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Lighting designer Randall Whitehead felt that his
1984 kitchen was long overdue for a remodel. The
rest of the house had changed with the times, but
the kitchen was stuck in a look that was twenty
years old. At first Randall considered a total tear-out of the
kitchen, but realized that this was prohibitive in
terms of cost and inconvenience. He decided on a
more expedient solution. The footprint of the
kitchen would remain the same, but the cabinets
would be refaced and the appliances and countertops
replaced. The end result is quite amazing.
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 Before: With its white walls and clinical fixtures,
this kitchen is stuck in the 80s.
After: The kitchen is now in
harmony with the rest of the house.
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Before: The existing tubular incandescent
under-cabinet task lighting fixtures were
replaced. 
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After: Linear low voltage fixtures,
using a Xenon light source were installed instead. These provide a
warm, dimmable illumination that is energy
efficient...and dramatic. They also have
miniature clip-in fixtures, using miniature
accent lights that highlight the collection
of photographs which line the
backsplash.
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Before: dead space above the pantry
in the kitchen.
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After: A high niche was added in the hallway,
making use of the dead space. A pair of "puck" lights were
mounted along the base of the niche to
illuminate the red art glass vase. The base
mounting keeps the shallow light source from
creating a glare.
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The lighting in the center of the ceiling
was re-trimmed instead of replaced, making
use of the new trims that are now available
from many lighting manufacturers. The
fixtures now have a soft shoji look that is
in keeping with the rest of the space. The
recessed fixtures located over the high
counter that separates the kitchen from the
hallway were also re-trimmed to become low
voltage recessed adjustable fixtures. They
illuminate the flowers and the art in the
hallway, creating a visual punch. Homeowners
now have the option to switch out the trims
in their existing older recessed fixtures to
a more updated look without replacing the
whole fixture.
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Randall decided that he wanted the look of
the kitchen to blend with the Asian flavor
of other rooms in his home. He showed the
carpenter, Eamonn O'Brien, the Japanese
tansu pieces that were used throughout the
house for storage. Eamonn created a custom
stain for the cabinets that would complement
the rest of the existing wood finishes. The
door style was to be very plain, with
hardware that was both Asian and Arts and
Crafts in style.
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