if you can:
1) Task lighting
A kitchen isn’t just a dining area. Great meals are the result of hard work, so let’s focus first on task lighting for the chefs of the house. Ideal placement of this type of lighting is between a person’s head and the work surface. This makes lighting located below the upper cabinets very effective. These lights often come in the form of slender strips, mini track systems. Small recessed or surface-mounted discs — puck lighting — is also commonly used.
2) Ambient lighting
Does your kitchen lighting say “Welcome” or does it say, “Halt! Put your hands in the air”? In other words, is your kitchen’s lighting inviting? Or does it make your guests feel like deer steak in a high wattage hood light? Don’t make visitors look for the nearest escape route. Create a warm glow that fills a room, softens shadows and helps to make people feel at home. If your cabinets don’t reach all the way to the ceiling, use the space for ambient light.
Pendant lights are popular ambient fixtures in the kitchen. Suspended from the ceiling, they can also serve as task lighting. Kitchen designers often place them over islands or open counter areas where a mixture of conversation, dining, baking and food prep happens.
3) Accent lighting
Accent lighting adds depth and dimension to a kitchen. Examples of accent lighting include fixtures placed inside glass-front cabinets to highlight China, crystal, and other collections. Recessed, adjustable low-voltage fixtures are also used to spotlight art. The same lighting strips and puck lighting used as task lighting can also create accents to highlight your kitchen and dining room treasures.
4) Decorative lighting
This type of lighting is architectural jewelry– the eye-candy of lighting. It shamelessly draws attention to itself and adds sparkle to a space. Chandeliers have never gone out of style as architectural jewelry. And they’re more popular than ever in the kitchen– with an endless amount of styles available.
There’s a multitude of lighting options. So, what’s stopping you from getting on with your kitchen’s light show? It doesn’t have to be overly-flashy production. But, then again, you’re free to take it over-the-top if you desire. From subtle to stunning, kitchen lighting possibilities are endless.
Need installation? Put Stapleton’s experience and know-how to work for you. Go ahead and “break a leg” when it comes to kitchen lighting, but remember, it isn’t all showbiz. Make safety and functionality your top lighting concerns– always. That’s where we take a starring role. Call Stapleton Electric at 778-985-9395 or send us a message on our Contact Page.
