HELP 21' kitchen ceilings, needing lights!

12 years ago

My husband and I are building a home and our kitchen has 21' ceilings. A "farmhouse feel" Our countertops will be honed/leathered absolute black with chrome fixtures.... I am having a dilemma with lighting.

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Studio47 Architects, Inc

12 years ago

Congrats on the new home. It is a very exciting time for people. I've had clients that get as giddy as children on Christmas morning.

Anyway... Wow! 21 feet. That IS a lighting dilemma. What ever you do you should incorporate ceiling fans because you will need to heat that space up there too. One fan per 100sf, roughly speaking. Have you thought if soffit/s? Kitchens need sufficient task lighting and a soffit is a good way to get light down to that tasking level. I always propose soffits (with recessed cans) for ceilings above 8ft. I did a soffit 'idea book' that might give you some ideas. I'd include a link but I'm posting via my phone. Just click on my screen name above, that will get you there.

You could also do pendants. But you'll need 10-12ft of cable to hang them from. I might have a lighting idea book as well, if not I can make one when I get to my desk. Do you have drawings that you can post (or email)? Preferably a floor plan and some interior elevations? A better sense of the space might reveal better ideas.

Best if luck,

Bryan Mulligan, AIA
tbryanm@s47a.com

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Comments (7)

PRO
User
12 years ago
The cathedral ceiling in our kitchen peaks at only 12' but our solution was to use Tech Lighting's monorail system to bring the individual fixtures down to just above the 40" cabinets. It was important to us to have the flexibility to aim each fixture. We have twelve total. They are on a single circuit with dimmer.

We also added up lighting above and under cabinet lighting. Pleased with the flexibility it offered. Only downside was our kitchen lighting is the most expensive in the entire house!
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Dytecture
12 years ago
Use a combination of recessed and pendants.

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Patricia Colwell Consulting
12 years ago
I love Tech lighting they have so many answers to difficult lighting problems. I do agree that kitchen lighting is expensive but the most important lighting in the house. Check out Tech Lighting, it takes quite a while to go through everything but never take short cuts when it comes to lighting , rethinks later are really expensive. Congrats on your new home. By the way I find recessed lighting in a 21 foot ceiling to be useless and almost impossible to change a bulb. Keep in mind any pendants you use will have to have the right scale for the volume of your room.
PRO
Patricia Colwell Consulting
12 years ago
I love Tech Lighting, many choices and options for difficult to light areas. I find pot lights in a 21 ft. ceiling useless and also hard to change bulbs or work on. Make sure when choosing pendant lighting for over the island that it has the proper scale to the room, you have a lot of volume so large is the way to go. I agree that kitchen lighting is expensive but it and the bathroom are the most important lights in the house for tasks. Easier and cheaper to do it right while building than later when you realize you skimped .I have even put the electrical on hold until I got the lighting right. Make sure you do waht you love the first time. Congrats on your new home.
PRO
Patricia Colwell Consulting
12 years ago
Ooops didn't realize it posted the first time, my computer is a pain sometimes. Sorry.
PRO
Shakuff
12 years ago
Wow! Those high ceilings are perfect for our fixtures! We make highly customized blown and fused glass lighting using our pendant lights. You can have as many or as few as you need, and we help you design the perfect piece for your space.

For a farmhouse feel, might I suggest our Tanzania or Candle fixture. Tanzania is a bit more sleek depending on the color you go with, and Candle is a little more rustic but has some black in it that could tie in very well. :)

We have a variety of options, so check out our Houzz page for some inspiration. These are just what came to mind. :) :)

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