Kitchen lighting has to do the work so you can, too

Lighting is often described as the jewelry of the home. But it's more crucial than that, especially in kitchens, where it's needed for slicing, dicing and reading recipes. So maybe the new catchphrase should be: "Lights are the eyes of the home."

"Kitchen lighting is so crucial and should be one of the first things people think about when they're designing or remodeling a kitchen, but it often gets last priority," says lighting consultant and interior designer Lisa Duncan of Kansas City, Mo. "People spend tens of thousands of dollars on their kitchens, but then you can't see the new improvements or what you're doing if the lighting isn't right. Then I come along, and drywall has to be ripped out."

Instead of overhauling her decades-old kitchen, Sasha Paulsen of Overland Park, Kan., updated the lighting in her favorite room.

Her dark kitchen, with only a can light above the sink and another above the prep area, was a problem. She couldn't always see what she had, especially in the corners under her cabinets.

With Shirley Allen of the Light Shop in Kansas City, Mo., Paulsen rethought the types of lighting in her kitchen.

Over the sink: She swapped the can for a glass-and-nickel pendant that provides better illumination, which is crucial for washing hands and cookware. Bonus: It's much more attractive.

Above the table: She replaced a 1960s scalloped metal fixture original to the house with a "more inspiring" metal sculptural one with white shades. The shades eliminate the glare of a bare bulb.

Under the cabinets: Lights were installed under the cabinets to illuminate the corners, making them more usable. And Paulsen sees a big difference when she's performing prep work, such as slicing vegetables with a sharp mandoline.

"It's changed my whole cooking and dining experience," Paulsen says. "And the process of kneading dough and baking bread, too."

Not only do under-cabinet fixtures provide proper task lighting; they add pleasant ambience for home entertaining.

"Adding under-cabinet lighting is the No. 1 thing you could do if you want to update your kitchen and make it more functional," says architectural and kitchen designer Billie Deatherage of Deatherage Home Designs in Kansas City.

Deatherage always includes dimmer switches in her remodeling and new construction plans.

"They are inexpensive and can give you the control to make your kitchen go from production mode to entertainment mode quickly. And they save energy."

Paulsen loves the difference a dimmer switch makes in her kitchen. But one of the challenges with kitchen lighting is that it adds heat.

Lighting consultant George McMillen of Wilson Lighting in Overland Park sees the problem all the time.

"People will remodel their kitchen and love it in the fall and winter, but then spring and summer comes and suddenly, it's too hot," McMillen says.

So McMillen is using more LEDs (light-emitting diodes), particularly in under-cabinet lights, versus xenon and especially halogen, because LEDs produce less heat and are more energy-efficient.

"The challenge with LED is the color: It can look too warm or too cool," he says.

Designers and lighting consultants are steering away from the matching pendants above an island.

"They're almost like a gate," says Allen of the Light Shop. "You want to move them out of the way so you can see what's happening in the kitchen."

This story was originally published October 1, 2011 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Kitchen lighting has to do the work so you can, too."