INTERIORS : Enlightened Planning Adds Special Glow to Kitchen Design

Reading recipes and searching cabinets for beans and beaters are a few kitchen tasks made easier when illuminated properly.

But your ability to see well as you work isn’t the only benefit: Careful design and decorating decisions also profit under the glow of good lighting. The appearance of colors and surfaces remains vivid, and your kitchen’s cheerful countenance doesn’t disappear just because the sun outside does.

To create a sound kitchen lighting plan, you’ll want to blend the three types of illumination: general or ambient lighting, task lighting and mood or accent lighting.

Your first challenge is to place fixtures that cast general or ambient illumination around the room. The number and location of fixtures depends on the size and layout of your kitchen. Ceiling-mounted and recessed fixtures make good choices. In a medium-sized kitchen (under 120 square feet), you could center one ceiling-mounted fixture (two or more for larger kitchens) and add recessed spotlights around the perimeter of the space.

When selecting a ceiling-mounted light, look for models that hang flush with or very close to the ceiling. The fixture should cast light through the sides of a translucent shade, not just downward.

For recessed downlights, use care in positioning them near cabinetry. “Choose downlights with a widespread beam,” says Michael Janicek, an architectural lighting designer.

Mary Pickett, who teaches interior and lighting design, points out another plus of perimeter downlighting--especially in smaller kitchen quarters: “I love lighting around the perimeter of a space because it can psychologically push that space back and make it look larger,” she said.

To place task lighting, consider what chores and activities you and your family perform in the kitchen--and where. Then, make sure each work area has its own bright, directed light source.

Every countertop needs light over it. Under-cabinet lighting works well for counters with cabinets above. When selecting under-cabinet lighting, make sure the manufacturer lists this application as suitable for the fixture you select. Place shallow under-cabinet fixtures, strips of low-voltage mini lights, or fluorescent channels as close to the front edge of cabinets as possible. Run the lengths of light into corners to eliminate shadows.

For countertops with no cabinets above, install a long wall-mounted fixture about two feet above the counter. Choose a shielded model that casts light downward and across the work surface.

Evenly space directional track-light fixtures; a group of pendants that shed light downward; or adjustable recessed spotlights.

Your sink and range require their own light source too. Over each workstation, center two 75-watt reflector flood track lights. You can also use two recessed downlights spaced about 18 inches apart.

To keep from dining in the dark, locate lighting over your eating area. Chandeliers should hang over the center of your table and about 30 inches above the surface. So it’s not a head-bumper, buy a fixture that’s at least six inches narrower than the table. Augment this central light source with recessed fixtures. Your buffet or sideboard also could benefit from a few well-placed recessed downlights.

Now comes the more artful side to kitchen illumination, called accent or mood lighting. Several approaches and a choice of fixtures let you direct intense beams of light on a prized collectible, a special surface material or a notable architectural feature.

Put accent fixtures above and inside cabinets. Even the cabinet toe space can twinkle with tiny lights. Or, simply shut off ceiling fixtures and let your under-cabinet lights cast a moody glow.

“Light really is a design medium,” Pickett says. “It literally can make an environment a delight to be in.”