You’d think something as simple as light bulbs would be the least of your concerns. But we all know that good lighting can make or break a room, especially in a space like an open concept kitchen where all of our common areas combine. From the countertops where you prepare dinner to the dining room table where you gather with your family, it’s important that these areas are well lit and easy to navigate. Read on to learn a few tips for achieving the perfect lighting in every part of your open concept kitchen.

Task Lighting

You take your pots and pans out of your solid wood cabinetry, grab the ingredients from your refrigerator, and prepare to make a delicious dish. It’s then that you realize the area over your kitchen sink and island workspace are seriously lacking. That’s where installing task lighting comes in!

Task lighting is essential because it delivers extra illumination where you need it most. The best place to install task lighting in an open concept kitchen is about 30 inches above your dining room table, kitchen island, and sink.

Ambient Light

When diving into the bright world of light, you can’t skip recessed or track lighting. This is how you achieve general illumination throughout your open concept kitchen.

Recessed lighting refers to the canned lights installed directly into your ceiling. Track lighting is a track or bar of lights that is attached to your ceiling.

With recessed lighting the bulbs are semi-concealed and with track lighting they are visible. This is the main difference between the two. While the look and design is different, the effect is very similar.

When installing either recessed or tracking lighting, a good rule of thumb is to space each light about 24-42 inches apart throughout the entire room.

Under Cabinet Lighting

Now that you’ve strategically brightened up some key areas, it’s time to talk about countertops. This is another prime prep area that deserves a little extra TLC. Task lighting is not an option here because your wall cabinets will block in the flow of light. As an alternative, you can add lighting underneath your solid wood cabinetry to help navigate your countertops more easily. Many homeowners will even use under cabinet lighting in the evening to partially light the kitchen area. Think of it as your guide to that late night snack!

Lighting Tips For The TV Room

Many open concept kitchens also extend to the living room or TV room. If this is the case with your home design, it’s important to carry the lighting tips we just learned about to this popular living quarter as well. Just like when lighting the kitchen or dining room, you want to include both ambient and task lighting. A good spot for task lighting in the TV room is above your coffee table or your favorite reading chair.

At The RTA Store we help make your dream home a reality with RTA (Ready To Assemble) and Pre-Assembled cabinets and accessories. Whether it’s your kitchen bathroom, laundry room, home office, bar room or TV room, we offer the same (if not better) quality you would find at any retail store, but for a fraction of the price. Stop by our website or give us a call and let us make your dreams come true with the help of our free room design tool!