Most kitchens today serve more than one purpose for the average family. What had traditionally been a room for food preparation and storage, has now become a hub of activities that include bill paying, homework, and entertaining. With that in mind, the methods for lighting a kitchen have also changed. With a multi-purpose room comes the need for multi-purpose lighting.

One of the biggest problems with lighting in older homes is the shadow effect. While the lighting might be adequate for food preparation, it may leave the room dark and harder to see in other rooms. A centralized light source may even cause the cook to work in their own shadow when preparing food, which will make the job twice as difficult.

So when laying out your kitchen, thinking about the lighting scheme is just as important as what type of countertops you are planning on buying. Here are some of the key areas and how additional lighting will help

SINK / STOVE AREA- The last thing you want to have to deal with when working over the stove or sink is your own shadow. Most range hoods/microwaves on the market will provide for overhead lighting, but that won't help you over the sink. By installing some recessed lights over both areas, it will help illuminate the two most heavily used areas of the kitchen

COUNTERTOPS / PREP AREA- The countertops end up being the darkest area in the kitchen because of the cabinets above, and the shadow that is usually created by the cook. The easiest way to illuminate the countertops is to install small, undermounted lights. By installing them towards the back of the cabinets, and evenly spacing them apart, you will be able to provide a pool of light to the prep area without creating a glare on the work surface.

BREAKFAST BAR/ ISLAND AREA- The best way to add pools of light to your breakfast bar or island, is with pendant lighting. Most pendant lighting will not only have adjustable heights, but you can a touch of personality to the room because of the wide range of finishes and styles that are available. By installing a dimmer switch, you can also turn them into mood lighting.

DESK / WORK AREA - Since the desk/work area is usually stuck in the corner of the room, it is usually one of the most poorly lit sections of the kitchen. One of the current trends is to make a built in desk look like a piece of furniture. If that is the look you are going for, you may want to conside a simple desk lamp to accent the area. Undermounted lighting is also suggested for just above the desk.

KITCHEN CABINETS- The kitchen cabinets are often the focal point of most kitchens, so why not highlight them to show them off. By using angled downlighting on the cabinets, you can really show of the color and detail of the cabinets you selected.

So before starting your new house or your kitchen remodeling project, it is important to come up with a lighting plan as well. By thinking about what areas of the room are going to be most utilized, you can put together a lighting plan that will ensure adequate lighting for all of the many uses your kitchen will serve. I have been remodeling house for 15 years, and I have the secret to getting high qualitykitchen cabinets at an affordable price. Interested in finding out my secret? Follow these links to find out the secret to getting kitchen cabinets at 30-40% below retail prices