Lighting Up the Kitchen - It's About More Than Just Adding Lighting Fixtures By Amanda Bashore Platinum Quality Author

If you're like a lot of homeowners, you're always dealing with lack of lighting in the kitchen. Many of us tend to live with an inadequate overhead fixture and maybe a small florescent under the counter. But when it comes to kitchen lighting it's about a lot more than just lighting fixtures. Light comes from many sources including the natural light that comes from windows, artificial sources such as lighting fixtures and the reflective lighting that comes from appliances and kitchen hardware such as cabinet door knobs and pulls.

Natural light: Not enough and Too Much

The amount of natural light you get during the day will have a lot to do with the number and types of lighting fixtures you'll need in your kitchen. If you're fortunate enough to have a window or two to provide lighting during the day you may not need any additional light, but if you have a small apartment or home kitchen with little or no natural day light, you'll definitely need to add some task lighting fixtures. Have a look at your kitchen to determine the areas you use most and add task lighting over each area.

What if you have the opposite problem of too much light streaming into the kitchen at certain times of the day? Then you won't need additional lighting fixtures but you can add blinds or curtains to block out some of the unwanted light. Adjustable blinds work well because you can control the amount of light and create some privacy at the same time. Even if the day is cloudy you can open the blinds completely and still reduce the amount of artificial kitchen lighting needed.

Reflective Lighting Can Set the Mood

Reflective lighting in the kitchen is more about the glamour and ambiance it provides than the actual usable lighting. Appliances, especially stainless steel, along with kitchen knobs and pulls can reflect the light in a kitchen and add a warm glow. This is where color plays a big part. It your kitchen is predominantly red or dark blue, your appliances and cabinet handles and pulls will create a warm glow while lighter colors such as yellow or light blue will create a cooler feel.
Of course changing your kitchen hardware is going to be a lot more affordable than changing your appliances. So if you want to add a specific atmosphere to your kitchen lighting, consider changing your cabinet door knobs and drawer handles. Stainless steel, nickel and clear or colored glass work well for this. The only tool you'll need is a screw driver and you can completely change the look and feel of your kitchen. Just remember that cabinet door knobs usually only have one screw hole while drawer pulls will have two. You'll want to replace your old hardware with the same type if you don't want to be drilling or patching holes.

When You Still Need More Kitchen Lighting

Still you may find yourself needing to add some extra kitchen lighting for times when natural lighting isn't enough. You can get lighting fixtures that are hidden under the cabinets, or recessed in the ceiling. Some may be easy do-it-yourself projects while others may require the services of an electrician. Determine the types of lighting fixtures you'd like to add before calling an electrician for an estimate. This can help you save time plus the electrician can tell you if there are any structural problems with what you have in mind. He can also help you to determine what additional lighting will work best for your kitchen.

Amanda works for Your Home Supply (YHS), the definitive website for Home and Garden products and information on a variety of home improvement products. Your Home Supply offer selections on cabinet knobs and stainless cabinet handles.

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