Outdoor Kitchen Lighting for the Summer
Outdoor dining is one of the ultimate summer experiences, filled with delicious grilled foods, fresh garden veggies and friends. Lighting is an important element in your outdoor living design. In addition to allowing you to see what you’re doing and eating after sunset, your outdoor lighting design can provide the ideal ambiance for late-night conversations and lounge chair cuddling.
Here are tips to ensure your backyard kitchen is adequately, and safely, illuminated.
- Is it safe? Your backyard lighting will be exposed to the elements, which means it needs to be rated for damp and wet locations. If lights are somewhat exposed through an arbor, or trellis, look for outdoor lights with wet ratings. If your patio coverage is substantial, a damp rating should be fine.
- Task lighting. Areas where you will be prepping and cooking food should have focused task lighting so chefs can see what they’re doing, and ensure meats are cooked through properly.
- Ambiance. Consider a combination of under-cabinet lighting, pendants and vintage fixtures to keep your design varied and interesting.
- Extras. Don’t neglect accessories like dimmer switches, motion-sensitive fixtures and ceiling fans for added comfort and safety.
Contact Susan Currie for questions about your outdoor living design.