How to illuminate your kitchen countertop if you do not have upper cabinets (or shelves)
The trend of a minimalist kitchen continues this year, which means, only having the base cabinets. No upper cabinets and in some cases no shelves. Trends in design and decoration give us many ideas and inspiration, but it will not always be perfect for us, just like in fashion, don’t you think? In our home, we have upper cabinets where we store glasses, cups and small plates. We have no more place and we need them, so as you see this trend doesn’t work for us.
But if you, on the contrary, are about to renovate your kitchen and have realized that you don’t need as much storage and you are a lover of a minimalist decoration, maybe this trend is for you. Now, if you choose to place shelves in your kitchen, remember that the accumulation of dust will force you to clean the kitchen more regularly.
If you have approved these suggestions 🙂 then we go to the next step that would be how to illuminate the kitchen countertop if we don’t have upper cabinets or shelves.
Why we illuminate the kitchen countertop
Considering that the general light of our kitchen is already done, we now need to choose the task lighting, which means the light that will help us illuminate our countertop better when preparing the food. This lighting will also avoid shadows on the countertop when the general light of the kitchen is switched on.
Alternatives to illuminate the kitchen countertop
When you have upper cabinets or shelves over the countertop, the choice of lighting is more practical and easier to hide under, using LED strips (formerly fluorescent).
Without these storage elements, we must look for other options that meet two main characteristics: functional and aesthetic. They will now be visible and should be integrated with the kitchen’s general lighting. And if we also have pendant luminaires on the kitchen island or the dining table (if our kitchen is a kitchenette), we must achieve harmony in our decoration.
Built-in or surface-mounted ceiling spots
The built-in spots are an ideal option for small kitchens or kitchens with a maximum height of 2.40m. (7-8 feet)
The attached or surface-mounted spots are easier to install as there is no need to make a hole in the ceiling as in the case of the built-in spots, but we must consider the height of the spot and the height of our kitchen, preferable over 2.40m. (7-8 feet)
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Pendant luminaires
Pendant luminaries are an excellent alternative if our kitchen is large and there is no island in the center of it. This way, we will not have many luminaries hanging from different ceiling points.
The ideal distance from the countertop to the bottom of the luminaire should be between 75-90cm (30-36 inches).
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Wall sconces
The wall sconces are ideal for small or large spaces if we have a kitchen island or a kitchenette. To reduce the number of wall sconces, we can choose those with a flexible arm that will allow us to move and rotate them depending on our needs.
The height of the countertop to the lower part of the sconce is the same as in pendant luminaires, between 75-90 (30-36 inches).
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Wall sconces and pendant luminaires
This alternative is recommended for large kitchens, where pendant luminaires would be the main element, and the wall sconces would have a more secondary role. The wall sconces could be placed at the end of the countertop and even one at the center. It is preferable not to recharge both since we seek to take advantage of these luminaries to achieve efficient lighting, i.e., have the necessary light on our countertop.
Are you also following this trend of not having upper cabinets?
Happy Monday!
Fiorella
