Eatdrink #44 November/December 2013

28 www.eatdrink.ca
№ 44 | November/December 2013
kitchen design
Lighten Up!
Use lighting to get the most out of your kitchen design
By nAtalie novak
If you are renovating or
refreshing your kitchen
this year, says Cynthia
Rouse, “Perhaps the
most important aspect of your
project will be the decisions
you make about lighting. It can
dramatically influence the feel
of a room, making it warm and
inviting, cozy and comfortable,
or cold and distant at the flip of
a switch.”
Rouse, owner of Cynthia
Rouse Interior Design and
a lighting consultant for
Guildwood Lighting and
Fireside, recommends layering
the lighting in a kitchen. There are three
kinds of lighting you will need to consider
— general, task, and accent — and a
successful plan will involve all three.
Older homes might have just one light
fixture in the centre of the kitchen, which
creates a ‘cave’ effect says Rouse, because
there is not enough reflective light on the
ceilings and walls. It is better to have multiple
lights which can be turned on or off,
and brightened or dimmed, depending on
what they are needed for
A kitchen layered in three types of lighting: task lighting
over the sink and island, general lighting over the table,
and accent uplighting over the cabinet.
All photos supplied by Guildwood Lighting and Fireside
Task lighting is usually installed over
an island or counter, where you need good
lighting while you work. Pendants, undercabinet
and track lighting are common
choices for task lighting.
Track lighting can also be used to spotlight
the stove, sink, pantry or other areas
of the kitchen. And it can be used to direct
London’s
Kitchen
Renovation
Specialists
Kitchens
Bathrooms
Large Additions
Victorian Restorations
519.860.9640
www.old-castle.ca