Designer Jill Mullins explains the three basic types of kitchen lighting: - General illumination maintains a specific light level in a room; in a kitchen such illumination may include recessed and over-cabinet lighting. Incandescent lights, which tend to be more yellow, and fluorescent lights, which are whiter, are good types of general lighting.
- Highlighting and accenting brings the light level up to about three times the general illumination level in order to point up a specific feature, such as a decorative range hood, carved cabinet doors, etc. Toe-space lighting, a good example of this type of lighting, makes cabinets appear to float above the floor; and over-cabinet lighting makes cabinets look higher by expanding the space above them.
- Task lighting provides illumination for specific tasks, such as cooking, reading, etc. It can be located on the wall above the work area or under the cabinets above the area.
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