Make an appointment at a reputable lighting store in your area (Must be many in Boston area) with a lighting designer. I did and they looked at my plans, went over my needs, (what size table, what do you use it for)and told me what I needed, what size, what scale, how many ect. There was no charge for this service and I met with her for 2 hours x 2 visits. They had tons of books to look for something to fit my needs. I also checked online after I picked out my fixtures and the quote at the high end lighting store was less then any I could find online for the exact same fixtures. Smartest thing I did in my kitchen remodel

amylville,

I'd appreciate some suggestions of a "reputable lighting store". The place I went to is AFAIK considered to be such in my area. Its J.D.Daddario, a part of Ferguson. They were bought by Ferguson a couple of years ago. Since then they seem to have lost a lot of what seemed like competent people who have been replaced by people who seem to be trying but don't really know anything.

I am in Boston suburbs, near I495/I290. So if anybody can recommend a good place that is hopefully not too far, that would be great! (I'll go into Boston if I must, but I would rather not.)

Talking to myself again. :-(
(I hate it when I do that.)

My cabinet person referred me to Yale Electric.
I've heard of them. But they are far from convenient for me. I suppose I will go anyway.

But if anybody out there can suggest someplace good that is closer for me (further west - in greater Boston, not CA), I would appreciate it.

I'm near Boston--sorry I can't recommend a lighting place since our architect is doing that for us-- but if Yale Electric is the same as Yale Appliances, I would call them first and make sure they offer this service. If it's Yale Appliances, they have a huge kitchen showroom, but then just a smaller area with lights; it seemed like the lighting was not their main thing.

chewtoy,

I just checked, and yes, it is the same place. You say you have been there and they are heavy on appliances and light on lights?

I have just heard of them, never been there. Anybody else have feedback on them?

Have you looked at Wolfer's lighting in Waltham MA (129/90)? I am planning on going to one of their free consultations...

Good Luck!

I mean Route 128 north of the Pike...

Since this post woke up again I will report back.

I went to Yale, and I also went to Standard Electric/Wolfers.

Yale seems to push Juno. I saw the Juno mini track (low voltage) for undercabs there. They didn't have Seagull. I found a track light system for my FR that I liked ok, and it was about the cheapest thing Juno makes.

At Wolfers they don't show Juno and push Lightolier. They didn't have any tracks that I liked very much.

So in the end I went back to Yale and bought the Juno tracks. I suspect I could have found it a lot of places. (Sears popped up on a Froogle search.) But I just needed to get it done, because the electrician was waiting.

I finally decided to go with the Seagull for undercabinet. (The electrician is getting it.)

paul_ma-lighting question

Hello,

I am wondering how far From the wall or cabinets you have placed the lights that are over your counter?

I need to reposition the recessed lights since they were originally placed 36" from the wall and they cast a shadow over the counter when I stand there. But everyone tells me that undercab lights will eliminate that shadow. Are you going to use undercab lighting too?

Thanks,

Anna

anna,

I can speak with authority now because the lights are actually in. (In the kitchen anyway. The track lights in the other room are sitting here but haven't been installed yet.)

The lights in the diagram that appear over the edge of the counter are in fact installed so that they are centered over the edge of the granite. Now that they are in, I am happy with that - seems like the right decision. That puts good light on the front of the counters, the fronts of the upper cabinets, and on some of the floor. (When you aren't standing there.)

After much discussion with the electrician and the other workers, the light in front of the frig/pantry was pulled out a bit so it is centered over the open floor space there. And we decided to add one more light, lined up with that one, in the center of the open space in front of the sink, and the corner of the L in the floor.

Everybody thought it was a lot of lights. But I think it is good. Since they are all on dimmers I can have as much or as little light as I want.

In retrospect I think I might have pulled the lights over the peninsula a little bit further from the hood. As it is, a good chunk of the beam from each one hits the hood. But I still get good light on the counter. And the hood has its own lights.

Here are a couple of pictures that show the lights to some degree: