Kitchen Lighting

A carefully thought-out lighting plan can be your kitchen's best asset. Yet before you get caught up in the fun of choosing pendant lights and chandeliers, analyze your plan to ensure that all areas of your kitchen are lighted specifically with their purpose in mind. As you will see in the following featured kitchens, the most efficient and effective kitchen light plans have a combination of ambient, task, and general lighting. These include overhead lights but also undercabinet lighting, which is now commonly used in kitchen design, along with recessed lights. The fun begins when decorative lighting comes into play. Pendant lights are popular over sinks, islands, and kitchen tables, and include styles from funky track lighting to vintage glass pendants. Drum shades, which are trending toward the kitchen, can be customized with fabric that matches upholstery and linens. Chandeliers, once taboo in kitchen design, are appearing over tables and islands, adding elegance and glamour. Even lamps are appropriate for desk areas in the kitchen if the work space needs illumination. And don't forget ambience. Whether your kitchen doubles as an informal entertaining space or a romantic eat-in dinner area for two, the style of light you choose and how it is controlled with dimming options is crucial to setting the right mood in your kitchen.