Lighting plan - great electrician, not-so-great can light placement
Hello GW. Demo starts Friday and I could use some feedback on lighting.
The floorplan for the new kitchen is shown below. We want no more than 3 three-way switches (located just inside the
doors on the left and right), all with dimmers. Ceilings are 8'9".
We're planning the following 3 light sources:
Undercabinet LED strips on left wall (45" run of uppers), upper right to right wall (~10' of uppers around the corner, including a sink on right right), and in pantry on bottom wall.
Can lights -- Our electrician has recommended 4 can lights evenly spaced throughout
the kitchen, with the 2 cans near the top wall about 3' from the wall. I
disagree with this recommendation because I think 3' is too far from
the wall for countertop illumination, and because I'm not sure 4 cans is
sufficient for spots without UC lighting. Fortunately, he is great to
work
with, and I have respectfully disagreed with him in the past with good
outcomes. And I do respect his expertise.A central ceiling light over the moveable table (something simple like a schoolhouse pendant on a short rod).
Here are my specific uncertainties:
(1) Will we have enough light on the countertops where there are no uppers (and thus no UCLs)? I'm concerned about sufficient light in the 2 prep spaces on the top wall, which are in front of the 2 windows. We could put can lights about 12" from each window over these spaces - or alternatively, put a 100-watt semi-flush fixture at each spot (e.g., a semi-flush schoolhouse light to match a center-mounted schoolhouse light on a pendant rod).
(2) Will undercabinet lights be sufficient for the sink on the right? The uppers will be ~24" above the countertops there and will have UC lights.
(3) Will either cans alone - or UC lights alone - provide sufficient work light for the counterspace on the bottom wall (the pantry to the right of the fridge, which will have a countertop with stand mixer, microwave, etc.)? Similarly, I assume we need a can in front of the narrow cabinet to the left of the fridge???
If we do not have sufficient light in some places, I'm willing to add cans and/or semi-flush schoolhouse-type fixtures.
If you read this far, thank you! I welcome any and all feedback.
Comments (8)
9 years agoRelated Professionals
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Rantontoo, I followed your thread closely! Thanks for posting here. That discussion is what made me start questioning the lighting plan when the electrician wanted to put cans 3' from the walls (among other considerations). I'd much rather have them right 2' from the walls to help illuminate countertops.
Cpartist, in this drawing, the red circles are where cans would go using the electrician's 3' rule. The two green circles are where I am *fairly certain* I need additional light (either cans or something more decorative light small pendant or semi-flush schoolhouse lights). The small window on the left might also need an additional green dot.
I agree about the pantry needing more light. It will have undercabinet lights (with no counter dots, Rantontoo!), but those will only light what's on the countertop and not what's inside those super deep cabinets...
- 9 years ago
9 years ago- 9 years ago
cpartist