4 Savvy Lighting Ideas for Kitchens

Did you know that good lighting equals good design? Lighting is all about layers…so why not add a little extra sparkle to your kitchen with these four savvy lighting ideas!

Task Lighting

When most people think about task lighting, they think about food preparation. And the majority of food preparation happens on a counter where lighting levels can be low due to wall hung kitchen cabinets. A great solution for providing more task lighting in this area is to install under cabinet lighting.

Under cabinet lighting is available in many different options such as puck lights, strip lights, and linear bulbs.

Ambient Lighting

Java Maple Glaze
Ambient
lighting can add an extra level of lighting dimension to your kitchen. It sets the mood and atmosphere and will help to attract friends and family into your kitchen.

A few great ideas for ambient lighting are pendant fixtures, flush mounted ceiling fixtures, and track lighting.

Pendant fixtures are extremely functional and can help to provide an additional source of lighting. They’re available in many different sizes, shapes, colors and styles. And with so many variations to choose from there’s one that is sure to suit your needs.

Track lighting is surface mounted and allows much more flexibility with being able to adjust the lighting where you want it. And just like a pendant fixture it will provide another source of quality lighting where you need it.

Decorative Lighting

Decorative lighting is the true “eye-candy” of your space. From chandeliers, to wall sconces, and pendants, decorative lighting will not only help to illuminate your space, but will add another dimension of lighting level to your kitchen design.

Just keep in mind before you invest, some decorative lighting like chandeliers can be very large, so you want to make sure you choose something that will be in proportion to the size of your kitchen.

Accent Lighting

Shaker Cabernet Accent Lighting
Accent lighting has become an additional lighting source people are adding to their kitchen space. Accent lighting is used to highlight artwork, china in glass front cabinets, or as a decorative focal point.
At TheRTAStore we offer a wide variety of glass front kitchen cabinet doors with accent lighting inside the cabinets.

Now that you’ve got a few ideas about savvy lighting, let’s talk about pulling it all together and how to make it work.

At the beginning of this article we mentioned that lighting is all about layers. The way you pull all of these layers together is by adding dimmers and switches to help control the amount of light.

Think of each area as a different zone. These zones should all have their own dimmers and switches hardwired into the electrical system in your house. Using dimmers and switches in these different zones will allow you create the layered lighting look and add that finished touch to your kitchen design.