No matter what size, style or shape your kitchen is in, if you don’t have the right lighting, you might as well be cooking in the closet. Good lighting in a kitchen space is just as important as the appliances you’ll be using to cook the food. After all, without a good light, how will you ever see to chop, clean and cook the food? Use this guide to task lighting in the kitchen space and get the most out of the most used space in the home.
Pendants
Nothing beats the look of a pendant light fixture over a kitchen island. But how about when it’s over the dining area, stove, counter or sink? With the right sized light, a good pendant or mini pendant light is the perfect way to improve lighting options on specific spots in the kitchen where task lighting is at its highest demand. And because pendant lighting comes in such a wide variety of styles, colors and sizes, you can be sure you’re going to get the perfect pendant light for your kitchen.
Monorail
One of my favorite ways to light a kitchen space is with a monorail light. These lights are a throwback to the old track lighting. The difference between the old straight track lighting is that with the monorail light, the bar that holds the lights is actually like a work of art. So rather than trying to hide the light bar, it’s accentuated to create not only a well-balanced task lighting system that’s able to light multiple areas at once, but also a light that looks good doing all that hard work.
Chandeliers
Don’t think that these foyer, entryway and dining room lights are just for those rooms alone! A chandelier that’s placed above a kitchen island can help be the perfect task light for this space. With lots of lights and a beautiful centerpiece to boot, you can see why so many people choose to light their kitchen islands and eat-in kitchen spaces with a chandelier.
Under Cabinet Lighting
LED under cabinet lighting is one of the best ways to get a good source of task lighting in those darker recesses up under kitchen cabinets. There’s plenty of good cabinet space there, but without a good source of light, you might as well fill it with dishes. Under cabinet lights are also easy to install and can be done without much work or cost.
Pot Racks
Kitchen islands sometimes sport pot racks over the top of them to keep pots and pans stored away yet still close at hand and ready to do business. Pot rack lighting incorporates the look and feel of a chandelier, yet has a useful function that doubles as a clever storage rack.
Dimmer Switches
No matter what type of task lighting you have in your kitchen, it’s a good idea to get a dimmer switch to control them. This way you can turn up the lights to full blast when you really need it most or turn it down low when you want to save energy.