Lights on in the Kitchen

If you want to cook well, you have to be able to see what you are doing. You need to be able to distinguish between the carrot and the cucumber, the chicken and the steak, and the pasta and the rice.  You have to be able to easily find your utensils, maneuver through the room and have multiple projects going at once. You can’t do any of this if you don’t have proper lighting, because with a dim room, everything is a blur. Therefore, when designing your kitchen, it is crucial that you devote a good portion of your budget and your time to brightening the room.

 
Start with general lighting; this is what comes on when you walk into the room and flip the master switch. It allows you to grab something out of the fridge, pop something into the microwave or toss a glass into the dishwasher without running into six or seven obstacles. A ceiling fixture or two usually provides adequate general lighting. Just remember to place the switch somewhere convenient so that you don’t have to fumble for it. The goal of general lighting is to prevent fumbling not cause it.

Once you’ve taken care of that, move on to task lighting. Task lighting involves lamps and fixtures closer to kitchen surfaces such as the counter, the stove and the sink. It is meant to counteract shadowing and blocking of general lighting. Perhaps the most important aspect of task lighting is illuminating the counters. You can do this with under-cabinet lighting. Purchase small fluorescent fixtures or puck lights, which are small, halogen lights, to place beneath the upper cabinets for optimal visibility. Before installing, consider where you will work the most so that you don’t waste your time, energy and eyesight.

Before doing any of this, check with an electrician to make sure that everything is safe and up to code.

Joe 

Zilker Botanical Gardens | Cat Mountain Real Estate