Lighting Plan for Small Kitchen Needed by FRIDAY!

13 years ago

Out of all the decisions we have or need to make for some reason I am finding lighting is one that I feel the most clueless about. And now the electrician needs a lighting plan by Friday morning!!

Here are some notes about our layout. There is going to be 15.25"x15.50" prep sink in the corner cabinet. The peninsula is approx 56.5" long and is going to have a small overhang of 10" (I know 12-15 is better but I do not have the room). The wall without a sink has 78" of shallow 12" deep floor to ceiling pantry cabinets. The dining area is still being decided but our plan is to put bench/banquette seating along the wall without the window and a either a round or rectangular extended leaf table. The wall with windows faces east. We are having white cabinets, natural oak wood floors, ss appliances and soapstone counters (if that helps with figuring how much light we already have).

1) We would like some recessed can lights--but not sure how many or where to put them.

2) We are not sure if pendants would be a good idea along the peninsula, if so how many-- 2?

3) Should we try to incorporate any electrical outlets on the pantry wall?

4) Under cabinet lights--yes or no?

5) What kind of lighting is best above the sink?

6) Am I missing something?!?

I would appreciate any advice!! TIA for your help! :)

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (6)

willtv
13 years ago
Newbie, you're probably best off also posting this on the lighting forum. The people over there are very knowledgeable and helpful.
breezygirl
13 years ago
I suggest you take your detailed plan to a lighting store where someone knowledge about kinds of lighting and spacing can draw something up for you.

A few random thoughts on your questions.

1. A lighting pro can help with this. They are spaced differently depending on the size.

2. There are pros and cons of pendants vs can lights over the peninsula. Depending on your height and the ceiling height, pendants can block your view across the room. Extraneous visual "stuff" bothers me tremendously so I've decided on cans over my island open to the family room. But I'm still getting the decorative effect of pendants by putting two over the peninsula b/w kitchen and DR. I don't mind the bit of blocking there as I won't be working over the peninsula much.

3. If the pantry isn't floor to ceiling all the way across, code will require outlets on that wall.

4. Yes! You'll have to decide on LED, xenon, cfl, etc. Try a search here or through google for threads on specific kinds of UC lights. A lighting pro can walk you through the differences too. The corner where the wall cabs and peninsula meet could be dark.

5. It's what you like. You could do a pendant, especially if you forgo them over the pen. Cans work great, as do flush mounts if you want something decorative.

