Kitchen Lighting Layout Scheme

6 years ago

Hi again everyone! Getting ready to drywall the ceiling so last opportunity to move lights around. I am struggling with the best way to place the pennants and recessed lights around the peninsula. Maybe I am focusing too much on symmetry, but I am unsure if the two pennant lights should be centered within the outcropping of the peninsula (four feet long) or the entire stretch of counter to the wall (six feet long). I sketched the lighting out with red being the primary recessed task lights, green being smaller kitchen sink recessed lights, and blue being the pennants. There is also under cabinet lighting for the two wall cabinets, and lighting under the range hood.

If I center with the outcrop I can also center within a rectangle of recessed lights, but the light to the outside edge would only be a few inches from the end of the peninsula.

If I center with the whole peninsula I could get better placement of the pennants but no longer be in line with the recessed lights.

I am going for a fairly utilitarian commercial style look since I am a heavy kitchen user and live by myself. I am considering an Ann Morris style pennant light / pot rack although I would be making something on my own to match it as closely as possible since the real thing is far out of my budget.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

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Comments (4)

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Patricia Colwell Consulting
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
You recessed lighting needs to be further out from the cabinets to allow light to light the counter and not create shadows. This is a good idea of what I am saying also make sure all the bulbs no matter where in the space are all LEDs in 4000K that will keep all the colors you choose true no matter what time of the day.
acm
6 years ago
Totally disagree with Patricia -- the way to remove under-cabinet shadows is to put under-cabinet lighting, and otherwise your lights should be placed so that you yourself don't create a shadow while standing at the counter! I like them just a few inches off the wall cabinets, so I'd move all of yours inward a bit.

I don't think that the pendants need to lineup with your other lights -- they're usually more decorative than task-oriented. But either way, I would place them relative to the whole peninsula if there is any eyeline from the other side of the counter. (I can't tell whether there is continuous room below this floorplan, or just doors from elsewhere.) But neither one would be offensive to look at or to use.

Least clear on the upper-left and lower-right cans -- why not center them with those doorways (if that's what those are)?
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Dave H
Original Author
6 years ago
All four edges of the layout are walls, with the four openings on the vertical walls being doorways and the two openings on the horizontal walls being windows.

I was using the layout advice posted here as it made the most sense to me, similar to what you are saying ACM.

https://www.proremodeler.com/recessed-kitchen-lighting-reconsidered

I only have two wall cabinets and am not overly concerned with shadows created by cabinets, but would be concerned about me myself causing shadows on the counters if I placed the lights only in walkways.

Perhaps I do not need the upper left and lower right lights, I only placed them in those locations because of symmetry. I could potentially get rid of those two and have something like this:
Dave H
Original Author
6 years ago
Ok so after sleeping on it I think this will be what I go with. If I add some open shelving to the left of the refrigerator I can somewhat balance out the difference between counter alignment and recessed light alignment while I think still being in a fairly ideal placement. Since I already have the recessed lights installed I will just keep the two "floating" lights since everything is on a dimmer anyway and it might be nice having a couple of lights over walkways. There will be under cabinet lights under the two wall cabinets and lights under the hood, as before.