Is your kitchen bland, with ugly, diffuse lighting from the 1930s? Are you amenable to cursing to yourself at 3 a.m. when projects don't go quite right? Then have we got a project for you!

I've wanted to change the lighting in my kitchen for awhile (the light was washed out and the counters were dim), and I finally convinced myself it was a project I could do on my own with minimal hassle (as opposed to, say, refining my hardwood floors . . .). I discussed the merits of recessed lighting vs. track lighting with Lisa for several days (she's a fan of recessed lighting), and finally settled on track lighting for two reasons: (a) it's far less hassle, given that installing recessed lighting in an insulated plaster ceiling involves special heat-resistant fixtures and cutting actual holes in the ceiling itself (no takebacks) and (b) I found a kit on sale (this, by the way, is an incredible site if you're looking for new lighting; two thumbs up, really).

The kit came on a Friday. I didn't get to it until a Sunday, at which point the "idyllic afternoon project" evaporated. My first problem involved locating the proper circuit in the circuit box; they're not labeled. I killed seven circuits before I found the right one, so then I had to reset all my clocks. I unpacked the track kit (this differs from traditional "track lighting" in that it's all self-contained and non-upgradeable; true track lighting is a system that allows for the addition or subtraction of lights because the track itself carries electricity), then removed the ceiling fixture. Then I cursed a bit and had to retrieve my Bluetooth headset so I could talk to my dad while I was on the ladder looking at the wires (after calling around to find him; luckily he was with Haley, who had her phone). The ceiling fixture is so old that its wiring didn't match the new diagrams. But with some helpful fatherly advice I managed to connect the track kit (with instructions not to mess with it again until he comes to visit and runs new wire for it). Then I cursed some more, since the design of the kit makes it extremely difficult to wire it and mount it flush against the ceiling at the same time; there's just not enough room to maneuver screw drivers and wires inside the casing. My arms were aching by the time I *finally* connected it 40 minutes later. Then I held my breath and turned the breaker back on, and voila! New omnidirectional halogen lighting.

It took me a few days to adjust to the new lighting; it's "uneven" (it has several focal points and dimmer areas between), which creates more "mood" but also makes it seem closer. I finally decided I liked it, although I don't leave the kitchen lights on for hours anymore (halogens give off a *lot* of heat). On the up side, I can reposition the lights if I want to redirect more light to a specific point, but I have to use a potholder to do it.

The next step was to replace the decorative woodwork above the sink. If you're into that style of decoration, more power to you, but it doesn't fit my personality. The woodwork hid a fluorescent fixture (that I honestly forgot was there) that I've decided to utilize more to help offset the uneven light of the track kit (replacing the "bright white" fluorescent bulbs with "warm" kitchen and bath bulbs helped immensely). And then, like deja vu, came the wrath of a ghost irate that I'm changing his house. Despite the fact that this piece of wood was non-structural and non-loadbearing (and in fact had to support nothing more than its own weight), it was secured with 4 two-inch-long nails and frelling *glue* all along the top edge. Since this would never have occurred to me, I pulled the four nails and then pried until it popped loose (thinking it was just wedged), resulting in some cracked plaster that is covered for now but will probably have to be respackled eventually. The retired guy who lived here before me secured things *way* too well.

Old stuff gone, on to the new. I bought an identical wall-mounted votive holder to the one in my bedroom at Hobby Lobby specifically for this project (I dithered over what to put in that space for weeks, ranging from designs cut in wood to antique wooden grills off eBay, and finally went with this because I already liked the design; then I considered cutting it in half or just cutting out the center circle, but eventually it was just easier to leave it in one piece). I traced the top half onto plywood and cut it out with an orbital jigsaw (I don't really know what the difference is between an orbital jigsaw and a regular jigsaw, other than $20, but I just like saying "orbital"). The wood covered one-half of the medallion, leaving the bottom half open to let light from the fluorescent fixture through. Of course there was some painting (the wood matches the cabinets; the medallion matches the cabinet hardware). In the meantime I'd bought several sheets of translucent vellum paper at a crafts store, and when the paint was dry and the parts assembled I spent about an hour carefully cutting out geometrical wedges that aligned with the cross bars and taping them in place (so from the front there are no seams). This was a pain in the ass. But the results looked pretty good.

Mounting the medallion was straightforward, just requiring three screws through the plywood into studs behind it (and then a little paint over the screws). It did, however, create the problem that, unlike before, from the sides one could see the fluorescent fixture. This is bad. So after some pondering and a couple of test cuts, I finally devised a very odd-looking geometric shape (in the process leaving behind some even stranger debris) that fills in the gaps unless you *really* look and in the process gives the space between the cabinets more of an arch feel without blocking light behind the medallion. The final result is definitely the focal point of the kitchen now (whether I wanted it to be or not).

Almost as an afterthought, I ordered some "Dot Lights" from Amazon to use as undercabinet lighting (optimally such lights would be wired and much brighter, but that involves wiring which leaves me out; in my defense, my cabinets are so low that real undercabinet lighting would only benefit me slightly, so these are more for decoration than anything). Dot Lights are like those old touch lights "as seen on tv" that every dollar store has been carrying for years, except these are four times as expensive and use three LED lights instead of the cheaper bulbs in the touch lights. I mounted three under each set of cabinets, and although they look impressive with the lights off, I don't know that they actually do anything with the lights on other than provide some ambient blue-ish light on the countertops.

The end result is an entirely new lighting system.

The complete suite of pictures is here.

Posted at 12:10 AM.  |     |   Permalink to this post.