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10 ways to brighten up your
- Let\'s talk style! Lighting is an accessory, end of story. Think of it as such. It says some thing, a huge some thing. Whatever you want it to say, it says it, and says it loudly. Do you want to pick some thing secure? It will say secure. Do you want style that\'s \"out there\"? That\'s your message. What\'s the point? Take your fixture design SERIOUSLY please…put TIME into choosing your lighting accessories.
- Pendants – hang ‘em LOW! Low is cozy. Low is dining table-like. Low is cool. If your mother tells you they are too low, you know they\'re close to excellent, and possibly a little bit lower will do. If your contractor says they\'re too low, lower them two feet! And, no, you need to have not worry as a lot as you think you have to have to worry, about the fixtures bumping your head. See? I knew you were thinking that!
- Pendants – hang ‘em HIGH! Some pendants look okay hung high, and they would be wider/bigger/fatter fixtures, please, not the small ones hung high. Please! They will look lost, or worse, insignificant. I can feel of lots a lot more adjectives of an regrettably negative nature for little pendants hung high!
- Pendants – hang ‘em CLOSE TOGETHER! They do not have to be hung 3′ apart (yawn) over the island. Put a few close together, particularly on a smaller island. Where you\'d typically put 2, put 3 closer together.
- Does the island have a seating area? Put two diverse varieties of fixtures on the island…pendants on the work part, a bigger fixture to feature the seated part.
- Mix your metals, finishes, colors…do it with care, I don\'t want the lighting police banging on your door, but get creative with complementary styles and color.
- Do not forget the dimmers.
- Recessed lighting – Save the planet and use CFL (flourescent fixtures)
- Under cabinet (not under counter as it is generally called) lighting – There are various options I like the Kitchler fixture with xenon bulbs. LED lighting is an additional option its crazily energy efficient!
- Recessed Lighting – There are two schools of thought…the recessed lighting strategy is either
- Equally spaced in a logical grid type pattern.
- Positioned over certain elements without having a strict grid pattern. Give thought to which you prefer, keeping in mind if a light is off center close to a featured cabinet, it could look like a mistake.
- Take care in your planning. Me, I generally look to see what functions are vital in the kitchen, and from time to time use a certain feature as a beginning point and then move off from that, like the hood, for example.
- Then, of course, get ready to do it all over again as soon as the electrician says, \"lady, there\'s a beam in the way!\"
BOB\'S BONUS - for the a number of individuals like me that left on the light over the stove for years so they could discover their way to the refrigerator at 2 am or the client that likes mood lighting. I suggest putting and extra couple of outlets above the wall cabinets and plug get some wonderful uplighting with inexpensive rope lighting. These can be controlled manually or with automatic timers either way it gives and upscale look for a bargain price!
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Bob Gockeler
