Page 6 - Home Lawn and Garden Spring Three Rivers 2015

6SSS SUNDAY, MARCH 29, 2015
THREE RIVERS EDITION OF THE ARKANSAS DEMOCRATGAZETTE • HOME, LAWN & GARDEN
The growing trend in kitchen lighting is task lighting. An example is light over a sink for cleaning, or over a counter for food preparation.
LET THERE BE LIGHT
CREATE A LIGHTING SCHEME THAT WORKS FOR THE KITCHEN
When designing a kitchen, home- owners typically give substan- tial consideration to many ele- ments of their dream design, including cab- inet and countertop materials and which brand of appliances they most prefer. But few may as thoroughly consider the lighting for the room.
An important consideration in any room, lighting is especially crucial in the kitchen, where people tend to gravitate and spend a good portion of their time.
The right lighting can have a dramatic effect on a kitchen’s functionality, including how the space feels when people enter it. The right blend of lights can create a vi- brant mood in the room, and lights can be adjusted according to what needs to be done in the space.
A kitchen-lighting plan requires a
combination of lights. The main focus should be on three distinct lighting types: task light- ing, ambient lighting and accent lighting.
Mandy Brewer, a lighting specialist at Whit Davis Lumber in Jacksonville, said lighting is an important piece to the puzzle.
“With a lot of the new homes having an open-concept floor plan, the kitchen is a continuation of the living space and gen- erally is coordinated with living and dining rooms,” Brewer said.
TASK LIGHTING
Task lighting is beneficial anywhere a per- son needs to perform tasks that require close concentration, such as chopping vegetables.
“[For] islands and bars — depending on the size — people are using mini-pendants and, in some cases, small chandeliers,” Brewer said.