Nice kitchen lighting
October 6, 2023 9:25 PM Subscribe
People who love warm, cozy incandescent lamp lighting, and who dislike cool-temp overhead lights... how do you do kitchen lighting?
Helping a pal figure out a low-budget reno of this kitchen.
The contractor is suggesting 6 pot lights in the ceiling. Is this a good idea? Where should they be placed?
Details about the room: Not a ton of natural light - the windows face East and there's are huge trees outside, so there's not much sun. None of the major features are being changed, just the finishes. The upper cabinets are low (meaning, close to the countertops).
The cabinets are being painted white and light aqua. Countertops & backsplash & back door will all be white. Floor will be white or light grey. Faucet and handles will be brass. The back door will eventually have a bigger window, but not yet.
She will probably add a small wooden breakfast table with a pendant light over it. Over the fridge she'll add a light in the little nook, and use it to display a glass sculpture.
Any lighting advice for this kitchen? Thanks!
Helping a pal figure out a low-budget reno of this kitchen.
The contractor is suggesting 6 pot lights in the ceiling. Is this a good idea? Where should they be placed?
Details about the room: Not a ton of natural light - the windows face East and there's are huge trees outside, so there's not much sun. None of the major features are being changed, just the finishes. The upper cabinets are low (meaning, close to the countertops).
The cabinets are being painted white and light aqua. Countertops & backsplash & back door will all be white. Floor will be white or light grey. Faucet and handles will be brass. The back door will eventually have a bigger window, but not yet.
She will probably add a small wooden breakfast table with a pendant light over it. Over the fridge she'll add a light in the little nook, and use it to display a glass sculpture.
Any lighting advice for this kitchen? Thanks!
Under-cabinet lighting!
I love warm, cozy lights and dislike cool-temp and overhead lights. Warm under-cabinet lights are so great. Maybe get switchable-color-temperature under-cabinet lights if maybe they will want cooler light for actual cooking/work, but they'll definitely want warm-temp lights for just having lighting in the evening.
Pot lights are okay for just lighting up the whole room, but you won't want to work with just those (they'll be behind you and you'll cast a shadow on what you're doing!), and they're not cozy. Under-cabinet lights light up exactly what you're working on, and they're cozy.
In conclusion, under-cabinet lighting.
posted by whatnotever at 9:53 PM on October 6, 2023 [20 favorites]
I love warm, cozy lights and dislike cool-temp and overhead lights. Warm under-cabinet lights are so great. Maybe get switchable-color-temperature under-cabinet lights if maybe they will want cooler light for actual cooking/work, but they'll definitely want warm-temp lights for just having lighting in the evening.
Pot lights are okay for just lighting up the whole room, but you won't want to work with just those (they'll be behind you and you'll cast a shadow on what you're doing!), and they're not cozy. Under-cabinet lights light up exactly what you're working on, and they're cozy.
In conclusion, under-cabinet lighting.
posted by whatnotever at 9:53 PM on October 6, 2023 [20 favorites]
Under cabinet lighting is the amazingness I never knew I needed and now I couldn’t live without it. Over the sink light is great too and we got a stylish fixture. Cans in the ceiling but they’re dimmable.
posted by matildaben at 10:54 PM on October 6, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by matildaben at 10:54 PM on October 6, 2023 [2 favorites]
I agree with the person who said to put a light near the sink. It's always frustrating trying to do dishes when the light is too dim. But this may matter less if you have a dishwasher.
Otherwise, if you're using LEDs (which can be had in incandescent-like warm color temps), I suggest taking CRI rating into account. Most bulbs are rated at 80, but I find everything looks better (and colors are more accurate) under those rated CRI 90 or more. It avoids that "dingy" indoor lighting feel that can happen sometimes, and it with warm color temps it should look more like light from a good incandescent bulb than LED bulbs with lower CRI ratings would give you.
posted by Zephyr at 11:07 PM on October 6, 2023 [3 favorites]
Otherwise, if you're using LEDs (which can be had in incandescent-like warm color temps), I suggest taking CRI rating into account. Most bulbs are rated at 80, but I find everything looks better (and colors are more accurate) under those rated CRI 90 or more. It avoids that "dingy" indoor lighting feel that can happen sometimes, and it with warm color temps it should look more like light from a good incandescent bulb than LED bulbs with lower CRI ratings would give you.
