Val Barnes
But this was a highly inefficient fix, and it got me thinking about how to light my kitchen in a more functional way without making costly or laborious changes. Regardless, I focused on inexpensive and reversible solutions, meaning you won’t have to call in an electrician or ask for permission from your landlord. Alex Tieghi-Walker, owner of Tiwa Select, an online gallery specializing in utilitarian folk objects, loves adjustable drafting lamps in the kitchen for the flexibility they offer. Having a table lamp on your countertop is one of the easiest ways to alter the lighting conditions in a kitchen, especially when you are about to have dinner and want to tone things down a little for your meal.
When designers Kim and Scott Vargo of Yellow Brick Home spoke to my colleague Kendra Vaculin about easy ways to refresh a rental kitchen, they offered another solution for both task and ambient kitchen lighting: adding LED strips underneath your cabinetry to illuminate countertops. Led Strip Lights with Adhesive Clips, Dimmer Switch and Connectors $19 at Amazon
Cooler light might come across as cold and clinical, and make your kitchen feel more like a doctor’s office. Meanwhile, warm toned light, which looks great in the rest of the house, might be too yellow for the kitchen and trick you into thinking something is more caramelized or browned than it actually is. These LED light bulbs are controlled by an app that allows you to adjust luminosity and color hue to your exact specifications. Your kids might like them for the wild color options, but the fact that these bulbs can cross the entire temperature spectrum for white light makes them far more than an expensive gimmick. Philips - Hue White & Color Ambiance Smart Light Bulb $50 at Best Buy
