by Carolyn Murray
from Old House Journal Online.com
October, 2000

Folks who rehabilitate an old-house kitchen often breeze past one of the most important concerns--the lighting. It's a common oversight because lighting technology is little understood by homeowners, and lighting's potential for enhancing kitchen ambiance is often missed by architects and designers. Then, too, homeowners mistakenly believe that they have to forego a kitchen that looks of a period with the rest of the house in order to use it in a contemporary way. The truth is that with good design, common sense, and some of the latest lighting technology, your kitchen can remain the center of life in your house while providing plenty of light for your work.

Why flood a kitchen that's clearly from the 1930s with Disco-era downlights? Instead, use the original milk-glass ceiling and sink fixtures to provide authentic ambient light, while almost invisible can lights stand ready to shine on the stove.

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