Discuss Help with lighting ideas... on IKEAFANS.com. We're Personalizing the IKEA Experience. Help with lighting ideas... - Need help with planning your remodel? Want a kitchen planner to review your ideas? This is the happenin' spot!.
I want lots of light for my old eyes. My DIL says she will murder me if I put back up the florescent light fixture from "the old kitchen" which I am planning on doing. They are very plain 12"x 48" x 2.5" 4 tube T8 daylight bulbs each. They run length wise in the kitchen with a space for a small ceiling fan between. I love the light they put out but don't want to be killed.
I also plan on under cabinet lighting by the sink and bar. There is halogen lighting in the range hood and the glass fronted cabinet will be lit. I have plans for some type of lighting over the sink and shelves beside it, not sure what yet and there is a switch in place for something over the bar too.
Sigh, I am not real fond of the can light look. Having never had them I get the impression that the lighting from them is very spotlightish. Is that true?
Any though on general lighting? Suggestions for over the sink area and over the bar?
Slate flooring, oak on the bar, most likely concrete counter top on the sink side.
Each fixture is designed to accommodate two 60-watt bulbs or the equivalent in compact fluorescents. I plan to arrange them in my squarish ceiling, about 3' from each corner (far enough that cabinet doors won't bump them) and put dimmable compact fluorescent bulbs in them. We just got them this week, so they aren't installed yet. I'm a little bitter, because the price has dropped considerably in the 2 weeks since I ordered them.
They extend about 4" from the ceiling to the bottom of the glass, and I thought they looked contemporary enough to mimic can lights without actually being can lights. (I'm hoping they won't look as if ET phoned home and requested that an entire squadron be sent to pick him up.). If the stainless rim doesn't appeal to you, I think they're available in white, too. I'm hoping that since they are surface mounted, all the light will be available to the kitchen, without having the beam narrowed the way can lights are. My
DD
's can lights drive me crazy - not bright enough! My husband claims that commercial aircraft could mistake my sewing room for a runway, and I hope these are almost that bright.
DD definition
DD can mean Dear Daughter, Dishdrawer(s) or Design Diva
Those are nice lights you picked. I think they will work fine for your square kitchen. They look like those solar tube light ends.
We went last night to the two big box store and they have nothing that appeals to me. The florescent fixtures are are all big and bulky pillow looking things or have big ornate ends on them. My "old ones" are looking better and better. There were some square shaped ones that were more art deco/modern looking but the wood frames would have to be painted white or black brown to match the cabinet. I seem to not be able to leave things unmodified.
Maybe the existing lights and then some retro pennants over the sink? Maybe can lights over the bar counter or a lighted pot rack if it won't be to visually bulky?
I have not really put too much though into lighting and I can tell how I am floundering about with it... it's not my strong point. I am so confused. I had planned to wait till the kitchen is all in to decide but now I think that is a bad idea... maybe?
Must go finish painting so the floor slate can begin this weekend. Still have to scrub and seal half of that too. Exhaustion has set in and it's slow going but moving ahead.
Lizbethcat, I thought I'd update you on the ceiling lighting we chose...okay, the lightingI chose.
Let me be brief.
Don't do it unless you want to learn Braille.
Bummer!
We repainted the cases white on the old florescent fixture, cleaned the covers, bought new daylight bulbs and put them up. I love them and DIL did not murder me. In fact she stated "They don't look awful."
I still have not made a decision on the over the sink area and the over that bar area. I will wait till all the cabinets are in....moving ahead but S-L-O-
W
-L-Y. As of today I have a pantry area minus the doors and the stove area done! Now on to the totally custom sink cabinets!
W definition
W is a wall cabinet designation, as in W18, can be a stand-in for Wide, or when followed by a / stands for With.
Awww, that's too bad P.S....you're usually right on the the money with this stuff, so I feel bad for you. I figured if you liked those lights, then MY old eyes would benefit from them as well, since we are still debating (translate: arguing) about lighting here. We installed a couple of multi-light LED and halogen IKEA fixtures over the island and sink, but my
DH
(aka, OCD-guy, haha) is still obsessing about not having "enough" light. Our ceiling is fragile and won't tolerate being drilled/retrofitted from above, so I'm not sure what we'll end up with....ah, the pleasures of the "kitchen reno that never ends".......
DH definition
DH usually means Dear Husband (or, pick your own adjective starting with D).
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