Quirky kitchen remodel: ambient, task, and natural light.
Layout:
Elevations:
Pre-drywall electrical is next week, so I need to finalize where I want my boxes.
Questions:
1. Natural light first: Does the proposed south-facing clerestory window look odd? It won't be cheap, but the house really lacks natural light currently. If we moved the hood ductwork (routing it either out through the garage or out at about 8.5' up instead of all the way up to the 11' ceiling), we could make the window wider. I am at a loss as to what will look best.
2. Are there any good alternatives to can lights for a vaulted ceiling? Cans would compromise the insulation. All options I've found look like targeted spot lights (often with integrated LEDs) that don't seem like they will work well for ambient lighting.
3. How does my lighting plan look otherwise? I feel like the clean-up sink wall is a mess and 3 wall lights there will look crowded, but I don't want to have insufficient task lighting. We mostly do dishes after dark or before dawn. I'm also not sure where to put task lights on the range wall with that pesky HVAC vent in the way.
Thanks everyone for your help.
Comments (7)
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Comments (5)My research and experience say 450 lumens at the counter for task lighting. The light has to be placed in front of the person working at the counter to avoid casting a shadow over the stuff you're chopping with a sharp knife. Sizing the bulb requires consideration of the ceiling height for distance, the beam spread as a spot of 20* or 40* and the color temperature of say 3000k with good CRI like 90 for color accuracy. Juno has Gen2 2" can fixtures that are up there in price produce 1000 lumens at the bulb. If you have upper cabinets led strip undercabinet lights can add to overhead lighting. LED 17.5w A19(regular screw-in bulb format) 100w equivalent bulbs in 5-6" white recessed can fixtures($15) are the least expensive. 4 dimmable Feit bulbs are $7 at Costco in my state. These make good ambient lighting in bedrooms and kitchens. Maybe four for your 237sqft space. You can use them for flood overhead task lighting for a very affordable plan....See More
jslazart
4 years ago- PRO
Madden, Slick & Bontempo, Inc
4 years ago jslazart
4 years agoThe range wall is south, and the garage is behind it. The garage has a flat roof--so we can do a window about 8.5' up on the wall. The peak of the ceiling is about 13', so it's at about 11' directly above the range. Yes--we get blasted by afternoon sun on the sink wall, though it is somewhat mitigated by a chunky porch pillar (all year) and a large oak tree (during summer). Specs for the range require 36" to the hood (it's a thermador pseudo-professional gas range).
I don't have uppers on the range wall (personal preference), so I can't do light strips / under cabinet lights / hidden outlets there, but I do want lights under the upper cabinets on the refrigerator wall.
Thank you all for your feedback and help!
What if I add more spots and space them out differently?
I found some thin-ish LEDs that allow for 4000k and 11 degrees of tilt, though they are only 540 lumens a piece: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Commercial-Electric-Slim-Directional-6in-Selectable-New-Construction-and-Remodel-Canless-Recessed-Integrated-LED-Kit-for-slope-ceiling-91282/306079885
Madden, Slick & Bontempo, Inc