desperately need a light fixture consultation!
twochicklets
9 years ago
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twochicklets
9 years agotwochicklets
9 years agoRelated Discussions
HELP, I desperately need an electrical/lighting plan
Comments (4)I feel a lighting change might be advantageous because IâÂÂm doing a kitchen reno. My house is 30 yo and probably no longer code compliant. I ripped out the soffits because the new kitchen cabs go to the ceiling and I have to rewire the overhead fixtures because the wires above the soffit are a little short and have some mouse damage. I also need an electrician to install a new panel and rewire for wall ovens. So now might be an appropriate time to upgrade the lighting. Under-counter No doubt under-counter lights would improve task lighting. What IâÂÂm trying to decide is what features are best (line or low voltage), (LED, xenon, fluorescent), (pucks or tubes), (hardwire, plug-in). Overhead Although I think a semi flush fixture gives off better ambient light using fewer watts, pot lights are âÂÂde rigueurâ in new builds and renos in my houseâÂÂs price range. Halogen is most common. IâÂÂve never been a proponent of âÂÂkeeping up with the JonesâÂÂsâ but future resale is a possibility and I want my house to be competitive. Both electricians were negative about the $50 6 light 3â halogen kits from HD so yes, I do worry that the electricians are just trying to pad their bill. ThatâÂÂs why IâÂÂm asking for third party advice. I thought the cheap kits might provide a good stop-gap until LEDâÂÂs are more affordable. Could they easily be replaced in a couple of years with LED bulbs or new housings or would new wiring have to be run? The electricians went on about how they wouldnâÂÂt last and something about the number of wires that could be used was limiting??? I would like lighting that is attractive, provides good ambient and task lighting, efficient, but cost effective. I donâÂÂt want to put in lighting that will be the âÂÂbetaâ model in the future. IâÂÂm not sure what size and number of cans to buy so that their size is appropriate for 8â ceilings but will provide sufficient lumens without looking like Swiss cheese and burning the top of my sonâÂÂs scalp. I donâÂÂt know the best choices to make for beam spread, light temperature, type of socket. IâÂÂm hopelessly uniformed but I donâÂÂt have enough time to learn because the wiring needs to be done now. IâÂÂm not sure if it would be better to commit to a lighting plan right now, to have the wiring roughed in but wait until later to install new fixtures, or maintain status quo until IâÂÂm more knowledgeable and redo the wiring at that time. I am hoping that some of you will share your own expertise or what was installed by lighting designers/KD in your space....See MoreIn desperate need of backsplash ideas
Comments (21)Hi Straw, I agree that you should wait until your cabinets, appliances and floor are installed before you make a backsplash decision. We did that and it was the best thing, because as muscat and igloochic pointed out, the combination of choices you've already made may point toward something completely different and not be obvious until later. I also have a BlueStar with the island backsplash against a wall and soapstone counters. My original idea was to tile about 1 foot below the soapstone with generic tile to provide the firestop insulation BlueStar requires with the island trim. My DH, the engineer-who-always-overdesigns, felt we needed something beefier, so we used a piece of scrap soapstone behind the range. Our "backsplash" for the first couple of months was Reynolds Heavy-Duty aluminum foil. This took the pressure off from making a final decision until we (really just me) were sure of what would look good. We used a 7/8" glass mosaic with inset stainless tiles from costco.com. While not an engineer, I'm just as geeky, and positively obsessed with symmetry, precision, and plumb. I made a paper template of the entire backsplash area and placed the tile so we would not have to cut any. This also gave me a chance to rearrange some of the stainless and other tiles so it would look more random with no visible repeats. You can see the BlueStar backsplash at the link below. The rest of my backsplash is still painted as I haven't finalized my decision. Warning--I chose this particular backsplash because I wanted a dramatic focal point. Drama is not for everyone. I understand the temptation to go with a dark gray stone with the soapstone because that was my first instinct also. Do wait. Do a search on this site for soapstone and backsplashes to get ideas also. Here is a link that might be useful: My kitchen...See MoreDesperately trying to find light fixture like this one
Comments (4)In rooms where ceilings are of normal height, I'm not a big fan of recessed cans and other downlights. Surface mount luminaires that reflect light off the ceiling have an advantage over them when it comes to the evenness of the room's lighting. You don't get this indirect lighting advantage with the type of fixture you're thinking of, either. So you need more of them to get good task lighting. I understand your concern about exposing the ceiling's imperfections. But how many of your guests will actually look up to notice them? (That is, unless they end up horizontal for some reason. :-) That said, I think I remember seeing an LED luminarire similar to what you're asking for at one of the big box stores recently (either the orange one or the blue one). IIRC, it had a brushed nickel ring maybe 3" high with a translucent lens in the bottom. You might check their websites. You might also find an LED disk light to your liking. That's a luminaire that mounts in a conventional ceiling box, but looks a lot like a recessed can. I've used a few of them where I had low ceilings. They're OK....See MoreDesperately need kitchen wall color help
Comments (59)I so appreciate all of you! Thank you for your enthusiasm and support! The floors are espresso (minwax) with duraseal max (commercial finish bc we have sons and a cat) on top. The fabric I shared will be used in a large Roman shade above the sink (that three-part window). Remaining windows will have a minimalist treatment TBD....See Moreannzgw
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