Residential kitchen lighting

[nizak]

Would like suggestions on recessed lighting layouts in kitchens.

Some options:
- layout cans wherever they end up in straight rows and evenly spaced regardless of cabinet bump outs etc. Usually results in lighting behind you as you stand at the counter.
- layout cans according to cabinet configuration regardless of if they are equally spaced or different distances from the wall.

Thanks for any tips.

- layout

 

[LarryFine]

I usually go for the latter. I like it to look like the lights were placed on purpose.

 

[nizak]

I usually go for the latter. I like it to look like the lights were placed on purpose.

I generally end up with that as well.

 

[kwired]

Either arrangement you need to place the row that is parallel to a countertop so it is obviously not behind the plane of any upper cabinets, but not much beyond a plane directly above edge of counter top to lessen chances of a person having their own shadow cast upon the counter. The higher the ceiling is the further in front of the edge of counter top you can place them and not have this effect.

Unless the room is rather large you seldom need more recessed lights than what it takes to follow perimeter of counters as well as having either recessed or other style lights over things like islands and peninsulas.

Under cabinet lights take away the extra dark spaces below the upper cabinets, and make any tile back splashes stand out more if they have those.

 

[LarryFine]

From the wall/upper cabinets out, I try to place countertop recessed lights centered over the edge of the counter, so they're half over the counter, half over the floor.

Side-to-side, I try to center lights on the upper cabinet doors. Centered over one door, centered between two doors, three doors may get two, four may get two or three.

 

[kwired]

From the wall/upper cabinets out, I try to place countertop recessed lights centered over the edge of the counter, so they're half over the counter, half over the floor.

Side-to-side, I try to center lights on the upper cabinet doors. Centered over one door, centered between a pair of doors, etc. Three doors may get two or three, etc.

I don't normally try to do that unless some other detail is desired to highlight in some way. Sometimes I don't even have enough of a cabinet detail at rough in to do this, sometimes ceiling framing members dictate that I can't put something where I want to and we come up with something alternate to the original idea.

General rule is no more distance between luminaires than the distance between work surface and the luminaire though. So 5 feet max with an 8 foot ceiling 6 feet with a 9 foot ceiling. Usually ends up closer that is just the max and is for 65-75 watt incandescent equivalent luminaires.

 

[James L]

I try to separate the lighting into general lighting and task lighting

General lighting can be in any configuration you want. Between wall cabinets and an island or just in a square or rectangle, really anything that will light the entire room when you walk in.

This is always determined by the layout of the kitchen. One size or shape does not fit every scenario

Then task lighting:

Over an island I will do gimbals in conjunction with pendants

Under cabinet LED strip lighting reduces the need for so much general lighting.

 

[PaulMmn]

Two areas that need work lights: there's the "above-the-sink" work light, and "under-the-hood" light over the stove. "Over-the-island" would be a third.