Let there be lights

They say in decorating, that lighting is essential to be thought of at the VERY beginning.  Sage advice.  If you don't think about it when all walls and ceilings are open...it could become a major, expensive headache later on.  We made our lighting plan as soon as we were all demo-ed.

Lighting (or lack there of) was one of our major gripes with the old kitchen....there were three lights in the space.  One overhead (used to be a ceiling fan as well), one sad little light above the sink, and one in the "butler's pantry" area (nook).  It was very frustrating.  Anytime you stood at a counter to do things - like use sharp knives, your body cast a shadow right onto what you needed to see.  Also, there was no functioning light in the mudroom, nor a window, so it was a dark abyss.

While we have all of the ceiling lights up and working, the under cabinet lights are slated for the next electrician's visit.  Unfortunately, putting up the panels that hide the under cabinet lighting wiring and hardware was holding up all of the trim on the sink wall, so Brent go the instructions, and got to it earlier this week.

This is what the underside of the cabinets would
 have looked like had we not done anything to them.

Brent drilled holes to run the wires of the LED lights we got.

Brent got a hole saw just the right size, based on the template the lights came with.

Brent snaked the wires using poly twine to pull them through

Brent attached the beadboard panels to the back edge of the cabinet.  And yes, this renovation has been fueled by Dunkin.

The surface under the cabinets needed a finishing touch whether we had planned on task lighting or not...see the difference?

We are VERY excited to have Peter back to hook them up and see what they look like on!  We decided to spend the extra bucks and get a dimable version.  We anticipate using them frequently, as this is our main counter surface, and wanted to have the option to control the amount of light they are giving off.

We also have under cabinet lighting to be installed over the breakfast bar and in the nook.  Hopefully all of these lights will be hooked up this week!  We are also excited to see the light in the mudroom,  our new outdoor lights (one on the back steps, and one in our back yard).  I am looking forward to taking some great night time pictures when we are all done featuring our different lights.