Lighting in the kitchen will most likely come from more than one source. You may have lights brightening the entire area of the island and  where you prepare meals.  Then these areas could be brightened with natural lights from a skylight or a window.  Good lighting ensures safety in the kitchen when performing tasks.

In this kitchen, task lighting is obvious. Matching frosted pendant lamps brighten the entire length of the island (but also draws the eye towards this area of the room, making it the rooms central focus). Matching metal pendant lights brighten the sink area. There is ample natural light from the window and the glass-fronted cabinets help bounce light throughout the room. In other areas of the room there are several recessed lights and surface-mounted spotlights.

These different light sources can be wired to the same switch or different switches as well. They can be switched on or off when needed; they can also be dimmed to soften the light.

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