How to Create a Feel-Good Kitchen

 Have you ever walked into a friend's kitchen and immediately felt comfortable and relaxed? Chances are, the designers of that kitchen knew how to weave together ambient, task and decorative lighting to both maximize function and engage emotions. To achieve a feel-good kitchen, start by considering the ambient lighting or overall brightness. Factors include:

Kitchen size. Larger kitchens will require brighter bulbs or additional light fixtures; smaller kitchens won't require as bright or as many lights.
Light needed to see well into cabinets and drawers. Where light fixtures are placed relative to cabinet openings is important -- avoid lighting negatives such as a "scalloped" light effect.

Wall color and cabinet finish. Lower intensity lighting will be sufficient for walls that are all-white or light in color. Darker walls or dark finishes on cabinets will require higher intensity ambient lighting.

Location and number of windows and doorways. In addition to the number of windows in the kitchen, doorways to other rooms, skylights and patio doors may play a huge role in ambient lighting. Also consider the direction windows face and how that will affect the light at various times of year.

Next, a feel-good kitchen needs good task lighting. These days, home owners use their kitchens for a variety of purposes. It's often the ideal location for a busy family's central computer. In addition to eating, a breakfast bar may be used for homework, art projects and bill-paying. And of course good task lighting at key food preparation areas is essential.

Once you have defined the areas of your kitchen requiring task lighting, consider:

Mini pendant lights. A good choice when helpful task lighting and style are important, such as over a counter top, kitchen island or breakfast bar.

Cabinet lights. Help illuminate dark corners under cabinetry and other shaded areas.

To get the best countertop lighting, place the fixture under the cabinet towards the front edge so that light hits the center of the counter.

Dimmer switches.

Use dimmers to expand your lighting options. Dimmers allow you to instantly transform task lighting into mood lighting without investing in additional fixtures. A perfect choice for smaller kitchens.

Given how much time is spent in the kitchen, it's essential that it be beautiful as well as comfortable and functional. 

Decorative lighting adds the final touches to bring the room to life. Choosing the right decorative elements is easy. Step back and assess the following:

What is the overall style of your kitchen? Where does it fall on the modern to traditional continuum? Is it more formal or more causal?

What are the unique architectural features of your kitchen? Are there structural aspects of the room you'd like to enhance, or to disguise?

Is there a particular style or theme that has been established? Does stainless steel have a definite ppresence?

Have you established an earthly look? Or are you making a bold, funky look with lots of color and modern lines?

Having a clear sense of your kitchen's personality will guide you. There's a spectacular range of decorative fixtures available so changing to a new style, augmenting or contrasting the existing theme or going for an eclectic look is all within reach. Decorative pendant lighting, chandeliers, or fixtures that incorporate colorful glass, specialized paper, or fixtures of various materials such as wrought iron, stainless steel, wood, or re-purposed green materials are just some options to consider.

Not only the style of lighting, but the color or your lighting can affect the overall feel of the room, and is an important consideration for ambient, task, and decorative lighting. Keep these general guidelines in mind when considering color:

Color temperatures best for kitchen ambient and task lighting is warm to neutral (2,900-3,600 Kelvin ratings). This range is also ideal for food presentation.

Match incandescent temperature between recessed and pendant lighting.

Avoid mixing warm and cool lighting (3,600-5,500 Kelvin) to avoid an unsettling visual affect and undermine a cohesive look.

It's not just a cliché? -the kitchen is the heart of the home. It's where family and guests inevitably gather and it's the one room that can make or break the sale of a house. Thoughtful and informed decisions about types and styles of kitchen lighting contribute to function and comfort and are essential ingredients to a feel-good kitchen.

Accessories

Some times to make your kitchen unique and stylish you need to give a final touch with the accessories. To organize and make your kitchen easy functional you can have installed in your new kitchen some of the following accessories: cabinet door knobs, spice racks, trash cans, build-in trash cans, kitchen faucets, kitchen curtains, soap/lotion dispensers, sidesprays, drainboards, disposal flanges, pot racks, cutting boards, wine racks, lazy susans and corner systems etc.