A Home Renovation to Lighten Up Your Life and Your Kitchen
By H.L. StaplesRefacingCabinet.com Columnist
There's nothing that says good morning like a bright kitchen. Nice big windows and a sunny climate certainly help create a cheery room. But for a truly well-lit kitchen you'll need to plan a home improvement that includes lighting. Design your kitchen renovation only after considering the four basic types of lighting.
Four Types of Lighting to Consider for Home Renovation
- Ambient Lighting. Ambient light provides just enough light to work. It's the glow that warms a room through a window, skylight, or ordinary ceiling fixture. But ambient lighting can't do the job alone. If you rely only on ambient brightness, you'll likely find your own shadow obscuring your cutting board and your kitchen corners too often cast in darkness.
- Task Lighting. Giving you more light, and light with a purpose, a well-placed bit of task lighting can prevent many a broken dish or cut finger. Carefully selected task lighting means that you can always see exactly what you're doing in kitchen closets, pantries, cabinets, and even in drawers. Adding some task lighting can be a major improvement in your kitchen. You'll enjoy preparing meals more because you won't have to squint while you cook.
- Accent Lighting. Accent lighting doesn't do much in terms of functionality. But adding some accent lighting may end up being your best lighting improvement. Focusing on and highlighting objects or areas you want to flaunt, carefully placed accent lighting can boost the room's aesthetic appeal. A light inside a glass door, for example, could draw extra attention to Grandma's china--converting dishes from never-used relics to decoration, plus it will make your ceiling look higher.
- Combination Lighting. If you're embarking on a home improvement that includes kitchen lighting and really want to enjoy your new space, include ambient, task, and accent lighting. Now there's an illuminating renovation idea!
Sources:
Service Magic, "Kitchen Lighting"
About The Author
H.L. Staples has renovated three older homes and has just purchased her fourth. Her articles have appeared in The Boston Review, Denver Quarterly, The Georgia Review, and elsewhere.
