What kind of lights should I put in my kitchen? Is this your concern? Are you looking for a way to light up your kitchen? There are many factors that you should consider.
First, you will note that your kitchen is one of the most important areas in your home. This is because this is where you normally prepare meals for your family and so on.
Therefore, just like a healthy balanced breakfast, your kitchen requires the right balance of lighting to enable you to conduct different kitchen chores effectively.
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What Lighting is best for Kitchen?
Installing the right kind of lights is a good way of remodeling your kitchen. You can trust that your kitchen will have a fresh look. The following are the kinds of lights you should put in your kitchen:
1. Recessed lights
These lights are normally used for both general lightings and over the task areas in most kitchens. You will note that the common size of recessed lights is usually 6 inches in diameter. The good news is that this lighting can be used for all applications.
When installing these lights, you should space them by about 5 to 6 feet apart. This is usually the case when lighting up a general area. However, when you want them to illuminate some essential task areas in your kitchen, you can place them in close proximity.
When buying these kinds of lights, you will have several choices for trims. The baffle trim is usually very common out there as it can help reduce glare.
Also, you are likely to come across different types of bubs when buying these kinds of lights. These include LED, halogen, incandescent, CFL, and so on.
To regulate these lights, you should consider using dimmer switches. This way, you will be able to reduce your energy bills by a large margin.
2. Pendant lights
Most homeowners have appreciated the importance of using pendant lights for their kitchens. You will note that these lights normally add color, style, and a focal point to any kitchen.
The good news is that these lights come in different shapes, materials, and sizes. Here, you can trust that you have the liberty to choose the lights that suits your needs.
If you choose pendant lights made of glass, you can be sure that they will glow and make your kitchen brighter and larger.
Also, when you choose the metallic pendant lights, you will be able to add an architectural element in your kitchen. In most cases, these lights are usually used in twos or threes when they are placed over a peninsula or island.
3. Surface lights
Chances are, you are fond of seeing ceiling lights in most kitchens out there. However, did you know that surface lights are also ideal for your kitchen?
These lights are very popular in most kitchens. Since they are normally on the surface of the kitchen, you will not experience any integrity with your ceiling or the space above it.
One advantage of using these kinds of lights is that they can light up a wide area. However, a small-bulb fixture might not fully illuminate a large area. The area that you want to cover is part of the fixture.
You will note that these lights range from small fixtures that resemble a mushroom. They can hold a single bulb to ‘2’ x 4’ fluorescent to fixtures with multiple tubes.
Once you install these lights, you will have an easy time cleaning them. These lights used to be in style in the early 20th century into the 1980s. Thereafter, recessed lights came into existence and took the lead as most people preferred them to surface lights.
However, with the growing awareness of greater efficiency, the surface lights are now becoming more popular in most kitchens. Nowadays, most people are now combining different fixture types to get the illumination they want in their kitchens while keeping the system as efficient as possible.
4. Multiple lamp fixtures
This kind of lighting can be mounted with a single connection on a ceiling. Depending on the ceiling, this fixture can disperse light over an area of 2 feet for each lamp.
Multiple lamp fixtures are usually ideal for lighting up the surface of a peninsula or island. Here, downlights have to be used.
You should avoid using a dimmer switch with this type of fixture. This is because it might end up reducing glare, especially over the reflective counter surfaces.
5. Cabinet lighting
Would you want to light up your cabinets? Cabinet lighting is the ultimate solution for you. These kinds of lights are ideal for displaying the content of the cabinet as well as for people with vision problems. Here, you can consider installing puck lights inside the cabinets that have glass doors.
When it comes to under-cabinet lighting, you should consider using LED light strips. You can install these light fixtures with dimmer switches for ambiance. For puck lights, the dimmer switches can help reduce the heat they lights give off when they are in an enclosed cabinet.
6. Task lighting
Most people normally love the look of an ambiance light in a certain room. However, when you are using the kitchen, you will require it to look like a laboratory so that you can read your recipe and do other essential tasks such as preparing different ingredients and cooking.
Task lighting comes in handy and can help you achieve this objective. With this kind of lighting, you will be able to carry out specific tasks seamlessly.
These lights can be placed at the counter or at the corner of the kitchen where you do your chopping and so on. This way, you will be able to see what you are doing well and accomplish different tasks fast and conveniently.
7. Track lights
These kinds of lighting have improved over the years. Nowadays, they are usually made with smaller lamps. If you have pendant lights in your kitchen, you can add them to a track.
These lights usually have several advantages. One of them is that they are very versatile and can curve.
They are easy to install and can direct lights to illuminate different task areas. Most of these track light systems usually have LED lights which can last for several years. Also, with LED lights, you will not need to change bulbs from time to time.
Conclusion
What kind of lighting should I put in my kitchen? I hope I got you covered. The truth is that these lights can transform your kitchen and increase its aesthetic appeal. They can provide proper illumination for your work areas, accentuate, and even compliment the architectural and decorative elements of your kitchen. Therefore, you should budget for them and install them for your kitchen to look good. More importantly, you will be able to carry out different kitchen tasks effectively even at night. Invest in these kinds of lights today and you will be a proud homeowner.