As the weather turns nicer and the day stays light longer, cooking in your Arlington, MA, outdoor kitchen can be a no-brainer. When you illuminate the outdoor kitchen, no time will be a bad time for an outdoor meal or snack.
Related: OUTDOOR LIGHTING IDEAS FOR MORE CONVENIENT OUTDOOR LIVING IN NEWTON AND CAMBRIDGE, MA AREAS
Task Lighting
Task lighting is exactly what you need to cook food thoroughly after dark. Even as the sun is setting, having to go inside to make sure meat from the grill is cooked can be a hassle. There are several places where your landscaper should install task lighting to make preparation and cooking safe and easy.
Task lighting belongs over the countertops where you will be cutting meat, vegetables, and other foods to get them ready for grilling or the cooktop. Brighter and more focused, task lighting can be pendants or ceiling-mounted lights that shine straight down onto the prep surfaces.
Another place where task lighting can be beneficial is over the sink as you clean up from a meal cooked outdoors. Having appropriate lights over the sink and dishwasher can keep you from dropping a breakable dish because you couldn’t see clearly to take it from the sink to the dishwasher.
Both over the grill and the cooktop are great spaces for task lighting because when cooking, you need to see what you are doing so that you don’t overcook the food or suffer an accidental burn.
Dimmable Lighting
Dimmable, or ambient, lighting can be adjusted according to the amount of light that you want in a certain space. Dimmable lighting can be a vintage chandelier over the dining table or Edison bulbs that are suspended at different heights over the table to bring soft illumination for a meal and after.
When there is a space nearby for relaxing on the couch after the meal can be another great place for dimmable lighting. Virtually any area in the kitchen that could benefit from softer lighting that sets a mood can be right for dimmable lighting.
Under Counter and Seat Wall Lighting
Having your landscaper install under counter lighting can make finding the door to the fridge or ice machine so much easier and the glow on the stone or paver wall can highlight the texture to produce interesting shadows. This lighting also makes its way to the floor which can increase visibility for moving about the kitchen at night.
Seat wall lighting can let you illuminate extra seating and service space on a retaining wall that adjoins the kitchen. Your landscaper can use seat wall lighting on the underside of the wall to outline the top, giving you more room to host larger groups.
Lighting for Fun
When your landscaper has expanded your outdoor living space to include a kitchen where you can cook your favorite meals to enjoy with those you love, helped you choose just the right stone and pavers for the walls and countertops and floor, and hand-selected appliances that will withstand the weather, it can just be fun to incorporate some whimsical lighting.
Consider having your landscaper install string lights that can make the space feel like a party or choose some landscape lighting that can be different colors depending on your mood or the holiday. A Mexican fiesta cooked in the outdoor kitchen with multi-colored lights shining from the bushes might be the best party you have ever attended.
Related: OUTDOOR LIGHTING IDEAS FOR MORE CONVENIENT OUTDOOR LIVING IN NEWTON AND CAMBRIDGE MA AREAS
