Kitchen and Bath Lighting is More than a Trend…It’s a Must Have!
When you watch the numerous renovation shows available on TV, have you noticed that kitchen and bath lighting doesn’t get the airtime and love that tile, flooring and countertop selection get?
That’s unfortunate, because kitchen and bath lighting is a critical part of interior design. In fact, some designers specialize in lighting. We talked to Kitchen Craft’s Kelly Murray-Curé, who designed the kitchen below, and she shared lighting basics.
There are four types of kitchen and bath lighting:
- Natural. Just as it sounds, this is the light available from windows, doors, and skylights. Many homeowners will select a wall paint color only after viewing a color sample as both a sunny day and a cloudy day progress. Smart!
- Ambient. An example of ambient lighting is shown in the kitchen photo above, under the base cabinets. Imagine that you have an open concept kitchen-living area. It’s movie night and you need another soda. Ambient light lets you navigate the kitchen without disturbing the movie watchers. Many homeowners opt for this feature in bathrooms to ease midnight trips. Warm and inviting, ambient light also adds visual interest to a room.
- Task. A common example of task lighting is a wall cabinet that has under-cabinet lighting to illuminate an area on the counter for food prep chores. Elsewhere in the home, homeowners benefit from focusing additional light on their favorite activities: crafts, sewing, reading, etc.
- Accent. Use accent lighting to draw the eye to art, a sculpture, a specimen plant, an accent wall, exposed brick and other features you want to highlight. Skimming an accent light across a texture creates drama and depth.
A “hardwired” light source means the light source is permanently connected to the electrical circuit instead of being plugged into an outlet. Obviously, hardwiring is easier to do for a new build project than a renovation. If you are remodeling and don’t wish to open walls to hardwire, note there are battery-operated and plug in lights that don’t require hardwiring. Kitchen and bath lighting is both functional and decorative. Talk to your Kitchen Craft designer about your options.
Kelly is a designer at our Winnipeg Kitchen Craft showroom on Regent Avenue. She is a graduate of University of Manitoba’s highly regarded Interior Design program.