The kitchen should be the well-lighted part of the house, as it’s where important actions take place. You will be cooking, cleaning and sometimes, eating in the kitchen. However, for most houses, there is a great challenge when it comes to having enough lighting specifically on the sink. Most kitchen design doesn’t have a light dedicated to the sink. But, it shouldn’t be the case. The sink and the area around it should be well-lighted. It’s the place where the food preparation takes place, which includes washing all the ingredients and utensils used for cooking.
Light in the Sink is Coming From…
Do you know where the light in the sink is coming from in most kitchen designs? They are mostly coming from four different lighting sources in the kitchen.
- They are coming from outside through a window or an opening.
- Some kitchens have a fluorescent tube on the wall above the sink, but the light won’t illuminate much to the sink. Especially when you have a cabinet over your sink and the light is fixed over it, it’ll be a big trouble. Upper cabinets will cast shadows to what’s under it, and that could be a sink. Sometimes, especially if the cabinet is already an add-on, many homeowners fail to adjust the lighting.
- Sometimes there is only a chandelier or any bright lighting fixture at the center of the kitchen. Although this casts light to the sink, you’ll only get your shadow when you are working on the sink. Though its bright enough to light the whole kitchen, it’s still not enough when you’re using the sink.
- Lastly, instead of a chandelier or centerpiece lighting, some only have recessed floodlights. However, in most cases, its position is way up high in the ceiling. If you have a cabinet over your sink, you cannot get much light from it. This is true, especially when working during the night.
So, what’s the solution?
You should have an under cabinet over sink lighting in your kitchen. If you don’t have a cabinet above your kitchen, which most houses have, it’s very important to really have an over the sink lighting. This will ensure better lighting when you are doing some cooking, reading a recipe or trying to prepare your meal. You must prepare them as clean as possible. So, this is where the sink lighting plays a very critical role. Of course, it’s also very important to consider what type of under cabinet over sink lighting you need and the type of bulb that fits your taste.
Different Under Cabinet Over Sink Lighting Fixtures
There are four common types of over the sink lighting fixtures – puck, eyeball, strip and bar.
Puck lighting is the very common type of under cabinet fixtures among the four. It’s like the round hockey puck decorated underneath the cabinet. This gives a pool of light in the sink or in your countertop. It won’t bother your eyes as it’s covered at the sides and will directly cast down to the opposite side of the cabinet.
Eyeball lighting is like a puck, but with movable bulb holder. This is essentially useful when you have a bigger sink and counter. You can pull it towards the counter if you need to read the recipe and prepare the ingredients. Then, you can move it back just right above the sink if you need to do some washing and cleaning.
Strip lighting is a very simple under cabinet lighting. You only need to have a strip of LED light and then, fix it beneath the surface of your cabinet above the sink. If one is enough for you, then, you get one. If you need two or three, go get them. It’s very simple and easy to install unlike the first two.
Bar lighting is almost the same as the strip. Instead of a thin strip of light, this is a little wider in size, and a little shorter than a strip. It’s like a light panel. It comes in various forms – single fluorescent light (covered or uncovered), bulbs in one plastic tube or a series of puck lighting evenly spaced to make it appear as a single entity.
Type of Bulbs
Now, let’s discover the different bulbs you can choose from. You can have either fluorescent, incandescent or LED lights. It depends upon which of the three gives the best light for you – not too bright nor too dim. You can also have bulb covers in different colors if you need to match it with your kitchen theme.
The under cabinet over sink lighting mentioned above are both energy efficient, especially if you know how to use them properly.
So, you don’t have to suffer insufficient lighting in your sink, just because you don’t want to add more lighting that might increase the electric bill. What’ more important is you’ll prepare safe and clean food in your kitchen.
We, at Fidelity & Designs, pride ourselves on being professional, reliable, and affordable. We can help remodel your kitchen or any part of your home. We are fully licensed and fully insured. Contact us for a free, no obligation consultation at 1-877-405-0409