Kitchen Clarity Adventures in Kitchen and Bath Design

What do you think about this kitchen lighting trend? I’ve been seeing suspension style lamps, especially Artemide’s Tolomeo, on kitchen walls everywhere.

This London kitchen is one of my favorites, and the single Tolomeo lamp on the pillar seems a practical and stylish way to light the island. I give this one a thumbs up:

But in this cottage kitchen featured in a previous post,  I’m not so happy. Surely this row of mini Tolomeos would be, well, right in your face? And why clutter up your backsplash tile with all those cords?

A different style of lamp in this Swedish kitchen, via Skona Hem.  Practical, I’m sure – they do look as if they are ready to lend a hand with the cooking, don’t they?

This trend is not limited to Europe – here is a shiny balance-arm lamp in Brooklyn. Hmm, again, too close to face-height for my liking:

As our kitchens here in the US tend to have shelves or cabinets above the counters, it’s usually easy and practical to hide some task lighting underneath them.  For me, this a trend that makes sense with open walls and a high ceiling – as in this kitchen in the Lebanon (via) -  an efficient way to put light where you want it. and make a statement with your choice of fixture at the same time.

I can’t help anthropomorphizing (oh, yes, definitely the longest word I have ever used in a blog post) them though, and I blame Pixar for that:

Related Posts:

• Lighting – all the Tolomeo family is here
• Lighting Jackpot – my lucky week
• New light bulbs from GE – bright ideas for energy efficiency
• Highlights – lighting at AD Home Design Show
• Lighting – The Tolomeo Identity