Your Kitchen Island Addition; Lighting and Ventilation

We found a great article on This Old House that included some points about lighting and ventilation that anyone considering a kitchen island addition should take note of.

Since your kitchen island addition will be isolated, it is wise to plan some dedicated lighting for it rather than relying on ambient light, whether it will be used for a workspace or just for dining. Focused lighting is necessary for maneuvering and preparing safely. Since you won’t have upper cabinets on your kitchen island addition, there is nowhere to hide task lighting-so have fun and get creative.

The light should shine straight down on the kitchen island addition. Recessed lighting is a common choice but only works well if you have a standard-height ceiling. High ceilings (greater than 6 feet from the countertop) will require bulbs or fixtures that do not allow light to spread, but rather project it downward.

Hanging pendant lights are a fun option, but if you get the wrong height, you will have a blocked view, or too much light shining in your eyes while you’re trying to work or dine. Take control over these issues by having dimmers, no matter what kind of lighting you choose. This way you can have a lot of light when prepping, and a little when dining.

Ventilation

Ventilation is very important to any kitchen island addition intended for cooking. You can install a downdraft fan behind it-sometimes the range is actually incorporated in the actual cooktop. This option means you don’t have to worry about a hood blocking your view. However, downdraft fans are just not as effective without an additional exhaust fan, which would be mounted in your ceiling. This combo would take care of both odor and condensation.

If you don’t mind the look of it, a hood fan can be installed into your ceiling; again, if the space between the ceiling and countertop is not sufficient, you will be dealing with blockage. Hood fans can be built custom and made of any material and finish.

Let Cornerstone Builders of Southwest Florida ensure that the lighting and ventilation for your kitchen island addition is both safe and attractive. Contact us here today!