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Please help my kitchen...lighting, counters, floors, oh my!

10 years ago

Unfortunately, we had water damage to our kitchen ceiling and floors over the winter holiday. Part of the wood floors will be replaced and all will be refinished in a little darker cherry finish. Outdated lighting and counters will be replaced, as well. Cabinets and appliances (for now) stay. Having some design dilemmas, as there are too many beautiful choices out there, and I need to refocus!

Lighting - We have a colorful, fairly bold lighting fixture over the kitchen table that will stay. Need advice for lighting over the island and sink. My thoughts so far...recessed lights over the walkway in front of the dishwasher and stove, pendants or mini pendants over the island, and I'm stuck on the sink light. Do I have enough recessed lights if I do four 4-in cans? Suggestions for pendants or any other lighting ideas? I am open to all ideas!

Counters - We are used to the dark counters, but a counter expert suggested going to light counters. Opinions? I like the Super White granite counters with white cabinets I see on the web.

Back splash ideas?

Ceilings are 8 foot, and kitchen work area is only about a 10' x 10' space.
Changing the color of our paint will be a big undertaking, as the kitchen, front hall, and living room are open to each other, but I do realize the paint color in the kitchen should probably be changed. Ideas about that?

Thank you so much for your help!!! Looking forward to getting my kitchen put back together soon.

Robin

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Comments (4)

rinked
10 years ago
last modified: 10 years ago
Have some lights under the cabinets next to the sink and stove and you'll be fine, no cans. A semiflush (or pendant) above the island will look way much better than the off-set flushmount you have now, no mini-pendants. Paint the top half of the wall a lighter color, I kinda like the lower half with your table and table pendant. Maybe a little more orangy, less mustard (but that might be the photo or my screen).
Having had a white countertop I'd say nay to white. When the floor gets darker and the walls painted, I'd say a medium to dark grey counter or maybe a wooden one, light oak, similar to the table.
km kane
10 years ago
Undercounted lights for sure! Pendants above island and sink, recessed lighting too if you think you need it, as bright kitchens are nice. If you go with light countertops, well, that's a heck of a lot of white/light in one room, so maybe not.
robinnc thanked km kane
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PRO
RSR DEVELOPMENT DESIGN/BUILD
10 years ago
last modified: 10 years ago
The best under counter lighting you can get is by Noralighting, they have several styles, the most hightech is Nora tape lighting, it can be installed before or after your cabinets are installed, naturally you would get a better finish before the cabinets are installed. Here is a link.
http://www.noralighting.com/Category.aspx?cid=754

Lighting over the Kitchen sink would preferablly should be recessed lighting 6 inch LED, which are standard, 4 inch are more costly and not as common. Pendant lighting would be nice over the island.
There are many options for countertop, you can go with Natural Stone, Granite, or Quartz products such as Silestone, or Caesarstone, these products are green and man made, and more expensive, or you can use Soapstone a natural product.
For your Back Splash you can go with Tiles, subway tiles, Mosaic Tiles, or Natural stone.
Hope this helps?

Best Regards
robinnc thanked RSR DEVELOPMENT DESIGN/BUILD
jck910
10 years ago
just did my kitchen which is also 10' X 10'. Same layout as yours. I did under cabinet lights under all cabinets (not that many so well worth it) Love it. I did a 4" can on each side of stove and 1 to left of sink; two 3" cans over island. I felt island was too small for 3 pendants as odd numbers are more pleasing to the eye, pendants also obstruct the view in a small space. I used a Union pendant from schoolhouseelectric.com over the sink. I got the blue stripe globe but they have other colors. Everyone comments on it. My first career was as a teacher so I felt it was appropo. (?). I like the contrast of light and dark for counters and cabinets. My cabinet color is called starlight (which is a creamy white). I wanted a grayish color quartz and picked Cambria's Bradford which is described as gray but in reality is more brown (love it, though) and on the island I got John Boos Butcher Block stained walnut. Backsplash is on order: glass mosaic tlles. Sorry for the rambling but wanted to draw an image in your mind Good Luck
robinnc thanked jck910

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