Kitchen Lighting - No Under Cabinet Lighting Because No Cabinets!
We are building a new home and in our great room we will have a "working kitchen" design. The room is single pitch vaulted space (shed roof) that is 11-12' high (read "very high ceilings"), so is a very different animal from our super low ceiling post-ware shoe box we live in right now. The room in the new home will have integrated LED wash lighting on dimmers. But for task lighting and such we have some work to do, and it is such a new concept to our brains, we could use some help imagining what to do with the kitchen lighting.
The cooktop will be in the eat-at island, and largely will be lit by the hood over it. We may add a couple small pendants on the counter side of the island, so that we have a dimmable task light option on the island. But this isn't the one we're worried about. It's the other part of the main kitchen that is the head scratcher.
On the wall behind the island is a 9 foot wall and run of counter. There will be a sink in the middle of the lower cabinets, and there will be no upper cabinets here. To the left will be 36" of open shelving with serving ware, glassware, bowls, and such. To the right will be a 36" section of rails with commonly used hanging pots, pans, tools, etc. Think like a section of Julia Childs' walls or this:
We are struggling with how to light this area of the kitchen. In our current home, we have under and over cabinet lights that we use daily. Like, the under cabinet lights are on 24/7 as day and night lights as our central house lighting. During parties, we don't even turn on the main lights in the kitchen, we usually just turn on the over cabinet lights and it's the perfect mood lighting to bring the lights up without making it too bright. The under cabinet ones are wonderful ambient light all the time, great task lighting, and our home feels dark when it is off. It is strange to imagine not having something similar in the new home, but...without cabinets, and with those rails, what do we do?
Anyone have any creative ideas for this conundrum?
Comments (6)
4 years agoRelated Discussions
Looking for pics of kitchens w/under cabinet lighting
Comments (15)Paul_ma how do you like the Xenon Linear? I just saw a home display using it and was surprised how brightly and evenly it lights the under cabinet area with minimal heat. I believe the system I saw was also a Seagull and used 10Watt bulbs. Did you put your lights all on a single dimmer switch? The system I saw used a transformer built into a cabinet but the switch was able to control multiple lighting tracks that spanned several different cabinet walls. I have found that the larger strip fixtures that use Xenon lights still generate alot of heat similar to Halogen, but my impression was that heat was much less of an issue with the smaller bulbs used in linear lighting systems. Do you find the light output to be adequate? Another company I am reading up on that uses linear Xenon track lighting is called Kichler. They have both 5W and 10W bulbs available....See Moreunder cabinet lighting vs under cabinet paper towel dispenser?
Comments (36)If anyone is interested, contrary to my own plan I wound up installing the UC panels under the front of the cabinets instead of the back. I did this everywhere except the PT holder. There, I mounted one just behind it, not all the way to the rear. The choice for me was simple: I could see the panels in the back and not in the front. The PT holder hides the panel to an acceptable degree, and there is no noticeable inconsistency between the PT panel and the next one in front thanks to excellent diffusion. The glare/reflection I worried about is not a factor and I've got a dual wireless dimmer mounted to the wall. Very happy with the results! Thanks again to everyone for your help. Btw, I used "Independence" dimmers and "Designer" panels both by InspiredLED. Peter did a good job, quickly providing plans and suggestions and also fixing a hiccup when a piece arrived defective....See Morekitchen lighting pot lights, under cabinet lighting, pendant lights
Comments (21)The type of lighting that is typically on its own switch includes pendant lights and over sink lights. This allows for more control over the lighting in specific areas of the kitchen. In terms of combining lights, you can consider combining the under cabinet lighting with the pot lights to provide overall ambient lighting in the kitchen. The pendant lights over the seated counter can be combined with the over sink light to create a focused task lighting area for food preparation or other activities at the counter. For the room size of 10'x16', having 6 pot lights should provide adequate lighting coverage. For outlet locations, it is recommended to have outlets installed along the countertops for convenient use of small appliances. Additionally, consider adding outlets near the seated counter for charging devices or using small appliances while seated. Be sure to follow local electrical codes and regulations when determining outlet locations....See MoreKitchen Under Cabinet lights
Comments (2)Definitely yes to undercabinet lighting (UCL). Make sure to specify that their switches are dimmer switches (an inexpensive thing, and important). Make sure to specify that the UCL is installed toward the front of the upper cabinets, not toward the back. Electricians like to install them toward the back just cause it’s easier for them and might save them 15 minutes. Do not omit specifying that the UCL be installed toward the front of the upper cabinets....See MoreRelated Professionals
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acm: We will have "can lights" of a sort in the space, but as I said, they will be 11 feet up, and the ceiling is angled, so it will be wash lighting, not task lighting. We are specifically seeking light that will be able to be closer in and won't be able to be easily shadowed by heads, which is the benefit of under cabinet lights, ya know?
jslazart, I was wondering about something like that coming off the side wall. Even thinking about something like this, this, which could be moved out of the way or directed as needed to where you are working, but wonder if it would look too busy:
I have yet to see a kitchen quite like ours, but will see if I can grab a good angle of what I am working with in Google Sketch Up to show you what I am working with.
Thanks for the responses! 
4 years agoI had the same concern re looking busy, which is why I picked the fairly simple white ones. Another option could be to put under-cabinet lights under the open shelves and then use a light or two mounted to the pegboard (or mounted to the rails) on the other side...
PRO4 years ago- 4 years ago
jslazart