One of the things I hated most about the old kitchen was how dark it was. It had one small window over the sink. Above the sink was a light and the only other light in the room was in the center of the room. If we were cooking or working at a counter, the light was behind us and our bodies cast a shadow on our work. The upper cabinets were too close to the countertops to get a blender or a wine bottle underneath them–they formed a tunnel of darkness.
I developed several strategies to address these problems. I tore out the upper cabinets and will not replace them. I bought a 7-foot long window and had it installed above the main counter run and sink. And when I had the kitchen wired to code, I made sure there were lights above every counter work area.
We’ve been enjoying the one recessed light that was installed since July. But along the outside wall there was not enough space in the attic for recessed lighting. The electrician wired the space for three pendant lights. I found some I liked online. Unfortunately they’ve been on backorder for two months. They arrived when I was in Las Vegas and I had to wait until I finished plastering the walls to install them.
Finally we have light. It’s amazing. Even in the daylight the extra lighting makes the kitchen glow, seem larger, and absolutely a joy to work in. My happiness would have been complete had I not broken one of the frosted glass shades when I was trying to install the lights. Now I have to reorder…and you can’t buy just the shade, you have to buy the whole lamp. Well, it’s still a pretty good deal.