Kitchen Lighting Ideas

Kitchen Lighting Ideas to spur up your imagination!

When visiting some friends who had moved into a new home, my daughter ran about excitedly counting all the lights. While this was a strange thing to occupy a child, I have to admit I too was fascinated with the variations of lights throughout the kitchen and dining area. The mood could be set for any occasion with the variety of lights hanging and hidden in this huge area.

Seeing the wide range of lights gave me the bug to find new lighting for my outdated kitchen. Here are a few kitchen design ideas I got when shopping for lights.

When designing a kitchen or selecting lighting, there are a few key things to keep in mind before shopping for your lights. Kitchen cabinets are notorious for creating shadows, so you will want to select a good combination of lights for your kitchen to keep your workspace bright and efficient.

Pendant Lights

Perfect for that breakfast nook or over the kitchen island, a well placed pendant style light can come in any style you can imagine. Whether your kitchen is whimsical or formal, there is a light that will be the visual centerpiece of your ceiling. This will be one of the primary light sources for your room.

Cove Lighting

This type of light uses linear fixtures to emphasize the shape of the kitchen ceiling. Designed to distribute light throughout the kitchen evenly. These lights are specialized, and probably need to be installed by a professional. They offer optical reflectors, and some have the option of a color wheel that will change the glow-color that comes from the lights.

Recessed Lighting

A world-wide trend, these lights are being used in kitchens everywhere and make an excellent choice. These can be installed above upper cabinets or above sink areas. They are popular because of the low level of brightness and the directional lamps that are popular in this style.

Accent Lighting

This lighting will provide that touch of light to enhance certain areas of a room. Whether it's artwork, dishes, or glasses, the addition of accent lighting can bring ambiance into the kitchen that will become a conversation piece for visitors for the life of the light. Accent lights don't have to highlight anything - many are works of art in and of themselves.

Task Lighting

Use specialized task lighting for under the cabinets or in darker corners of the kitchen. Perfect for that "office area" to help light up paperwork, or in pantries of cabinets to find items in the back corners, task lighting options have endless possibilities for your work space.

Your kitchen lighting can be both beautiful and functional if you make the right choices. By investing in high quality light fixtures, you are investing in the overall value of your home. Research has shown that the kitchen is often the room that sells a home - make your kitchen look its best for you now, and for the future. Kitchen lights are genuinely an investment.

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