Kitchen lighting help! Beam in the way...

10 years ago

I am at a loss of how to handle lighting in our kitchen! We unfortunately have a support beam the runs over our island, and down into the island (as shown in pics). I think we need lighting over the island but am not sure how to place the lights around the beam. Would you hang them from the ceiling on the seating side of the beam, or expand the beam and run the lights from there? Ideas? I'd also like to replace/move the off-center light in the kitchen...Thanks so much in advance!!

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User

10 years ago

last modified: 10 years ago

I would put something really unobtrusive on the kitchen side of the beam. The reason: you have a huge ceiling fan smack dab opposite the island which will interfere with any other light in its vicinity. I'm also not loving that light in the kitchen at all. I would look at angled track lighting (LED) to go in a u-shape around the soffit to really illuminate the space. Or have pot lights wired in to the soffit if possible, but there is likely not enough width to do so.

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Comments (12)

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Original Author
10 years ago
That is a great idea! I hadn't thought of that. I wonder if recessed lighting would work to replace that light. I'd get rid of the fan except that it is the hottest room in the house. The beam/soffit is too narrow (and not hollow) though I have considered widening it just to put some lights in...ah, the things you don't think to consider when it was built!
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Pat Dagrosa
5 years ago
We are in the same predicament! Beautiful island space.... and a beam where
My lighting belongs!
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Original Author
5 years ago
Pat, we ended up wrapping the beam in wood and hung a couple of pendant lights on the seating side of the beam. I think it came out nice and balanced out the space!
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Original Author
5 years ago
(We also redid all the lighting, painted, and moved our fan).
Pat Dagrosa
5 years ago
That’s great! My husband thinks we can put lights on the kitchen side of the beam ... all I know is that it is dark and needs a light! Probably not separate pendants but a fixture with a couple three lights in it!
mmc429
5 years ago
Could you put in some pancake can lights in the kitchen and rest of that space entirely and change your fan to not have lights? Add some pendants over the two stools. All dimmable.
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Original Author
5 years ago
We went with pendants because I felt if we put a fixture too close to the beam it would block the light. We also installed 4 recessed lights in the kitchen which helped a lot. Good luck with your choices!
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Original Author
5 years ago
Not the best photo and things are sort of messy but here’s what we ended up with! Can lights in the kitchen, wood beam, pendant lights, replaced the fan with recessed lighting and added a chandelier over the dining table.
mmc429
5 years ago
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Looks like a terrific update!
What about the warm room?
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Original Author
5 years ago
Thanks! I realized that the fan didn’t do all that much where it was. We moved the fan so it was over the sitting area (which you can’t see in the photo) and are getting better shades over the windows to help with the afternoon sun. I do have a small plug in fan that I use on hot days that does more than that ceiling fan ever did to move air around the room.
felizlady
5 years ago
You may be able to have small pendant lights on both sides of the beam depending upon what is up in the ceiling. Your attic access is so close it may be easy to check out the space up there. Maybe an electrician could come in and take a look and make suggestions for where the switch can be and how many pendants would give you the illumination you desire.