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| You need a specific kind of lighting for each purpose your kitchen serves. |
Your kitchen is the heart of your home. You cook there, socialize there, and make many memories there. Since you use it for so many different things, it would make sense that the room needs more than just one type of lighting. If you attempt to complete your kitchen with just one large lighting fixture, or even with recessed lighting placed in a generic pattern, you will end up with a lot of light; it just won't be where you need it. And you can forget about any type of ambiance. Instead, you need a specific kind of lighting for each purpose your kitchen serves. You should aim to incorporate these four different types of lighting to make your kitchen as functional and beautiful as possible.
Mood
This is the type of lighting that sets the tone for your kitchen. It can add warmth to the space and make your family and guests feel at home. The ideal location for mood lighting is the space between your cupboards and your ceiling; however, strategically placed recessed lighting can also work well. Wherever you position it, a dimmer switch will really help bring the ambiance up a notch.
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| The perfect place for task lighting is underneath the cabinets. |
Task
While mood lighting is wonderful, it doesn't do much for you when it comes to preparing food or reading cookbooks. That's where task lighting comes in. The perfect place for task lighting is underneath the cabinets because it gives you a bright light shining right on the countertop with nothing (like your head) to intervene. Your pantry is another place than can benefit from targeted lighting, unless you enjoy digging around in the dark trying to find the ingredients for your recipe.
Accent
Now you need to think about what you want to show off in your space. Do you have a curio cabinet displaying your favorite China? Maybe you have original artwork from a beloved local artist. Accent lighting is used to highlight these pieces and really make them shine. For a curio or glass-front hutch, you can place the lighting source on the floor of each shelf and aim it upwards. For artwork, a low-wattage spotlight works the best.
Decorative
Everywhere else you decide to put a light falls into this category. While it does add light to the space, it is more about making the aesthetics of your room perfect. Think chandeliers over the table, pendant lighting above the island, and a stylish lamp on the server. If you have already included the other light sources mentioned above, all you have to worry about when choosing your decorative lighting is how amazing it looks, which makes it a lot easier to find the perfect piece.
While mood lighting is wonderful, it doesn't do much for you when it comes to preparing food or reading cookbooks. That's where task lighting comes in. The perfect place for task lighting is underneath the cabinets because it gives you a bright light shining right on the countertop with nothing (like your head) to intervene. Your pantry is another place than can benefit from targeted lighting, unless you enjoy digging around in the dark trying to find the ingredients for your recipe.
Accent
Now you need to think about what you want to show off in your space. Do you have a curio cabinet displaying your favorite China? Maybe you have original artwork from a beloved local artist. Accent lighting is used to highlight these pieces and really make them shine. For a curio or glass-front hutch, you can place the lighting source on the floor of each shelf and aim it upwards. For artwork, a low-wattage spotlight works the best.
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| Decorative pendant lighting above the island. |
Decorative
Everywhere else you decide to put a light falls into this category. While it does add light to the space, it is more about making the aesthetics of your room perfect. Think chandeliers over the table, pendant lighting above the island, and a stylish lamp on the server. If you have already included the other light sources mentioned above, all you have to worry about when choosing your decorative lighting is how amazing it looks, which makes it a lot easier to find the perfect piece.
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