If you are looking to upgrade your kitchen's current lighting, the first thing you need to do is create a plan.
Kitchen Activities
First, ask yourself what activities happen in the kitchen. Do you entertain in the kitchen aside from cooking? Do you have counter space that allows you to also work there?
Thinking about what you do in this space will enable you to best plan out your kitchen's lighting future. Residential lighting can generally be broken down into three different kinds.
General Lighting
This kind of lighting provides basic light that illuminates the space. With this in mind, you want to be sure you have adequate light that reaches all area of the kitchen.
In your cooking area, look up and around to identify how many sources of general light currently exists.
Task Lighting
This style lighting lights up a specific work area. Task lighting can be an important addition to your kitchen, enabling you to complete even the most mundane of tasks--chopping vegetables, for instance--in the best amount of light possible.
Think of task lighting in your kitchen as functional lighting. Under cabinet lights are one example of task lighting.
Accent Lighting
Accent Lighting can create a focal point in your kitchen to which your eyes will be drawn. Have a painting on a wall that you would like to highlight? Does your kitchen have architectural features you would like to highlight?
Accent lighting can transform any space and add a little flair to your space.
Kinds of bulbs
Another consideration is what style of bulb do you want? Well, the quality of the light and bulbs will affect the atmosphere in your kitchen--or any room for that matter.
Incandescent light provides soft, warm yellowish light. Recessed lighting is generally one example of this kind of incandescent lighting.
For tasks, halogen lights produce a crisp white light that is perfect. These lights have a long life and use less energy than other kinds of lighting.
For fluorescent lighting, there are many different shades available from warm to cool--and they have a long life and use less energy than other kinds of lighting.
Contact Us
Have questions about lighting in your kitchen on the Seacoast of NH? Artisan Electric can help or simply answer your questions.
Call us at (603) 743-4005 and thanks for reading our blog.