See the light in your kitchen

The cabinets may be deluxe, the countertops exquisite and the appliances top-of-the-line, but what good is it if you can't see to cook?

"Kitchen lighting is so crucial and should be one of the first things people think about when they're designing or remodeling a kitchen, but it often gets last priority," says lighting consultant and interior designer Lisa Duncan of Kansas City. "People spend tens of thousands of dollars on their kitchens, but then you can't see the new improvements or what you're doing if the lighting isn't right. Then I come along, and drywall has to be ripped out."

"Adding under-cabinet lighting is the No. 1 thing you could do if you want to update your kitchen and make it more functional," says architectural and kitchen designer Billie Deatherage of Deatherage Home Designs in Kansas City.

Not only do under-cabinet fixtures provide proper task lighting, they add pleasant ambience for home entertaining. Deatherage always includes dimmer switches.

"They are inexpensive and can give you the control to make your kitchen go from production mode to entertainment mode quickly. And they save energy."

One of the challenges with kitchen lighting is that it adds heat. Lighting consultant George McMillen of Wilson Lighting in Overland Park, Kan., sees the problem all the time.

"People will remodel their kitchen and love it in the fall and winter, but then spring and summer comes and suddenly, it's too hot," McMillen says.

"The challenge with LED is the color -- it can look too warm or too cool," he says. "But the technology is getting there."

Bright spotsOver the sink: There's a new focal point for lighting in the kitchen: the sink. "Look how beautiful kitchen sinks have become -- and functional with the built-in cutting boards and colanders," says interior designer Dianne Boren of Interior Options in Leawood, Kan. "You can actually see to wash your hands and the dishes."

Under cabinets: Deatherage makes sure all her kitchen projects have under-cabinet lighting. "It's so important for task lighting," she says. "But it's also a great ambient light for entertaining." She advises installing under-cabinet lighting toward the front of the bottom of a cabinet. If it's installed in the back, the light doesn't distribute evenly and creates bright spots and shadows.

All-in-one: Geri Higgins, owner of Portfolio Kitchen & Home, is seeing more kitchen ceiling fixtures that have integrated exhaust fans -- an alternative to the large range hood. Styles range from contemporary to crystal chandelier. Elica's "Star" ventilation light is $4,265 at Portfolio.

In the spotlight: Deatherage likes to install mini recessed can lights on either side of dramatic range hoods so the details don't disappear in a black hole. Architecture and art are naturals for spotlighting. If you don't like the hot spots that recessed-can ceiling fixtures make on countertops, consider frosted glass fixtures.

Pendants: On the style side of kitchen lighting, pendants are being reconsidered.

"For so long, it was three matching little pendants hung at the same length above a kitchen island or peninsula," says Higgins. "It became a look."

Instead, people are using one or two larger pendants above a sink or island. When there are three, they might be varying colors and shapes and hung at different heights.

Expect to pay• At-home kitchen lighting plan consultancy fees: $50 per hour.

• Installation of under-cabinet lighting by an electrician: $300 (fixtures not included; might be more for houses built before 1960).