The goal when lighting any room is to find the perfect balance between form and function. You want the lights to illuminate your workspace effectively, but you want them to look beautiful, too. This is especially true in the kitchen, which serves as a gathering place for guests and a productive work zone when preparing food.

If you’re looking to upgrade your kitchen lighting, plan to incorporate three types: general lighting, task lighting, and accent lighting. Here are some examples of each so you can include them in all the right places.

General Kitchen Lighting

General lighting serves as the primary source of illumination, adding to or filling in for lack of natural sunlight. It should cover every square foot of the room as evenly as possible to make it easy to navigate the kitchen. Common examples of general lighting include:

• Flush-mount lights: In a small kitchen, a single flush-mount fixture in the center of the room may provide adequate illumination.
• Recessed lights: For larger kitchens, general lighting should be distributed over a larger area. Recessed downlighting is an effective way to do this.
• Chandeliers: To increase the glamour factor, consider hanging a kitchen chandelier. These come in limitless options to match any design style.

Task Kitchen Lighting

Overhead general lighting can leave shadows where you’re trying to work, read recipes, or clean up. To illuminate specific surfaces, you need task lighting. Your options include:

• Pendant lights: A row of hanging pendant lights above the island looks beautiful and ensures you don’t cast a shadow where you’re working.
• Linear suspension lights: This is a viable option if you have high ceilings or want to illuminate a low work surface.
• Under-cabinet lights: Brighten the area around the perimeter of your kitchen with LED strip lights or puck lights mounted to the bottom of the upper cabinets. These can be put on a timer or tied to your electrical system so you can control them with a light switch.

Accent Kitchen Lighting

While not necessarily required, accent lighting adds beauty and depth to your kitchen. It can also serve as a nightlight for safety purposes. Your accent lighting options include:

• Toe kick lights: Dimly illuminate the floor at night to create a path you can follow on your way to the fridge for a midnight snack.
• Over-cabinet lights: Installed between the upper cabinets and the ceiling, this option adds a dramatic touch, highlighting the décor or architecture there.
• Track lights: The multi-directional heads of track lighting let you illuminate hard-to-reach places. Depending on the installation location, these fixtures can also serve as task lights.

Lighting is just one aspect of the kitchen design and renovation process. Let Capitol Design Build create the right ambiance in your kitchen with high-end products and finishes designed to help you enjoy your kitchen to the fullest. To schedule your free, no-obligation estimate, please contact us at 703-436-6919 today. We proudly serve residents in the Lorton, VA area.