The kitchen is arguably the most important room in the entire home. The kitchen is a place of gathering, creation, nutrition, merry-making, and of course, friends and family - which room is more loved and shared by members of the household? Thus, this room is best when adorned with 4 types of lighting - task, accent, ambient, and decor.

There is a saying that the pleasure in enjoying food comes a part from taste and the other part in presentation and lighting plays a large part in the latter. Aside from helping the visual appeal of food, kitchen lighting can set the overall mood and ambiance. With the right lighting, you can create a cheerful, warm, relaxed mood that will be inviting for everyone. That is why many designers take great care in lighting the kitchen.

Tasking

Proper lighting must be considered for performing tasks in the kitchen. Activities such as chopping vegetables, rolling and shaping dough, and reading recipes will require brighter and sharper lights. Some of the places in the kitchen that may need task lighting are under cabinets, above counters, and lighting above the kitchen island.

Accent

Accent lighting in the kitchen are lights that help showcase a prominent piece that requires a little extra attention, for example, a painting or a piece of artwork. Track lights are a popular form of accent lighting and can add charm to almost any room.

Ambiance

The best lights used to set the ambiant of a room, particularly the kitchen, is a light that is not the center of attention such as a chandelier or a pendant lamp. Rather, it is more demure and causes a certain feeling and mood desired by the designer. For example, the soft glow of a semi-flush ceiling lamp would do well in providing a sense of calmness and warmth.

Decor

Contrary to an ambient light, a light used to decorate a kitchen would be used as a centerpiece, attracting attention to itself would be the decorative light. Fine examples of a decorative lamp would be various types of chandeliers and pendant lamps.