[Greenbuilding] undercabinet fluorescent fixtures

[Ron Cascio]

I second Alan's take here. We had white Corian in our old home with T-5's undercabinet (18") and rarely turned on the overhead, for the same reasons. We now have the same lighting with Silestone and even though it's not as illuminating as the previous, find it quite accepable. 

Perhaps my own eyes aren't yet as far gone as my friend in Tacoma Park though.

Ron  
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Alan Abrams 
  To: Green Building 
  Sent: Wednesday, August 17, 2011 1:10 PM
  Subject: Re: [Greenbuilding] undercabinet fluorescent fixtures


  best solution for kitchen lighting is continuous T-5's under wall cabinets and or shelves at 16"-20" inches above the counter...and...a light colored, matte finished counter surface.  The counters make a significant difference in visual comfort.  Best kitchen I've cooked in had continuous fluorescent under cabinet lighting and white corian counters.  The corian was slightly transluscent, like fine marble, and actually functioned as a source of illumination.  I never turned on the overhead lights, except to sweep the floor.  

  By contrast my kitchen has continuous T-5's and soapstone counters, which seem to suck light out of space.  Not that 7 years have passed since the corian days...incipient cataracts having nothing to do with it...


  Alan Abrams
  Abrams Design Build LLC
  A sustainable approach to beautiful space

  6411 Orchard Avenue Suite 102
  Takoma Park, MD 20912
  office  301-270-NET- ZERO (301-270-6380)  
  fax      301-270-1466      
  cell     202-437-8583
  alan at abramsdesignbuild.com
  www.abramsdesignbuild.com




  On Wed, Aug 17, 2011 at 10:13 AM, Clarke Olsen <colsen at fairpoint.net> wrote:

    I make kitchen cabinets with the first shelf open: dishes and glasses are not ugly, and they are much handier without doors.
    With a lip on the front that stiffens the shelf and hides the light, I've used T-5's lately, though T-4's would be skinnier.
    Check the wattage to hold the light down to a level that works.

    Clarke Olsen
    373 route 203
    Spencertown, NY 12165
    USA
    518-392-4640
    colsen at fairpoint.net





    On Aug 17, 2011, at 9:52 AM, Anne Judge wrote:

    >
    > On Aug 16, 2011, at 11:55 PM, JOHN SALMEN wrote:
    >
    >> Modern
    >> residential kitchens were essentially designed by some rich brat in the 30's
    >> so her staff would be more efficient??
    >
    > My observation is that it's more like someone combined the pantries (storage and butler) and the kitchen (large working room with stove & work table etc.) into one room for more modest smaller houses.  You'll find modern-looking upper & lower cabinets in late 19th-C upper class butler's pantries.  Their upper cabinets did just what most of mine do, store dishes.  Don't knock it, I don't know where else I would want to keep them.
    >
    > The problem looks to me that that changed what was mostly a staging area into a functional work surface.  I think it worked pretty well, after raising the upper cabinet a bit & deepening the lower one, but it was a compromise.  I certainly would never give up my upper cabinets to make it marginally more ergonomic.
    >
    > Do you still find that modern LED undercounter lights are still not a really useful working light?  I actually don't have under-cabinet lights and every so often look at them.
    >
    > Anne
    >
    >
    >
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