Kitchen Lighting and Flooring

Kitchen Cabinet Lighting

Proper lighting in a kitchen boils down to task lighting over the countertops or islands -- and even under the counter with cabinet lighting, which is effective for working.

Kitchen Sink Lighting

One light at least in a new kitchen should be directed toward the sink, and one light toward the oven for working. Another one should beam on the countertop.

In addition to strategic light-fixture installation, plan for efficient use of natural light with the architect in the early stages of design.

Kitchen Skylights

There are different ways to incorporate natural lighting into a kitchen -- windows, skylights and openings to other rooms in the house, such as glass block or a glass door.

The first thing to think about with kitchen flooring is that it should be water resistant and easy to clean.

Linoleum Flooring

There are many options, including vinyl, laminate, tile, ceramic tile -- or a resilient natural product such as linoleum, which is made out of linseed oil and resin wood chips and coloring. It smells good and looks good.

Ceramic Tile Flooring

Ceramic tile works beautifully in a kitchen because it's durable, beautiful, waterproof and easy to clean. When it comes to price, ceramic would be cheaper, porcelain a bit more costly and stones the most expensive.

Slate is a nice material for kitchen flooring too, but it has to be sealed every six months. It's inexpensive and beautiful.

Hardwood Flooring

Hardwood floors can also be used in the kitchen, but like slate, they need to be sealed to protect them from water damage and staining.

Cork flooring is another natural material that's easy to install -- and because there is a spring to it the comfort level on the feet is high.

Design Tip: Before laying down kitchen flooring, consider placing the flooring diagonally. Since everything is linear, at a 90-degree angle and straight in the kitchen, the diagonal flooring usually breaks up the look, which results in a unique design.