6. Will you put a chandy over the table?
Related Discussions
Lighting Plan for Small Kitchen Needed by FRIDAY!
Q
Comments (4)
I agree about the under-cabinet lights. They are highly recommended by lighting professionals for task lighting. Task lights should be between your head and work surface to prevent shadows from your head. I would still consider recessed adjustable cans. What you would want to avoid are straight downlights for general fill or ambient lighting. It is better to cross-light (direct the beam at an angle)and have lights bouncing off the ceiling and walls, so you avoid the blinding and eye fatigue that can occur when looking at a mirrored/ reflected surface. I would also avoid putting can lights behind your head where your head would cast shadows on your work surface. I would put pendants above the peninsula for ambient light. Either opaque or translucent. There are even nice fluorescent pendants now that both energy efficient and give a beautiful light. Fluorescents have come a long way. You can now get them in a variety of different types and color temperatures. Peach and pink undertones are the most flattering for people's skins. Above the sink, I would do two recessed lights on either side that cross light the sink area. One single light would create the problems mentioned before. With the soapstone counters (non-reflective) you have less to worry about since you won't get the mirrored effect you get with polished surfaces. Your white cabinets will also reduce your lighting needs a lot - an all-white kitchen needs something like 40-60% less light than a dark-colored kitchen. Would you want the option of plugging anything in along the pantry wall? If so, yes, I would put outlets there. I put outlets in my walk-in pantry so I could have the option of plugging in small appliances/ charging phones. All the best. I think you'll have a beautiful kitchen! I love your white, soapstone, wood floor combo.
...See More
Need help planning kitchen in small, old, cheap house
Q
Comments (11)
weedyacres, I keep looking at your pics and plans, and I'll just give you some of my thoughts. I'm not a designer, but I did a partial remodel/facelift to a 1920's cottage kitchen, mostly DIY, with help from family members. I used some existing cabinets, some vintage/salvage finds, and a few cheap cabinets from Lowe's. I kept costs down by using a lot of scraps that we'd accumulated from other projects. The main expense was widening a doorway, and building a laminated beam. Without flooring (which still hasn't been started), I spent around $3000. I didn't move plumbing or gas, but moved a 220v line across the room to relocate an electric stove. It seems that you have two choices: 1) Do the least amount of work to make the space liveable for the short time that you'll be there, then make allowances in the sale price for the new owners to update as they wish (my choice if I was purchasing the house from you.) 2) Spend enough now that a buyer/renter will be impressed with the kitchen and be willing to pay enough for you to recoup your investment. In your place I'd choose the first option, and consider keeping the old cabinets--maybe remove the cabinet above where stove was located, to make enough height for the fridge. Move the sink to the opposite wall, and slide a range into the former sink location--you'll be replacing the sink cab anyway. I'd leave the door on the right where it is, with very shallow open shelves on the outside wall, wide enough that getting through that door is comfortable. Then have a standard depth sink/cabinet/counter extend to the laundry wall--that door could be moved over as you've noted in your new plan. A broom closet or freestanding cabinet could go on the other side of the laundry room door. You have the fridge drawn there, but most fridges are more than 24" deep. Put the DW left of the sink, and the freestanding cabinet (which would also be appropriate to the age of the house) could be used for dish storage, close to the door to the dining area. With space and budget constraints, same as in my kitchen BTW, an ideal layout may not be possible. And I know some folks will have the opinion that if you're going to start moving things around, you might as well go all the way. Nevertheless, I hope you can save the existing cabinets and have a pleasant, charming kitchen. *Edited for clarification. This post was edited by mama_goose on Sat, Mar 2, 13 at 18:00
...See More
Help with lighting plan for small kitchen, please
Q
Comments (6)
Ann, Yes those finishes are always best to be considered as part of the overall aesthetic and in planning the lighting - paint colors, reflective (& non-reflective) surfaces, counter materials, etc. all play a part in the lighting design. Yes, those minis should be a fine size. RE: 4"/5"/6" lights? Typically I suggest larger sizes as they can produce more lumens (more quantity of useable light) and always utilizing dimmers. More useable lumens is better for 'aging in place' concerns (where our eyes lose strength/perception as we age) and dimmer use can extend the life cycle of many bulbs. acm, Yes, under- (& over- where appropriate) cabinet lighting is an important element in the overall design. RE: distance from the wall. This is always important to figure out case by case. I.E. a 15" deep upper cabinet (or corner cabinets like Ann's plan) might not be good with 18" light location since it will create a 'hot spot' of lighting, where an 18" location over (or to either side of) a sink can be just right since we often 'lean in' while cleaning up (& for Ann's plan the single sink light is even closer to the wall, in the soffit that was mentioned).
...See More
Small galley kitchen recessed lighting need help
Q
Comments (2)
Follow up question. Will the 3000k appear yellowish? The CRI is 95. When I looked in the store it didn't seem yellowish--I just wasn't sure next to the white cabinets. Thanks!
...See More
puppeez
13 years ago
I had a KD who drew a plan, but was also fortunate to have an electrician with a number of years experience to suggest revisions and with code in mind. My space is 13.5 x 33, a combo kit/family room.

In the kitchen there are 5" cans about 3' out fr the wall, spaced ~4' apart. I have a 6' island with 2 pendants over that, and a pendant over the table. In addition, over the main sink I have 2) 4" cans, about 1' out fr the wall. I put LED under cab lights everywhere. I put dimmers on the ceiling cans and pendants.

Outlets everywhere you can imagine. My opinion is you can't have too many. You never know where you might need one in the future. Code here dictates all in the kitchen must be GFIC. And multiple circuits for using every appliance imaginable at the same time. Even if you think you never will and for appliances I don't own...yet.

In the family room, I moved the ceiling cans back to 2' fr the wall, and spaced them further apart, as they are only on when I want a lot of light, and on dimmers. Even with my outlet mindset, I missed putting an outlet where I ended up putting a table & lamp and now have a cord hanging across the floor 5'. grrrrrr.

For lights & outlets, my take is that more is better. I don't have to have all the lights on full blast, but I can if I need it. And I don't have to use all the outlets, but can if I want. Now is the time to add them all vs having to pay for another trip later to add an outlet you missed. : (
cplover
Original Author
13 years ago
Good thoughts puppeez--I think I will add a few outlets in the pantry even though I do not know what I would plug in there-- just so at least I have them. Same with lights-- that is what there are dimmers for right?
breezygirl
13 years ago
Lots of lights sounds great to me too--on the surface. But there is a downside. If you use a lot of cans just to have them, you end up with ceiling Swiss cheese. Not a good look in my book. ;) There is a sweet spot between not enough light and Swiss cheese. I'm desperately trying to find it for my house!
cplover
Original Author
13 years ago
Breezy-- good point. Fortunately things slowed down on this end so we have time to take our floor plan to a lighting store to get some more input as to the number of cans. The electrician thought 5. Not sure if that is good or not!

Lighting Plan for Small Kitchen Needed by FRIDAY!

Comments (6)

willtv

breezygirl

Related Discussions

puppeez

cplover
Original Author

breezygirl

cplover
Original Author

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

Lighting Plan for Small Kitchen Needed by FRIDAY!

Comments (6)

willtv

breezygirl

Related Discussions

puppeez

cploverOriginal Author

breezygirl

cploverOriginal Author

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

cplover
Original Author

cplover
Original Author