KITCHEN LIGHTING IDEAS

In today's big homes, the kitchen has become the center of activity. This is because the modern kitchen is being built much larger than kitchens of yesteryear. Kitchen lighting has become an important consideration knowing that much time will be spent in this room.

Kitchen lighting design does not have to be museum quality but it does have to be thought out carefully. As the kitchen is the busiest room in the house, the lighting needs to be able to accomodate all activities. It needs to be bright enough to cook and to maybe do homework on the kitchen counter and it also needs to be right for gatherings and parties.

Of all the kitchen design ideas, the lighting might be the most important because it sets the mood for your kitchen. You will have to decide whether you want track lighting, flourescent tube lighting, or some other type of lighting to produce the desired effect. In addition, lights may be placed under countertops and over sink areas to make the lighting functional.

The main light source in most kitchens is flourescent lighting but that may not produce the warm feel to your kitchen that you desire. In that case, you may want to replace the flourescent tubes with some sort of track lighting that will look much better and give the kitchen and updated look. LED lighting is becoming popular even though it is more expensive at the outset. Home LED lighting will indeed save you money and the case for LED lights become more compelling as energy prices rise and governments make new laws.

Accent lighting can be used strategically to highlight different parts of the kitchen that you would like to bring attention to. All sources of lighting must work together to create a great kitchen ambience. Proper and creative lighting is one of the kitchen design ideas that you should spend a fair amount of time on to make sure you get it just right.

EVERY KITCHEN NEEDS AN ISLAND

Out of all the kitchen design ideas to come along in the last 20 years, the kitchen island is by far the most popular. If you go house hunting, it will be very hard for you to find a new construction home with no kitchen island.

In order to have an island, the kitchen must be big enough or else it will just look silly. However, for kitchen areas that are big, the island adds depth and functionality. The kitchen island gives you more work space as well as more storage area. It allows you to have more room on the other counter tops along the walls as some of the appliances might be either stored in the island or put on top of it.

The kitchen island also just looks good, if done right. Probably the most important aspect of installing a island in your kitchen is making sure you have enough room to not only make it look right, but also to have enough room to maneuver. If it is in too small a place will end up being a disaster as it will look strange and take away room to work. You also have to have room for the kitchen stools you will want to put around the island so that people can sit and enjoy themselves.

When deciding what kind of island you would like to have, you need to decide whether you want something elaborate and custom built or something on the simple side. The more expensive kitchen islands now come with sinks, stove tops, small refrigerators, and washing machines. If you want all of those your kitchen should be quite large and it should look like it fits in and is not forced in.

A simple island with just a surface can still be one of the better kitchen design ideas if you don't have the room or budget to go with something more fancy. If your kitchen is not a "Martha Stewart" kitchen, don't feel like you have to get the whole deal. Something simple is often the thing that looks the best.