You don’t need a full home renovation to improve your favorite space. When asked about their favorite room, just about everyone cites the kitchen as the place the family loves. The room where they gather for everything from casual meals to conversation to get-togethers on the weekend. As real estate agents will tell you, an updated kitchen adds a lot to a home’s resale value. How can you make your kitchen brighter, better, and more inviting without spending a fortune on a full kitchen renovation? We’ve got some tips for you! These are ways in which you can increase the kitchen’s efficiency while stoking the appearance factor. By changing the lighting and switching out old fixtures, you can make the kitchen a better work space, and the kind of room everyone flocks to, whether it’s for a meal or during a party.
Light in layers. With kitchen renovations, it’s important that you have different levels of lighting for different areas, depending on the tasks performed in each one. For example, choose a light for over the kitchen table or bar where meals happen that’s got different levels of power. Over surfaces where work takes place, like chopping, measuring and cutting, you need a strong lighting source that doesn’t “invade” the rest of the room.
Work in threes. A well-regarded design principle dictates that lights should be placed in one, threes and fives. If you’re having pot lights or pendants installed over a workspace (the kitchen island, perhaps?) consider three or five lights. Following this guideline ensures you get enough light over the surface while balancing how the eye receives it.
Go green with new lighting. Today there are plenty of lighting options available that use a lot less energy than old style light bulbs and overhead fixtures. Talk to an expert like our award-winning team at Kay2 Contracting and do lots of online research before making your choices. The assistance of our interior designers can help you select the most inspiring lighting for your space. Going green is better for the environment, and better for your utility bill, too.
A dramatic overhead fixture. Many people today are opting for a glamorous overhead fixture that draws the eye and is a real attention-getter. These pieces aren’t just for the living room anymore. Add to it a set of three pendant lights over the kitchen island and you’ve got a high functioning kitchen space that’s gorgeous, too.
Bring in a pro. While swapping out one overhead fixture for a new one during a kitchen renovation doesn’t seem like a complicated procedure, these tasks are best left to an electrician or contractor. When adding lighting under cabinets or hanging pendants over a workspace, bring in a professional. Working with electricity can be dangerous, and it’s not something amateurs should tackle on their own.
Adding new light fixtures or simply changing existing ones goes a long way toward giving your kitchen a fresh look, as well as making work areas brighter and adding mood and ambience. Since the kitchen is probably the room your family gathers in the most, making it a welcoming – and workable – environment for everyone, and every task, is a great way to add value to your home. Let the professionals at Kay2 Contracting help you spruce up your kitchen with a spectacular home renovation. Whether you live in Calgary, Canmore, Banff or Edmonton and surrounding areas, our experienced team of home improvement specialists can help you achieve all your kitchen renovation goals.