DESIGNER KITCHENS

ARTICLE ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN RESIDENTIAL LIGHTING JANUARY 2015

Your favorite kitchen lighting?

“Everything is in the mix when I design a kitchen lighting plan. LED ribbon lights are my favorite for lighting glass cabinets. The ribbon is so thin it can even be used in frameless cabinets. Run vertically, all of the shelves are lit equally without the need for glass shelving. Undercabinet lights, like AFX’s Xenon direct-wire system, are a task lighting must. They should be uniform, such as Xenon, rather than rope or ribbon lighting, if you are using a metal or polished stone top. If the island is a kitchen focal point, either pendants or one large island fixture, like the Double Sloane Street Shop Light, keeps the drama going. One trick I use in traditional kitchens is to build a soffit from moldings to corral the fixtures, as well as break up a massive ceiling. I prefer to use decorative flush or semi-flush mount lighting for the rest of the kitchen if possible rather than recessed lighting. All lights should be on dimmers!”