posted by Zephyr at 11:07 PM on October 6, 2023 [3 favorites]
That layout is similar to mine, and I also hate bright industrial lights. I have LED under cabinet lighting and something like this over the sink - compared to pot lights in the ceiling, it's more adjustable because you can angle each spotlight separately and move the side arms. Much easier to change lightbulbs too, including picking ones with a narrow light beam so that they light up the sink and counter, not you directly. Plus if you end up hating the look you can swap it out, while with pot lights you're stuck until next reno.
posted by I claim sanctuary at 11:25 PM on October 6, 2023
posted by I claim sanctuary at 11:25 PM on October 6, 2023
If you put LED strips over the cabinets as well as under, and paint the ceiling with eggshell, you can turn a big part of the ceiling into a reflector and cast a gentle glow around the kitchen. Definitely you need the under cabinet lights to make sure the work surfaces are properly lit.
Pots in the ceiling is not warm and cosy in any way.
posted by quacks like a duck at 11:58 PM on October 6, 2023 [2 favorites]
Pots in the ceiling is not warm and cosy in any way.
posted by quacks like a duck at 11:58 PM on October 6, 2023 [2 favorites]
Best answer: My kitchen is designed with an array of lighting options.
6 pot lights in the ceiling, daylight-temperature LED with a dimmer switch. Capable of turning the kitchen lighting into "summer solstice happening directly in our kitchen" which we almost never do, but it's great for deep-cleaning days. I particularly dislike this light at full power because it's on the true-daylight spectrum which is far too blue than I enjoy for my home, but it is useful.
1 pendant light over the sink, warm white, on/off independent of other lights.
Light over the range/oven integrated with the exhaust fan, warm white, on/off independent of other lights
Under-cabinet lighting on two walls, warm white, all controllable via wall switches.
In-cabinet low-illumination warm overhead lights for cabinets with glass shelves and glass doors
The undercabinet lights and pendant light are our normal lightscape for the kitchen. The overhead lights get engaged at various dimmer levels for various purposes. It's nice to have the option
posted by erst at 12:30 AM on October 7, 2023 [5 favorites]
The undercabinet lights and pendant light are our normal lightscape for the kitchen. The overhead lights get engaged at various dimmer levels for various purposes. It's nice to have the option
posted by erst at 12:30 AM on October 7, 2023 [5 favorites]
Pay attention to the light-bulbs as well as the fittings. They need to be easy to remove / replace and not so niche that they cost $15 a pop. Think about bulb replacement for the older you: arthritic hands; ladders? no thank you etc. Also options on the switches: so you don't need to go full-search-light-mode to find the faucet in the night.
posted by BobTheScientist at 12:34 AM on October 7, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by BobTheScientist at 12:34 AM on October 7, 2023 [1 favorite]
I forget what they're called, but I have multiple strips that look like theater lights, each with four individually moveable lamps (not recessed), on the ceiling, with warm LED bulbs so I can point as much light as I want at each work area, plus warm LED strip lights under cabinets over worktops. No dimming.
posted by Rhedyn at 2:31 AM on October 7, 2023
posted by Rhedyn at 2:31 AM on October 7, 2023
I have a lamp by the sink with a scarf tied around the shade, and a very warm toned under-cabinet light over my stove, which has changed my life. Under-cabinet lighting is fantastic. I have a couple more little lamps around too. I haven’t turned on an overhead light in probably 20 years.
posted by asimplemouse at 2:37 AM on October 7, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by asimplemouse at 2:37 AM on October 7, 2023 [2 favorites]
Another vote for you to pay attention to fittings with a high CRI rating. For a slightly left field illustration of this, have a look at the lighting for aquariums: this uses bright, high CRI value illumination to accurately render the way colours look in daylight and hence get plants to grow. The bulbs comprise not only high CRI white LEDs but also RG and B. Finally the whole lot is dimmable. You might consider this kind of level of control as an alternative to lights which are merely “warm LED”.
posted by rongorongo at 2:52 AM on October 7, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by rongorongo at 2:52 AM on October 7, 2023 [1 favorite]
Definite yes to pot lights. They’re available in halogen, would 💯 go for that over LED, one thousand %!
