Kitchen Lighting Tips | The Family Handyman

The kitchen in the house where I grew up was lit by a single fluorescent ring bulb smack dab in the middle of the ceiling. It was too bright when you clicked it on for a midnight snack and too dim when it came to reading the fine print on the Nestle chocolate chip package. But like most kitchen lighting back then, it “worked. ”

These days, “workable” just doesn't cut it. Most kitchens now serve as dining room, office and family room. Lights are on in the kitchen more than in any other room in the home. And since we cook, work, play and pay bills there, we need a wide range of lighting to create a pleasant environment for all our activities and to prevent eyestrain and accidents.

In the course of totally remodeling a kitchen or building a new home, you might be able to afford the luxury of working with an architect or designer to get your lighting and wiring just right. But until then (which for some of us is never), there are simple ways to improve kitchen lighting without a lot of hassle, dust and expense. Here are a few of the easiest, least painful improvements.

Figure A: Track Lighting

Replacing an existing central light fixture with track lighting allows you to direct general, task and accent lighting where you need it.

Note: You can download Figure A and enlarge it in the Addendum below.