Looking for new kitchen design ideas that won't require much disruptive renovation work? Consider kitchen track lighting. It will not only update your kitchen, giving it a new look, but it will also, unlike other kitchen design ideas, give you convenient lighting to make your kitchen activities easier while bringing a rich shine to your kitchen colors.
What is Kitchen Track Lighting?
Kitchen track lighting was developed in the 1960s. It consists of a track mounted along your kitchen ceiling with light fixtures, or “heads”, hanging from it. The track works as an extended power source for the lighting heads and the heads easily slide on the track.
Light Exactly Where You Need It
Thus, you can position the kitchen track lighting exactly where you need it. Preparing a holiday dinner and need more light over the counter as you slice and dice? Just slide the fixture on the kitchen track lighting over you for the precise amount of light you need. Further, you can twist the fixture, aiming the light away from you to create a dimming effect, perfect for romantic, candle lit dinners with your significant other!
Kitchen Track Lighting, Unlike Other Kitchen Design Ideas, is Easy to Install
Because the track is surface mounted, you won’t have to drill holes in your ceiling, limiting the mess and making the product easy to put up. But remember that kitchen track lighting product lines often can’t intermingle, meaning that you usually must purchase the tracks and heads from the same manufacturer. But given the large amount of head options (see below), finding the right track/head style to match your kitchen decor from a manufacturer shouldn’t be difficult.
Many Options, Many Possibilities
Depending on your length of track, you can choose to install as many light fixtures on your kitchen track lighting as you need using both low and high voltage. For a brighter space, install more light fixtures, or use halogen bulbs.
Heads come in a variety of kitchen colors and are made from various materials including stainless steel, aged iron and even classic bronze. Each head style will lend a different look to your kitchen, from modern to industrial, all the way to traditional. In addition, bulbs span the gamut, from Incandescent and Halogen to Compact Fluorescent. Which you choose is dependent on the level of light you want and your energy concerns as some bulbs consume less energy than others.
But Keep Your Kitchen Colors in Mind
Make sure you tilt your light toward the wall to minimize glare. Further, since the lighting will only focus on a small segment of the wall, your kitchen colors, as whole, won't appear washed out. But since the lighting will call attention to your kitchen colors, a good idea is to use those colors found in nature - earth brown, sky/water blue, tree green - to create an overall relaxing feeling.
So what’s the upshot of kitchen track lighting? It’s easy to install, utilitarian in terms of light positioning, and gives you a variety of kitchen looks, illuminating your rich kitchen colors. It’s an easy and convenient way to give your kitchen that longed for makeover.