How much overhead light for a kitchen / dining room?
I'm working on my kitchen ceiling, and now's a great time to revisit lighting :-) The original is one of those 5' long shop lights that, while efficient, is super ugly and only worked about half the time. I can't think what they're called, but the bulbs look like this:
https://www.1000bulbs.com/product/203810/PHILIPS-479642.html
This level is open with the living room, dining room, and kitchen all sharing a space. I have a ceiling fan light in the living room that I plan to keep, and I'm hoping to replace the kitchen light and dining room chandelier (on a separate switch) with recessed lights.
The question is, how many recessed lights should I install?
The kitchen and dining room half of the floor is roughly 12' x 20'. The house is a split level and the ceilings have a peak; they're 8' at the walls, then rises to 14' in the center of the room:
The kitchen is in the bottom right of the pic (you can barely see a cabinet), the dining room and chandelier is in the middle of the pic, and the living room is to the bottom left of the pic (the orange wall separates the living room and dining room).
My plan was to put 4 recessed lights in the kitchen and then 2 in the dining room (on a dimmer). I'm of the belief that it's better to have too much than not enough, but my girlfriend thinks I'm going overboard and should only have 2 in the kitchen and 1 in the dining room.
Thoughts?
Comments (16)
palimpsest
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PRORL Relocation LLC
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kitchen lights, dining area light and living room lights
Comments (7)Hi Normel, Thanks for the suggestion. I opened the receptacle and the wires were taut (i.e. nothing was loose there). Of course, since the wires come through the sheet rock I can't see where it is coming from. All the sockets closeby and infact pretty much every socket appeared to have power. Somehow it is the living room lights, the kitchen lights and dining area lights that are not having power. All the sockets in the living room, fan and the lights that go with the fan have power. Any other suggestions? Any ideas about how I can check if the circuit breaker that supplies to this circuit is ok ? Thanks Regards, Mohan_R...See MoreNeed so much advice for kitchen/dining room/living room remodel
Comments (21)Your request for help is quite broad and without a lot of specifics. That makes it hard to answer. I'd suggest breaking it down for yourself and for us like this: 1) Before you start choosing finishes, you'll want to solidify your kitchen and likely furniture layout/orientation. You'll get the most help with that if you post a current floor plan of this entire floor drawn to scale with measurements noted on. Your architect might already have a floor plan you can share here, or you could make one with a tape measure and some graph paper. Generally a 1 square = 1 foot or 1 square = 6 inches is a good, usable scale. Please indicate on the plan which sections of which walls are coming down and any other features (good/bad views out certain windows, fireplace, ducting that can't be moved, etc.). Also note anything you'd particularly like to achieve layout-wise (e.g., an island, a view from the island to the TV, etc.). Post that and and people will have enough information to make helpful suggestions. 2) While you're fielding suggestions about your layout, sift through Houzz and Pinterest to find some inspiration pictures you like. Look for rooms that really sing to you and have the kind of appearance or feel you really enjoy in a home and want to achieve here. Once you have found, say, six or more pictures like that, post all of them together on here and ask people to help you review the images and figure out what the commonalities between the pictures are. This will help you identify what specific things you really respond to so you can include those deliberately in your new spaces. 3) After you can articulate what it is your really like and want to bring to this space, THEN repost this question about colors choices and finishes with that information. Provide your final floor plan (the result of #1), explain what specific finishes you like or what you're specifically trying to achieve through finishes (the result of #2), and then ask us how we'd achieve those stylistic preferences in this space that you have planned. You'll get MUCH more targeted, helpful help. Only then will people understand your taste and the space that we've got to work with. THEN they can say helpful things like, "You might like X paint on Y surface with Q backsplash, plus maybe G feature on M wall? That takes advantage of your space for K reasons while adhering to your taste." Also, some side notes: a) I think you'll have an easier time balancing the dining set with styles you prefer if you break up the set across several different rooms. Use the table in the office, the chairs in the dining room, and the hutch in the kitchen or whatever. With all three - the hutch, table, and chairs - together in the dining room (and being the only furniture in that room), the country note you don't seem to be a fan of will inevitably dominate that room. b) I disagree with Sophie that it makes sense to hire an interior designer at this time. When you bring in a professional, you want to have some idea of what you're asking them for. Something you want them to help you achieve. I don't think you have that yet, and free discussion here is a good way to pin down your own thoughts a bit more. c) I don't think whoever said this looked like an inexpensive house meant it in a denigrating way. You mentioned several very large ticket items (kitchen reno and opening up two separate stories of your house), and I think she/he was simply trying to make sure you're not putting more into the house than you can get back when you sell. That can be devastating. But in case that made you feel weird about having posted, rest assured that people post on here with every single kind of house. Is this the grandest house we've ever seen? No. Is it the humblest? Also no. But no one cares. We're all just here because we like improving homes. The starting point really doesn't matter....See MoreLight Switch Placement in Giant Kitchen/Dining Room Project
Comments (2)Hi @michelle nj - this thread is old, but what did you end up doing? I'm also considering a light switch panel with 5 switches, but wonder if that will look too "commercial" in my living room....See MoreAnyone have overhead lighting switches on two sides of the kitchen?
Comments (23)Yes to having multiple two way switches, for all the lighting in the kitchen. And, yes…all dimming capable. We have 3 types of lighting fixtures in the kitchen,,,semi-flush, recessed, and under cabinet, all on three gang switchplates. At either entrance to the kitchen, we can control the lighting. We’ve never found the need to have switches for the under cab lights at the counters, as we always turn on those lights first, as we enter the room. For quick visits to the kitchen, they’re all we need. If you use Lutron switches, lighting throughout the house, and all outside lighting too, can be controled via their very nifty app. Often, while in bed (just before going to sleep), I’ll check the app on my phone or iPad. The app will tell me if any lights were left on, and where. I‘ll turn them off while under the covers, roll over and enter dreamland....See More- PRO
Patricia Colwell Consulting
last year Jason, zone 7A, near Greensboro NC
last yearThe area is a little messy, sorry. I had a tree go through the roof a few months ago, and the contractors JUST finished repairing the roof today! So now the holes in the ceiling are up for repair, and while dealing with that I plan to install the new lights.
The living room, from the front door (there's a floor lamp in the left corner that you can't see):
The kitchen, standing next to the orange wall in the first pic:
I just turned to the left to get the pic of the dining room:
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RL Relocation LLC
last year Jason, zone 7A, near Greensboro NC
last yearpalimpsest
last yearJason, zone 7A, near Greensboro NC
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RL Relocation LLC
last year palimpsest
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jlc712
last yearThere are lots of options for under-cabinet lighting that use batteries or charge via USB (look on Am@zon. The plug for mine is above my cabinets, and the wire feeds down between cabinets.
No matter what you do, it will be a big improvement on the fluorescent light :-) I think you could do undercabinet lights, a fixed track light, and maybe a few recessed lights.
Industrial 3-Light Wood Close to Ceiling Track Lighting Spotlights, Black · More InfoJason, zone 7A, near Greensboro NC
last yearJason, zone 7A, near Greensboro NC
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JP L
last yearJason, zone 7A, near Greensboro NC
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chispa