Use Track Lighting to Transform your Kitchen4 min read

When using track lighting in the kitchen it can transform the design. It can enhance a specific area you want to light up or set the mood across the whole entire layout. A great way to represent your personality and mood.

Track lighting is contemporary and versatile for the hub of the home and offers lots of potentials. Use it to boost the general lighting in the kitchen or highlight a feature like an island. If your kitchen contains a single light in the middle of the room, then add track lighting to provide the room with more light. In any busy kitchen, you need to have the correct lighting as well as task lighting which is directly aimed at the work area.

What is track lighting?

Track lighting is a fixture of lights that are held in place by a metal strip or wire, hence the word ‘track’. The track is connected to an electrical outlet, which is normally in the ceiling powering the bulb.

You can choose the track to be flush against the ceiling or be suspended in the air below. Spotlights, floodlights and pendant lighting can all be fitted to it. The perfect idea to suspend above a kitchen island.

If you choose the option to have adjustable lights, you can point them over the dark spots or illuminate particular areas to light up and make them your task lighting.

How can you use it in the kitchen?

Track lighting is the perfect way to showcase your kitchen to the best and make those features pop. There are a number of ways that it can be fitted. Track lighting is very versatile and can be structured in a way that is appealing to your kitchen design. The tracks can be laid out in bespoke ways, suited to you and the layout of your kitchen to illuminate each area. Opting for long tracks can light a kitchens walkway or light up the worktop to increase visibility.

Popular layouts of track lighting can include shapes of L-shaped and T-shaped, that are ideal to add light to the corners or maximise an awkward kitchen layout. Installing over the island can create a welcoming atmosphere when dining and entertaining guests and creating a mood light when the night is drawing in and you are about to get cosy.

Which one?

There are many styles to choose from and many different layouts to think about, but it is important to decide first on what purpose the track lighting will have in your kitchen.

Ambient

Ambient lighting provides general illumination of the room, basically meaning a comfortable level of brightness without a glare. A small kitchen can benefit from this type of light, but it’s not sufficient to use as sole lighting in a large kitchen as it will not provide the overall lighting you require. You can use it with other lights such as under the cabinets to create a layered lighting scheme.

Task

Task lighting is designed to highlight key areas like the worktops so you can work efficiently with proper lighting. Track lights are perfect to emphasis a specific part of the kitchen like the dining table or island. It’s a subtle way to section off the zones of your layout to suit your lifestyle. Open-plan living us one of the main ways of living in the home today and this type of lighting is great to separate the kitchen from the living area.

Accent

Accent lighting is like task lighting where it focusses on a specific area but in a more concentrated manner. It can be used to show off a feature, series of artwork, photographs or a favourite piece of china.

Once decided on what and where the track lighting will be placed, then you can figure out which fitting and styles will suit the decor and interior of your kitchen. There are many types of beautiful and wonderful lights on the market today.

Pendant lights are great for high ceilings and look the part when lined up suspended over a long table or island.  LED spotlights are a modern type of lighting that is used in the kitchen and are a great feature which can contribute to the ambient lighting.

Floodlights are slightly different and are a great idea to use in the kitchen. They can be adjusted and aimed at different areas of the kitchen depending on the area and what it is used for.

What you need to buy when purchasing track lighting

There are different types of track systems with each one being slightly different.

Things to consider

  • Track pieces 2-8 inches long (5-20cm)
  • Fittings to connect all the pieces together
  • Lights – spotlights, floodlights or pendant lights
  • Additional fittings to attach the lights to the ceiling and connect to the electrical supply
  • A power feed

 

 

Cawdor Stone Gallery are a division of the Cawdor Group, one of the UK’s leading natural stone providers. With over 30 years of experience, our highly qualified team have undertaken international projects of all sizes, providing high-quality materials and a comprehensive range of stone-related services to a range of projects. Contact us today for more info on our quartz and granite worktops.

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