Lighting placement for kitchen/living room?

Users who are viewing this thread

ImNoBobVila

New Member
Messages
2
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Location
Oregon
Hello, this is my first posting (and house) so be gentle :D

As you can see from the pics, the lighting is ridiculous...and hideous. It's very dim and cave-like once the sun goes down...well, even before. Two track lights and a single 3-or-4" recessed over the sink. I want all these gone. I would yank the ceiling fan but with no central AC...so it will probably get used a bit in the coming months.

Kitchen
IMG_1119.JPG

Table (not even centered)
IMG_1121.JPG


I do plan on refacing the cabinets and drawers in the next few months, along with tearing out the pale blue soffit above them (I've crawled around the attic and it looks clear aside from the stove vent). Along with new door/floor/window moulding. Possibly new counters and a back-splash. And paint the room...
light%20switches%20revised%20-%20painted.jpg


The not-to-scale diagram has the switch layout on it. I don't know if these will be enough for the new lighting as I was thinking under-cabinet, two banks of dimmable recessed warmer LED's (kitch/living) and something over the table (with possible above cabinet lights after soffit/cabinet job). Honestly, wiring switches/dimmers and/or adding more of them is the only part I'm apprehensive about (mostly the 3-way which needs to be single). I've never done electrical aside from changing some outlets, but I've read through the "Black & Decker Complete Guide to Wiring 5 Edition" and skimmed through some code eBooks, websites and watched a bunch of videos. I have full attic access and the panel is just inside the garage against the living room wall with open slots.

What do you guy/gals think, how would you light this kitchen/living room? (feel free to MSpaint on the floorplan!)

Also, the ceilings are only 7.5'

Pics from across each side of room:
IMG_1107.JPG

IMG_1108.JPG


Thanks!
 
Last edited:

hj

Master Plumber
Messages
33,602
Reaction score
1,038
Points
113
Location
Cave Creek, Arizona
Website
www.terrylove.com
There are so many options as far as lighting is concerned, that NO ONE can give you the "best" layout. 7'6" ceilings? Who designed the house Frank Lloyd Wright? Rewiring a "house" by just reading a book is not usually a recipe for a good installation. If it were, tradesmen would not have to go to school for years to get their licenses.
 

Dana

In the trades
Messages
7,889
Reaction score
509
Points
113
Location
01609
For filling in ambient light without glare, linear fluorescent uplighting on the tops of the kitchen cabinets does a FAR better job of shadow-free lighting than any type of ceiling fixture can (recessed or otherwise.) If the crown molding on the cabinet tops is 3" or more you can use cheap T8 (1" diameter tube) strip lights without the bare tube being visible , otherwise you can use thin-profile T5 (5/8" diameter tube) fixtures designed for under-cabient use, which tend to be 1-1/8 to 1-1/4" in height.

You can use the T5s or low profile LED fixtures under cabinets for task lighting, but place them toward the front edge of the cabinet directed back toward the wall rather than the common error of butting them against the wall facing the room. This puts the light closer to your work surface, an minimizes the shadows your hands cast over the actual work, while eliminating direct glare of the light coming at you from the wall. The wall behaves like a diffuser, reflecting the light onto the workspace from multiple directions to fill in the hand-shadow on the work space.

A recessed LED over the space in front of the refrigerator is often useful (to get a good look at the biology experiment you just pulled out at 3AM before deciding whether or not to eat it :) ), but you may want to use something more decorative like a pendant with a nice shade over the kitchen table if it's used as eat-in space.

In the living room an LED MR16 spot (or two) can highlight your wall-art to good effect. For ambient lighting wall sconces that wash both up and down the wall fills in nicely without too much glare. It's a project (but not too tough) to build lighting coves to be mounted 15-18" below ceiling (but above standing eye-level) to accomodate for T8 or T5 fluorescent strips for uplighting (preferably with dimmable ballasts and the appropriate compatible special dimmers) allows you to set quite a range of ambient light in a non-glare way.

To minimize glare and have more USEFUL shadow-free ambient lighting, recessed lights and other downlighting sparingly, and try to put at least 50% more wattage/lumens into up-lighting using the ceiling as the diffuser, with few direct lines from eyeball to bulb. Recessed cans were all the rage in 1950, but cove & valance lighting (and cabinent tops) are a more useful & comfortable ways to set the ambient light levels, since there is no glare inducing your pupils to constrict, and less shadow- contrast to strain your eye with. At any given light level as measured with a light meter, you get higher efficacy out of indirect lighting or a mix of up/down lighting. With a mix of light, the uplighting reduces the contrast on the ceiling between a recessed can-light and the now lit-up ceiling around it, which minimizes the pupil-constricting glare reaction.

There is quite a bit of lighting design information accessible on the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's Lighting Research Center website. Anyone is encouraged to dig into it quite a bit before laying out lighting in their space. Lighting design far more than just picking more attractive fixtures or a wiring problem, and can make a huge difference in the attractiveness & comfort of the space.
 

ImNoBobVila

New Member
Messages
2
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Location
Oregon
Wow, great post Dana! Thank you very much :D

Hj...I thought this was a DIY forum? Thanks for the warm welcome!
 
Top
Hey, wait a minute.

This is awkward, but...

It looks like you're using an ad blocker. We get it, but (1) terrylove.com can't live without ads, and (2) ad blockers can cause issues with videos and comments. If you'd like to support the site, please allow ads.

If any particular ad is your REASON for blocking ads, please let us know. We might be able to do something about it. Thanks.
I've Disabled AdBlock    No Thanks