Kitchen lighting inspo

December 2, 2017 5:24 PM

I need to replace the lighting fixture in my apartment kitchen. I'm looking for something stylish but not too difficult to install. Prefer LEDs. More inside!

The current fixture is a plain rectangular box with four florescent tubes, and for whatever reason, it doesn't turn on right away in the winter months. The building is from 1904 and is New Orleans style. The interior of my unit is not of any particular decor. It's rather a shamble of Ikea stuff and thrift scores, though the space has some built-in features that date it. The kitchen was redone probably in the early 1990s and has been mostly neglected since. The kitchen is 10 feet by seven feet.

When I look around to see what kind of kitchen lighting people think is cool now, I see a lot of recessed lighting, and I'm not going to install anything like that. I can work out the electrical and I don't mind drilling some holes, but installing six or eight separate pieces in the ceiling is more work than I have a taste for.

I love the idea of LED lights, and there are LED lighting fixtures that look exactly like the rectangular florescent fixture I have now, but I want to see if there's anything available that's more attractive.

Thank you!

posted by chrchr to Home & Garden (4 answers total)

Best answer: Maybe something somewhere between the two extremes of replacing the florescent fixture with a new LED fixture or installing eight ceiling cans? One possibility would be to install an integrated LED flushmount fixture in place of the rectangular florescent fixture, one with about ~2000 lumens such as this $60 fixture (this example is inexpensive but rather utilitarian), and a single "remodel / old work" recessed ceiling can directly over an important work surface (centered over the kitchen sink is very common).
posted by RichardP at 6:33 PM on December 2, 2017

Best answer: Oh, another possibly if you like recessed lighting but don't want the work of installing multiple recessed cans in your ceiling is a hybrid fixture that installs like a flushmount fixture but looks like several closely spaced recessed fixtures ($150 example).
posted by RichardP at 6:51 PM on December 2, 2017

I successfully replaced a failed ballast and 4 old fluorescent tubes in an existing kitchen fixture with these tubes.

For these tubes, you will need to rewire the lamps to bypass the ballast. It is not a big deal if you are moderately handy or have done basic household wiring before, but make sure that you can clearly identify the breaker and shut off all AC power to the fixture. If you're unsure, or haven't done this before, I would find someone to help you, because it is legitimately dangerous if you make a mistake. The directions with the tubes are clear and easy to follow.
posted by tybstar at 6:29 AM on December 3, 2017

Best answer: Sorry, I did not read this question carefully enough and confused it with another question a few links down. Hah! If I were you, I would take a look at some of these flush-mount LED panels. They are mixed in with recessed fixtures for drop ceilings, but the flush-mount items look pretty easy to install, and stylishly thin.
posted by tybstar at 6:41 AM on December 3, 2017