Good guide here for placement: https://www.homedepot.ca/en/home/ideas-how-to/lighting/pot-lights-spacing.html
posted by cotton dress sock at 4:22 AM on October 7, 2023
Good guide here for placement: https://www.homedepot.ca/en/home/ideas-how-to/lighting/pot-lights-spacing.html
posted by cotton dress sock at 4:22 AM on October 7, 2023
Aimable overhead pot spots, warm white, pointing directly at work surfaces. Under cabinet strip lights, warm white, motion activated, for banishing shadows and extra light when working, and also so we can leave the overheads just fucking off at night. One painful daylight bulb in the centre of the ceiling for cleaning days. All LED.
posted by seanmpuckett at 5:52 AM on October 7, 2023
posted by seanmpuckett at 5:52 AM on October 7, 2023
I like warm light and hate overhead lights and there is no pot light ever that I’ve found pleasant or comfortable. My kitchen has them and i have to wear a hat when I’m working in the kitchen.
posted by congen at 6:08 AM on October 7, 2023
posted by congen at 6:08 AM on October 7, 2023
Best answer: I'm with the "no pots" crowd, both for what I feel is the inadequate and unwelcoming light that they cast and for the shadows that they create when you work under them. She can use the existing ceiling fixture's wiring to have a switchable overhead light, but use pendant lighting to bring the warm light down so that it feels as if one is walking into a pool of light, rather than getting the 3rd degree over at the precinct. Probably something translucent, so you can use the light to see into upper cupboards as well. Ikea has a number of possibilities, including some single fixtures that could be pretty easily ganged together in a shop-made box. And I'm all in on under-cabinet fixtures.
posted by bullatony at 7:17 AM on October 7, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by bullatony at 7:17 AM on October 7, 2023 [2 favorites]
6 pot lights in the ceiling, daylight-temperature LED with a dimmer switch. Capable of turning the kitchen lighting into "summer solstice happening directly in our kitchen" which we almost never do, but it's great for deep-cleaning days. I particularly dislike this light at full power because it's on the true-daylight spectrum which is far too blue than I enjoy for my home, but it is useful.
1 pendant light over the sink, warm white, on/off independent of other lights.
Light over the range/oven integrated with the exhaust fan, warm white, on/off independent of other lights
Under-cabinet lighting on two walls, warm white, all controllable via wall switches.
In-cabinet low-illumination warm overhead lights for cabinets with glass shelves and glass doors
That is really similar to the lighting in our kitchen, though we don't have any in-cabinet lighting, and I have warm-white LED bulbs in the pot lights, not daylight (which I just don't like). It's nice being able to mix and match, like maybe the light over the sink plus under-cabinet lights, without all the other overhead lights needing to be on.
posted by Dip Flash at 8:40 AM on October 7, 2023 [1 favorite]
1 pendant light over the sink, warm white, on/off independent of other lights.
Light over the range/oven integrated with the exhaust fan, warm white, on/off independent of other lights
Under-cabinet lighting on two walls, warm white, all controllable via wall switches.
In-cabinet low-illumination warm overhead lights for cabinets with glass shelves and glass doors
That is really similar to the lighting in our kitchen, though we don't have any in-cabinet lighting, and I have warm-white LED bulbs in the pot lights, not daylight (which I just don't like). It's nice being able to mix and match, like maybe the light over the sink plus under-cabinet lights, without all the other overhead lights needing to be on.
posted by Dip Flash at 8:40 AM on October 7, 2023 [1 favorite]
My kitchen was poorly lit by. I got a track light with 3 lights and I quite like it. They can be aimed, so one points at the stove, one at my favorite counter space, 1 at a dark corner. There is a ceiling light over the sink. Aimable is really nice. I also got hockey puck- style lights under the cabinets and in a few cabinets. They haven't been reliable, and I think the electrician may have done a poor job. I got a vented hood and it has a light over the stove. LED bulbs keep improving and I think you should be able to find comfortable light.
posted by theora55 at 9:33 AM on October 7, 2023
posted by theora55 at 9:33 AM on October 7, 2023
DIY Perks has made a video on how to make your own LED lights - which is probably massively overkill - but does start off with a clear explanation of why making "white" LEDs - of whatever colour temperature - is tricky and dependent on the quality of phosphors included in the device.
posted by rongorongo at 2:05 AM on October 17, 2023
posted by rongorongo at 2:05 AM on October 17, 2023
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by mollweide at 9:43 PM on October 6, 2023 [10 favorites]