Kitchen Lighting Advice

last year

last modified: last year

8’ ceilings. Renovation—not new construction. Entire drawing will be kitchen (but is presently kitchen (top half) and dining room (lower half). Any advice on lighting (especially placement) is appreciated. The lines across are a header that has to remain. We are only using recessed lights (but are unsure of best size and lumens). There will be under cabinet lighting. Can’t figure out if we should just go with evenly spaced parallel rows in each “room” (it will all be kitchen, but divided by the header) or have lights specifically in certain areas. There is a very large picture window almost to the ceiling above the sink and a slider, which allow for natural light—but not really direct sunlight into the two areas. There will be a large table in the open space (but it won’t be centered on the slider or centered in terms of the ceiling either.)

Featured Answer

3onthetree

last year

Twice you stated it is all a kitchen, but if I'm understanding correctly, it will still be a Dining Room, just with a cabinet wall to assumedly match the Kitchen cabinets.

So the Dining will still need a fixture(s) over the table. I would recommend that the cabinetry, which has a very, very, very symmetrical layout building up to a central midpoint focus, not be so symmetrical since the table, opening, sliding door, and window are fighting this symmetry. Your viewpoint will never by perfectly aligned with the center of that cabinet wall.

For the Kitchen lighting, a centered grid only lights the aisles, but those are not the focus in a kitchen. Recessed lighting in general should be placed at counter edge to simultaneously light the counter and inside the uppers and base cabinets. Under cabinet lighting would only be supplemental to task lighting the counters, as you do not have uppers everywhere.

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Comments (8)

PRO
JAN MOYER
last year
What is the ceiling HEIGHT? The lower portion of drawing is dining?

Label and answer.

You don't a ceiling resembling swiss cheese.
K J thanked JAN MOYER
K J
Original Author
last year
Ceiling height is only 8’. Lower portion is presently the dining room, but wall is coming out to make kitchen larger. The header unfortunately has to remain.
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K J
Original Author
last year
Thank you. (And it will only be kitchen—but I wanted a large kitchen table. We are making a different room the dining room.)
3onthetree
last year
You can call anything any name you want, but in the U.S. we call a secondary eating area in or near a Kitchen a Breakfast Area. Lighting should focus on function for that room, and a Breakfast Area has a different purpose than a Kitchen.

Please read a good illustrative narrative on lighting at languageoflight(dot)blog.
K J thanked 3onthetree
PRO
HALLETT & Co.
last year
Chandy over table. Two small pendants over island. 4 or 6 4” cans to ‘fill in’ dining area. 4” cans in kitchen over the counters or 12” away from uppers. One directly over sink on separate switch. Everything on dimmers. Kosher kitchen?
K J thanked HALLETT & Co.
K J
Original Author
last year
@HALLETT & Co. Not a kosher kitchen. Not going to have a dimmer. (I can’t handle the buzzing.) Could I skip chandelier and just have the 6 cans in the dining area? And just 2 cans in place of the pendants (without one in center)? (The ceilings are low, and we are tall, and don’t like the obstruction.) Since the cans will be on other side of the header, do I need any on the island side of the header?
PRO
Galilee Lighting
last year
@K J good afternoon!

You can do the entire kitchen with cans however a chandelier can increase the value of your home if that's something you were interested in; good to always keep in mind. Based off the drawings looks like your kitchen renovation is going to turn out beautiful. Congrats!
K J thanked Galilee Lighting