Proper kitchen lighting is the key ingredient to a functional and friendly kitchen atmosphere. Whether you prefer traditional light fixtures or favor a funky and more contemporary style, it’s important to understand the three main types of lighting in order to successfully highlight the best areas of your kitchen.
Check out these tips on how to successfully upgrade your kitchen lighting.
Ambient Lighting
This type lighting is often referred to as main lighting because it describes the overall illumination of the room. While some kitchens rely on a single overhead light, such as a chandelier, other kitchens feature a series of pendant lights that are both functional and decorative.
Hanging pendant lights over an island, kitchen table or sink, will distribute light throughout the room and facilitate easy food preparation and cooking. Use the size of the room as a reference point when selecting the size and length of pendant lights.
Task Lighting
Task lights are a vital component of kitchen lighting and should remain a priority when making lighting upgrades. These lights can be found under cabinets, in drawers, in the pantry and anywhere else where they might help you complete a task. Add lights under cabinets for times when you wish to have light on the countertops without turning on the main lights. Place lights in drawers to more easily access hard-to-reach utensils.
Accent Lighting
The purpose of accent lighting is to emphasize details of the kitchen – art, china, glassware, tile backsplash – that you wish to draw attention to. This can be done with track lights that will draw focus to a frame or small cabinet lights that will show off the glassware on display.
